Life didn’t hand Danielle LeGrand ‘26 an easy start. One of five siblings, she grew up in poverty in Indiana, raised by a single mom. It was her mother who, despite the challenges she faced supporting her family, gave her the key to a brighter future.
“My mom emphasized the importance of school and education,” says LeGrand. “Going to college was a no-brainer.”
In fact, she had bigger ambitions to one day become an attorney.
Fueled By Determination
Although she knew a college education was her ticket to a more prosperous life, earning a degree without financial support was challenging. In fact, during her junior year, she was homeless for six months.
“By the grace of my professors, I was able to participate in a domestic study program,” she says.
They helped her secure an internship that was based in the DMV and included housing, which provided LeGrand with the stability she needed to complete her undergraduate degree in political science and focus on landing a position post-graduation. With her skills and experience, she found an exciting opportunity to launch her career.
“In the final interview, they said that my ability to work and navigate [my challenges] helped me get the job,” she explains.
Onward and Upward
LeGrand’s new position was with nonpartisan political nonprofit Unite America. In this role, she worked as an investor relations associate.
“It was a different world from what I was used to,” she explains. “I was exposed to a lot of things working on the fundraising team, and it gave me a different viewpoint of politics and policy.”
LeGrand’s husband serves in the U.S. Navy, and at this time he received orders to go to Okinawa, Japan. After two years at Unite America, LeGrand left her position to prepare for a new adventure overseas.
“Prior to that, I had never left the country,” she explains. “There was a flurry of feelings and new experiences.”
Danielle Legrand '25
A Fork in the Road
By now, LeGrand was no stranger to hard work and detours on the road. She settled in on the island and began working for the Department of Defense, helping U.S. Marines and sailors get ready to transition out of the military.
Although she found it rewarding to help prepare them to stand on their own two feet once they reentered civilian life, LeGrand had a nagging feeling that she could be doing more to support her own professional development.
“I still wanted to go to law school, but I wasn’t quite ready yet,” she says.
In the interim, she began talking with a mentor with legal expertise about her professional aspirations. This mentor explained to her that a lot of attorneys eventually open their own law firms, but many lack the necessary business skills.
“You need to have the legal acumen, but you also have to run a business,” she explains.
Laying A Strong Foundation
With this advice in hand, LeGrand decided that her husband’s deployment in Okinawa provided her with a great opportunity to earn an MBA. She learned about UMGC’s hybrid program offering, which fit her preferred learning style.
“I really appreciated the knowledge and wisdom my professors shared, not just from an academic sphere but based on real-world experience,” she says. “It gave me a better perspective of the ins and outs of running my own business."
A few months after earning her MBA, LeGrand applied to the NobleReach Scholar program. NobleReach is a nonprofit that is building a national community of leaders called to public service from across government, industry and academia, for the purpose of innovative problem solving for the country’s most pressing issues.
With a glowing review from a UMGC professor in hand, LeGrand was accepted into the NobleReach Scholars 2026 Cohort. As a Scholar, she will spend a year working as a business process analyst with the Office of Personnel Services and Benefits in the recruitment division at Maryland’s Department of Budget and Management.
“The idea is to get exposure to different aspects of public service,” she explains. “There’s a lot of flexibility, and I am having the best time.”
Building the Life She Wants
LeGrand is happy to be back in Maryland after her time in Japan, and her husband will join her there soon. When she’s not busy with her job, she’s studying to take the LSAT next summer and then apply to law school.
“I am hoping to integrate the education I will get in law school into a career with the state,” she says. “Maryland feels like home.”
Hard work and determination have led her here, despite encountering some obstacles on her path.
“My goal is to still be an attorney, but the road getting there has taken some twists and turns,” she reflects. “I had to learn that I have to be open to anything, even if it is new and unfamiliar. As I get older, I’m getting more excited for more twists along the way.”
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