When Alexzandra Noffsinger, ‘22, BS, was sworn in to the Grand Rapids Bar Association, the moment marked more than the culmination of law school; it was a moment of reflection and gratitude. 

At the front of the room, vouching for her character and readiness to practice law, was her former professor and longtime mentor, Misty Davis, associate dean of the Donald W. Maine College of Business and the College of Technology at Davenport University.

“You can’t be sworn in without someone to say you’re of sound mind and good character,” Noffsinger said. “I couldn’t think of any other person who would be more perfect for it.”

Noffsinger began her education at Davenport in the fall of 2018, initially majoring in international business.

“I didn’t even know legal studies was an option,” she said.

That changed after meeting Davis. With encouragement and guidance from Davis, Noffsinger switched her major to legal studies and they formed a connection.

“She’s been the light, carrying the torch,” Noffsinger said. “My biggest cheerleader — and the tough love person when I needed it.”

Halfway through her undergraduate degree, and just as the pandemic hit, Noffsinger began having stomach issues, experiencing pain during classes and later undergoing surgeries, all while continuing to take classes. At the same time, she worked two jobs, waitressing and retail, and then as a legal assistant at Priority Health, a job she continued through law school.

“I definitely would not have continued and gone to law school if Misty hadn’t pushed me like she did,” she said.

In April 2022, Noffsinger graduated from Davenport with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies. To make it even more special, her mother, who had started an associate degree years earlier, had returned to school with Noffsinger’s prompting to complete her bachelor’s in business management. The two crossed the stage together.

“It just happened to work out that we graduated at the same time,” Noffsinger said. “I’m really proud of her. She returned to school almost 20 years later. She’s a trouper.”

Originally, Noffsinger was on a completely different path. In high school, she’d signed with a modeling agency and didn’t consider college. “My mom was the one who told me to go to college,” she said. “I went to school and realized I was smarter than I thought I was.”

After graduating from Davenport, Noffsinger was accepted to the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She graduated in May 2025 with her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude. While in law school, she served on the executive board of her law school’s law review, authored and published an article, and served as a judicial extern at the Michigan Supreme Court. She secured competitive 1L and 2L summer associate positions at Miller Johnson in Grand Rapids and was hired after graduation to work in its mergers and acquisitions department. She passed her bar exam in July.

Today, as an associate at Miller Johnson, she is discovering an interest in estate planning and tax law, in addition to mergers and acquisitions.

“I’m passionate about estate planning and helping people think about generational wealth,” she said. “What’s going to happen to your things when you pass?”

Her interest in legal work began at Davenport, where legal studies students drafted documents for real clients under faculty supervision. She said the exposure to practicing attorneys in the classroom made a difference.

“A lot of our teachers were practicing lawyers. That’s not something every school offers,” she said.

For Noffsinger, Davis’ sponsorship of her to the State Bar of Michigan, held by the Grand Rapids Bar Association, was not ceremonial; it was personal. It was a culmination of years of mentorship and encouragement—from applying to law school to studying for the bar.

“She stood up and said I’m eligible and of good character to be admitted,” Noffsinger said. “She saw me from the start—through surgeries, through school, through personal life, and stayed with me the entire journey. It meant everything.”

Noffsinger’s advice to current students is twofold: work hard early and be confident in your ability to learn.

“Set yourself up for the life you want in undergrad,” she said. “And be confident in your abilities. If you don’t know something, be confident that you’re capable of learning it. Figure it out and know when to ask for help.”

“We all need a helping hand. It takes a village,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here without every single person who supported me.”

For information on Davenport University’s Legal Studies program, visit davenport.edu/academics/areas/business/bachelors-legal-studies