Dear alumni and friends:
We celebrated the Commencement of 200 members of the J.D. Class of 2023 on Curry Field, next to the Law School, on Friday, May 12. Scott Jeffrey and Zachary Sturman received their J.D.s and Ph.D.s in Law and Economics. We also celebrated the Commencement of 42 LL.M. graduates representing seven nations, 7 graduates who earned both a J.D. and a master’s of science in finance, and 3 graduates who earned both a J.D. and a master’s of business administration.
A stubbornly persistent downpour of rain forced us to take our group photos of each graduating class in Flynn Auditorium instead of on the front steps of the law school, as is our longstanding tradition. But the rain didn’t dampen the mood at our Commencement festivities, and it let up in time to allow graduates to process from the law school into the enormous white tent on Curry Field under which we traditionally hold our Commencement ceremony.
We honored Molly Teague for receiving the Founder’s Medal for First Honors for the Class of 2023. Other graduates recognized during our ceremony include Elodie Currier, who received the Weldon B. White Prize for submitting the best paper in fulfillment of our advanced writing requirement, as well as the Bennett Douglas Bell Memorial Award, which recognizes a graduate “who embodies the highest conception of ethics of the profession," and Samantha Hunt, who was recognized with the Damali A. Booker Award, which recognizes a keen dedication to legal activism and a commitment to confronting social issues.
Each graduating class chooses a faculty member to speak at their Commencement, and Professor Dan Sharfstein delivered an inspiring address.
The J.D. Class of 2023 entered VLS at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They met each other as 1Ls in classrooms, but while sitting six feet apart and wearing masks. These students excelled in the classroom, as interns and pro bono volunteers in government law offices and with legal nonprofits during law school, and in internships and summer jobs with legal employers nationwide during one of the most challenging periods of American history. They showed courage, grace, and good humor as students here. I am proud of them and confident they will make meaningful contributions to the legal profession and to the communities where they will live and work.
Our J.D. Class of 2023 VLS graduates are smart, capable, motivated, resilient, adaptable, and well-prepared to meet the challenges of legal practice. They came to VLS from 31 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and Korea and are employed with legal employers throughout the U.S. and abroad after their three years with us. It was a pleasure to see them share the joy of their accomplishments at VLS with their classmates, family, and friends. I thank all of the guests who joined us to celebrate their Commencement and wish them fulfilling careers in the law.
