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May 2011 Commencement

June 8, 2011

May 2011 Commencement
May 2011 Commencement
May 2011 Commencement
May 2011 Commencement
May 2011 Commencement
May 2011 Commencement
May 2011 Commencement
May 2011 Commencement

“It feels amazing,” said Danaly Barajas as she lined up in her cap and gown to get ready to march down the aisle at graduation. “It goes by so fast it’s unbelievable.”

“It went by as fast as Dean Kransberger said it would,” said graduate Laura Shaver.

189 juris doctor candidates and 20 LL.M. (Master of Laws) candidates made the march for the Thomas Jefferson School of Law May 2011 Commencement on May 21 at the Copley Symphony Hall.

“Bittersweet,” was a word that graduating SBA President Jeremy Evans and a lot of people used to describe the occasion, including Dean Rudy Hasl. The dean added, “You have been transformed. Today is a time for reflection. I ask you to make a commitment to justice and compassion in a world that needs it so desperately.”

“Today our lives change forever,” said Valedictorian Dea Franck.  In an aside to her parents from the podium, Franck said: “So who’s your favorite child now?”  to gales of laughter and applause. Franck added, “The Constitution is a tenet of your character now – and you are forever now a part of the legal process.”

The commencement speaker was San Diego Padres CEO Jeff Moorad, who is an attorney and former sports agent. “How about that National Anthem?”, he said to graduate Marquetta Brown, who did a beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. “Can you sing it at Petco?”

“I commend your law school for its mission,” said Moorad. “Your school is innovative and I’m excited that you are forming a Sports Law Center.” He also praised the graduates, saying: “With the support of leaders like you, you can make a community great. I’m looking forward to hearing your names here and around the country as you make your own mark. Congratulations to the Class of 2011.”

Two very special guests from Brazil were also on stage to help place the hoods on the LL.M. graduates – former Brazilian Attorney General Jefferson Guedes and Brazilian Insurance Commissioner Bruno Perrut. They are visiting the law school as part of TJSL’s new exchange program with the national Brazilian legal academy.

Congratulations, from everyone in the TJSL family!