Commencement speakers envision new beginnings

Commencement at UMass Law yesterday featured a couple of great speeches. And I'm not an easy critic.

Both speakers implicitly recognized the nature of a "commencement" as a new beginning.

Giving the student address, graduate Jack Lovely, now JD, an accomplished alumnus of my Comparative Law class, spoke eloquently to inspire his class on the road, and opportunities, that lie ahead in their professional careers. 

I especially liked Lovely's use of a quote from Jon Stewart: "[T]he unfortunate and truly exciting thing about your life is there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective." The quote often is, as here, taken a bit out of context—Stewart was speaking more to how young people mature at university than after—but the extrapolation is fair, and the spirit fits.

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Serge Georges Jr. impressed on graduates that they have the opportunity, and should endeavor, to shape the law, not just use it, and certainly not just reap benefits without giving back. He admonished, "The law is not a monument. It's a living promise."

Justice Georges similarly advised, "Don't confuse having a good life with living a good life." To wit, he memorably urged graduates to distinguish superficial interaction on social media, such as food posts, from human connections that really matter: "No one cares about the calamari."

A few of my now-former students were among award winners, including: brilliant researcher and top Torts students Christopher J. Sanacore, Academic Achievement for Part-Time Student; dedicated Veterans Law Association President Timothy Trocchio, External Legal Education Award (CLEA); and Comparative Law distinguished alumna Naydin Natasha Zepeda, Thurgood Marshall Social Justice Award. My congratulations to them and all of the class of 2025.

Arts school awards BFA to creative talent in film, TV; 'Schitt's Creek' creator Levy says, 'follow through'

Last week, my daughter was awarded a well earned bachelor of fine arts degree by the film and television program at the Savannah College of Art and Design.  Look forward to shameless promotion of her future projects on this blog.

Dan Levy
(Vogue Taiwan CC BY 3.0)

The commencement speaker was Schitt's Creek creator Dan Levy.  He told graduates:

[F]ollow through. That’s the greatest advice I could give because so few people actually do it....  If you’re a writer and you want to write a book, or a book of poetry, or a television show, or a movie and it gets a bit daunting and intimidating and you get that writer’s block, don’t give up on it. Because at the end of that experience, you will have something....  Ninety-nine percent of the people out there have all the ideas in the world but never follow through on it. So if you are that person, that can walk into a room with something, some expression of your creativity that you have completed, you are so far ahead of a lot of people.

I always wanted to have a blog.

UMass Law grads honor service tradition, will maintain top-3 Mass. bar pass rate with Harvard, BU

Photos and tweets from today's Commencement at UMass Law.

Photo of stage by UMassD_Alumni. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Elspeth Cypher (read more), honorary degree recipient, at right, first row, second from left.  I'm three rows behind her.

Professor and former Dean Phil Cleary (who can count Mass. tort law among his many talents), respected faculty senior, hoods the youngest member of the class.  Thurgood Marshall-award-winning dad Jesse Purvis looks on.  Photo by UMassLaw.

My tweets in time sequence:

'With great power comes great responsibility,' Chancellor Johnson quotes of #lawschool degree, placing in top 3% of educated globally. So build civility, transform world, he admonishes @UMassLaw #Commencement pic.twitter.com/JlJjx8tQL6

— RJ Peltz-Steele (@RJPeltzSteele) May 13, 2019

'#TogetherWeRise,' @UMassLawReview #medialaw symp ed Casey Shannon reminds class of marriages, births, hurricanes, and deaths incl of her own two brothers, in course of #lawschool. 'Solidarity,' 'Resilience,' her message @UMassLaw #Commencement pic.twitter.com/tCnxusvGiC

— RJ Peltz-Steele (@RJPeltzSteele) May 13, 2019

UMass Law awards honorary degree to #Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Cypher, first SJC judge from Bristol County in >100 years, will teach @UMassLaw in fall semester. See e.g. https://t.co/ImixldMizY

— RJ Peltz-Steele (@RJPeltzSteele) May 13, 2019

You hear there are too many #lawyers, but more people should be educated in #RuleOfLaw, #Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Cypher tells @UMassLaw upon receiving honorary degree: we are steam, water that keep #justice pipes open. #lawschool pic.twitter.com/o2OFmtdvM6

— RJ Peltz-Steele (@RJPeltzSteele) May 13, 2019

Enemies of #socialjustice beware! Jalessa Almonacy _JD_ has been unleashed on your world. #ProBono award winner with 644 hours. And my frmr TA; JS, #KnowAWinnerWhenISeeHer. @UMassLaw #Commencement pic.twitter.com/Cn28cxHag8

— RJ Peltz-Steele (@RJPeltzSteele) May 13, 2019

@UMassLawReview editor extraordinaire and #WestWing expert Kayla V leaves @UMassLaw better than she found it. She wrought e.g. https://t.co/gd2LPbrcb3 pic.twitter.com/1ru87bOu33

— RJ Peltz-Steele (@RJPeltzSteele) May 13, 2019

Now it's off to a faculty committee meeting. The busy work is never done! 🐝