 What a joyous gathering on a beautiful, dry, breezy day. It's great to be under this tent with all of you. Under this tent are President Donald Farish, members of the University Board of Trustees, members of the School of Law Board of Directors, our honorary degree recipients, faculty and staff of the law school, alumni, and last but not least, the class of 2015, their family members and their friends. Good afternoon and welcome to the 2015 commencement exercises at Roger Williams University School of Law. Please rise, although it appears you've already done that, as Renee De La Garza sings the national anthem. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. Please be seated. Three years ago, the class of 2015 began the journey that we celebrate today, a journey made up of rigorous, lively, and sometimes unpredictable classroom instruction. Memos and rewrites of memos and rewrites of rewritten memos, exams, clinical work, and externships from Providence to South Korea, co- and extracurricular activities and service, the provision of pro bono legal services to the poor, the voiceless, and the oppressed. Their guides on this journey were the remarkably talented and dedicated faculty of this law school. And I would like the faculty to stand and be acknowledged for all they've done for the class of 2015. As we proceed to recognize several individuals, the class of 2015 has chosen to honor for their special contributions during the journey. I ask us to do so in memory of Professor Robert Brighton Kent, who passed away this year and who made so many special contributions to the law school community. First, the class selected, as has become our tradition, two professors of the year, one from the full-time faculty and one from the group of leading lawyers and judges who make up our adjunct faculty. The winner of the award for best full-time professor is John Chung, who teaches. You applauded all over my lines there. The award for adjunct professor of the year goes to Judge Judith Savage. Let me our distinguished jurist in residence. Judge Savage served with distinction on the Rhode Island Superior Court for 20 years. Her teaching here has focused on criminal law and procedure. And in the spring, she organized a symposium on mass incarceration that brought hundreds together under the law school roof, a gathering that has been called by those who would know absolutely unprecedented in Rhode Island. Judge Savage, please rise and accept our thanks and congratulations. Each year, the graduating class also recognizes a member of the staff who went above and beyond to help them navigate their way through law school. This year, there are two recipients of the staff member of the year award. They are Jody Haley, assistant director of career development and financial aid officer, Rachelle Abruse. Jody and Rachelle, please rise and accept our thanks for your support of the class of 2015. It now gives me great pleasure to present the Dean's Distinguished Service Award. The recipient, Kathy Massa, holds the title of assistant dean of business services at the law school. That rather modest title obscures the fact that she, and this is not news to anyone who works at the law school, is our chief operating officer, our chief financial officer, our chief of staff, and a chief concigliary all rolled into one. She's talented, she's hardworking, she is cool as a cucumber, and she is kind. Dean Massa has been employed here for over 20 years, and she has served with distinction to every law school dean who has had the pleasure to work with her. So it is with deep respect and admiration that I present the Dean's Distinguished Service Award to Dean Kathy Massa for her dedication and service to the law school. So now I want to turn our attention to those outside the law school who supported these graduates and are justifiably proud of and perhaps a little emotional about their accomplishments. I'd like to invite first the parents and grandparents of members of the class of 2015 to rise and accept our congratulations and the thanks of your children and grandchildren. There is another group out there of people bursting with pride today who have supported these graduates. Siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, please rise and accept the round of applause for your support. Finally, many graduates are married or otherwise in long-term relationships. And many of our graduates are mothers or fathers. This is a very special day for the partners and any children of our graduates. They're looking forward to getting their loved ones back. I hope you have told them that bar exam review courses begin next week. But that can wait until Monday. Today is a day to celebrate. And I would ask all partners and children of the members of the class of 2015 to rise or be held aloft and accept congratulations and thanks. The School of Law is most fortunate to have at our helm Dr. Donald Farish, the president of Roger Williams University and the School of Law. After years of successful teaching and research as an academic biologist, Dr. Farish turned to administration. And he has proven to be at once a steady hand and an innovator. And if that wasn't enough, Dr. Farish has a law degree in addition to his PhD in biology. So unlike many university presidents, he knows what you went through to get to this day. And it is now my honor to turn the program over to President Donald Farish. Thank you very much, Dean. Distinguished guests, faculty and staff of the Roger Williams University School of Law, alumni, friends, families of the graduates and the graduates themselves. Good afternoon and welcome to your day. Commencement for the class of 2015. This is an exciting day for you, the graduates, because you are finally finished with your formal coursework and training and are ready to move on to the next stage of your lives. But it's also exciting for me because I was present three years ago when you took the oath of ethics administered by Chief Justice Sattel of the Rhode Island Supreme Court at the beginning of your first year of law school. As I know you were aware, Rhode Island was for many years one of the few states in this country without its own law school. And there was no consensus at all that our state even needed a law school. This university took a step other Rhode Island universities were unwilling to take and established the state's first and only law school. And those who once doubted the need for a Rhode Island law school of all but universally agreed that they were mistaken. In the 21 year history of our law school, we have repeatedly witnessed just how profound its impact has been on the workings and culture of the state of Rhode Island. In addition to obvious improvements in the quality of legal practice and the much greater availability of legal services to the public, there is also no question that our law school has played a significant role in raising the public's expectations of the ethical performance of elected officials. In the latest edition of our law magazine out just this week, we note that 41 graduates of our law school are now working in the office of the Rhode Island Attorney General, including the Attorney General himself. And those thoughts lead me to this next point. It is traditional at commencements everywhere for the campus president to charge the graduates. And since we at Roger Williams enjoy honoring academic traditions, I have the responsibility of charging you now. You are entering an honorable profession. As a nation that follows the rule of law, we depend on having some of each generation's sharpest minds becoming lawyers and ensuring that the rights of society are balanced with the rights of the individual. We need talented lawyers to protect society from those who would cause it harm, to defend the individual against overly aggressive regulation and governmental bureaucracy, to ensure that all members of our society have access to legal representation when they need it. In short, to keep society's machinery running smoothly. These activities must be carried out at the highest ethical levels, so as to ensure that society never becomes mistrustful of the legal process. These are significant responsibilities, but asking anything less of you is to diminish the importance of the roles you will play. Graduates of the Roger Williams University School of Law Class of 2015, we know you have the intelligence, the education, and the experience to meet the challenges you will face and the expectations we place on you. So go forth with confidence and resolve. Aim high and make your mark on the world. And as you do so, remember your professors and those who helped you to get to where you are today and make them proud. Thank you. One mark of a great law school is a great board of directors. And this law school has one. That board is chaired by the honorable William E. Smith, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. He became a member of that court in 2002 when he was confirmed by the United States Senate and he became chief in 2013. He is well regarded for his performance as a trial judge, for his intellect, his temperament, and his character. And he has already shown himself to be an effective leader and administrator in his new role as chief of the court. His judicial career was preceded by a distinguished career as a practicing lawyer in Providence. He has served the law school in many capacities for many years. He hosts our students in his chambers as part of our clinical externship program. He is taught as an adjunct every semester for many years, sometimes more than one course a semester. And he has conceived of and taught some truly innovative courses. Now we are benefiting from his leadership and wise counsel as not just the chair of the law school board but as a trustee of Roger Williams University. To bring greetings from the board of directors, I am pleased to introduce to you the honorable William E. Smith. Thank you, President Farish. It's a real honor for me to be here on behalf of the board of directors to both congratulate you and help send you on your way to what we know will be successful and we hope for some of you lucrative careers. It seems like everyone's been asked to stand and I think it would be appropriate if I asked the members of the board of directors of the law school to stand and be recognized so you can. I think you know who most of these people are but what you have here before you is the Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Justice Flaherty from the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Judge Vogel from the Superior Court. We have other judges of the Superior Court as well as distinguished attorneys from private practice and elsewhere in the community serving in business. We have a terrific board of directors of this law school whose call it is to ensure the strength and stability and the continued vitality of this law school both for current students but for alumni like you who are moving out into the community. So as you leave here today, I can assure you that this board will continue to work tirelessly and give selflessly of their time and their energy and of their talent to ensure the continued value of your degrees and they do this because they believe in the mission of this law school. They also believe in all of you as the next generation of lawyers who will rise up to take our place on the courts and in the courtrooms and in the boardrooms of Rhode Island and elsewhere. They know that this is part of giving back to the community when you've achieved the success that these folks have achieved to give back by giving to you and all I would like to impart to you is to ask that when you get there that you too give back to the next generation of lawyers that will come behind you because you're entering a truly wonderful and honored profession and it is a profession and you owe it to the next generation that comes behind you to pay back what all these folks, faculty, administrators, staff and board have given to you and I ask that you do that. So congratulations to you and your families and your friends, we wish you all the best for success in all of your future endeavors and we know you will achieve it. So thank you and congratulations. Thank you Judge Smith. The School of Law is indeed fortunate to be able to award honorary degrees today to Robert B. Mann Esquire and to the Honorable Roderick L. Ireland. But Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Honorable William Smith, please escort Robert B. Mann to the podium. Attorney Robert Mann, for the past 40 years, you have been a ubiquitous and readily recognizable presence in some of Rhode Island's highest profile criminal trials. Yet you have spent the bulk of your career defending mostly poor and anonymous clients, ensuring that all of them, no matter how unpopular or despised they may be in the court of public opinion, received top-notch legal representation in the court of law. A former state prosecutor once observed that despite your Ivy League credentials and despite your decades of courtroom experience, you quote, still hold dear those beliefs that we kicked around back in the 60s. Peace, love, brotherhood and the betterment of society. End quote. Born in Brooklyn, New York, you were raised in Germany where your father, also a lawyer, was stationed as a jag. As a teenager, you distinguished yourself both as an expert marksman and as an academic ace winning admission to Yale University at the age of 16. Following a two-year tour of duty with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, you returned to enter Yale Laws Class of 1973, where you counted people like Bill and Hillary Clinton among your classmates. In the years since, your idealistic fervor has won you near-universal respect on the state's bar and bench. When you defended Joseph Mulicone Jr. during the Rhode Island Credit Union crisis in the early 90s, a state attorney confided, Bob scares you. He comes into court so well-prepared and mechanically sound, it's ridiculous. While defending Craig Price, convicted of committing multiple homicides when he was a teenager, you told a critical press, it's not just his rights I'm fighting for, but everyone else's as well. Attorney Robert Mann, your extraordinary dedication to justice, fairness, and the rule of law for all is an inspiration and example to our graduates. It is our privilege to award you this day the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, given 15th of May, 2015. Would Chief Justice Paul Sattel please escort the honorable Roderick L. Ireland to the podium. Chief Justice Ireland, you are a man of many firsts. You were the first African-American appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in its 323-year history, and the first to ascend to the position of Chief Justice. You have presided over many judicial firsts as well, not least of all, your groundbreaking decision in the 2003 case of Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, which became the nation's first state Supreme Court case, declaring same-sex marriage constitutional. In your nearly four decades on the bench, you have served on the Boston Juvenile Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and finally from 1997 to 2014 on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, the last five years of that term as Chief Justice. As a result of your myriad contributions to the legal profession, you have been awarded numerous honors and taught on the faculty of a number of law schools, including Harvard, Boston University, and New York University. Your two-volume treatise on Massachusetts Juvenile Law remains the state's definitive treatise on that subject. Your law review articles reveal an academic insight that rivals your judicial prowess on a range of topics from criminal law to constitutional law. You've also brought your unique judicial perspective to bear in your writings, exploring the interplay of the judiciary with the legislative and executive branches as well as the business community and the media. You have demonstrated your dedication to diversifying the judiciary at all levels through increased training programs as well as scholarships and fellowship opportunities for minorities. Chief Justice Ireland, your dedication to public service and the administration of justice and your remarkable life in the law serves as an example to all our graduates and it is our privilege to word to you this day, the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, 15th of May, 2015. I now invite the honorable Roderick Ireland to make the commencement address. Members of the Board of Trustees, President Ferris, Dean Yolnowski, members of the faculty and administration, Attorney Robert Mann, my fellow honorary degree recipient, distinguished guests, friends and family, and most importantly members of the class of 2015. Greetings. Today is a very special, wonderful, beautiful, marvelous day. A day that marks a milestone in your lives. I say that because you're graduating from law school and there is no more noble or rewarding profession than being a lawyer. It is my privilege and pleasure to address you on this momentous occasion. I want to begin by telling you members of the class of 2015 that I know that you have worked very, very hard to get here today and you can take great pride in your accomplishments. You've been taught the mechanics of how to be a good problem solver. You know how to think like a lawyer and to do the things that lawyers do. By definition, you are the best and the brightest. And as the best and the brightest, I know that you have what it takes to be successful in your future endeavors. But you also have learned some lessons along the way that you may not even know you have learned. And these lessons in their simplicity may be just as important as anything you may have learned in a classroom. There are three that have stood the test of time for me since my graduation from law school many years ago and I would like to share them with you today. Lesson number one, be humble. As it was indicated, I sat as a judge for 37 years and I feel unusually fortunate indeed blessed to have had the opportunities that came my way over the years. But I am also well aware that I have always, always, always stood upon the shoulders of others who came before me. Those who opened doors so that I and the generations who followed could walk through. The point I wanna make here is that there is no such thing as a self-made man or woman. None of us got to where we are all by ourselves. Now, of course, I ran with the ball when it was passed to me as you must. But I never could have accomplished what I have without the guidance, support, assistance, and love that I received from others. It is the same with you. So as you go forward with your careers, remember to temper your inevitable future success with humility and its byproduct, kindness. I include kindness because as a society, we need lawyers who not only can offer effective assistance in times of need but who also can connect with the underlying humanity of those persons in need of their counsel. Treating people with respect, dignity, and kindness is often just as important as providing sound legal advice. So lesson one, be humble. You will engender a generosity of spirit which not only impacts the lives of others in a positive way but also makes you a better person. A lawyer with a caring heart and a moral conscience will always be sought after by potential clients and employers. Lesson two, be prepared. Law is one of the most powerful disciplines in this world. You have everything it takes to succeed but since, as the Bible says, time and chance happen to us all, you must always be prepared. In my experience, preparation trumps prestige, entitlement, and even raw intelligence. We are well into a new social, political, economic, and legal millennium. Those of us who have chosen careers in the law have a special responsibility to be as prepared as we possibly can as we confront both the known and unknown challenges brought on by these uncertain times. Time and effort are required to provide meaningful assistance to clients who have put their trust in you. Many times the difference between success and failure centers on your attitude and the conscientiousness that you bring to your work. This means, students, graduates, you've got to roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty doing the necessary research and grunt work to serve your clients well. You must be thorough and you must be persistent. You can't half step, you can't cut corners, and you can't take shortcuts. But not only must you be thorough in all your work, you must also be ethical. Preparation and integrity, never forget that the most important thing you really have as a lawyer is your reputation and that is built on preparation and integrity. So lesson two, be prepared, is a commitment to yourself to always do your personal best. Lesson three, make a difference. When I started my career as a public defender back in the early 70s, I represented the so-called despised clients. Those charged with criminal conduct. Typically my clients were poor, uneducated, and in many ways invisible. Later, when I sat on the bench as a juvenile court judge, I saw countless families and children in distress on a daily basis who suffered from the raw realities of their impoverished existence. These families were saddled with all forms of societal issues, mental illness, drugs, teen pregnancy, homelessness, and illiteracy. They were so mired in poverty that they had no hope that they could ever change their circumstances. In a sense, you could call them the have-nots of society. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. actually referred to such individuals as the man farthest down. I have to say that these experiences had a profound effect on my worldview. In many ways, they shaped my paradigm. Every day I think about the stark contrast between the realities of the world in which you and I operate with relative ease and the realities of the world in which so many others must struggle to survive. A world where even the most mundane tasks are almost insurmountable due to poverty, illiteracy and most tellingly, the lost of hope. So as we celebrate you and your achievements today, I ask you to think about these persons who are the man farthest down. I wanna challenge you to look inward and consider your circumstances from their perspective. For somewhere down the line, there will be an opportunity for you the fortunate who have an education and now a profession to do good, to do the right thing, to take a stand for the values that brought you to law. You just have to open your eyes and your hearts to the great need which exists and direct your efforts towards making a difference. Edward Everett Hale, the 19th century poet, wrote about the power of one, the influence that a single individual can have if motivated by heartfelt conviction. He said this, I am only one but still I am one. I cannot do everything but still I can do something. And though I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. The power of one is what resonates with me as I speak to you about making a difference. There's a well-known street in the Boston area called Blue Hill Avenue. I travel down the entire length of that avenue almost every day. It's about a mile from where I live and it winds through several inner-city communities to the outskirts of Boston's thriving business district. Its current significance dates back to the civil rights area when it was the center of unrest and riots. It is impossible not to see the vestiges of poverty that still exist along this four-mile stretch and equally impossible not to contemplate the continuing impact of poverty on the daily lives of so many people. I know Blue Hill Avenues exist in every community. I also know that one thing that is common to each one and that is there are lots of people in great need who live there, people who struggle mightily just to make it from day to day. While gains have been made, much remains to be done. We are far from having the kind of society that we are capable of achieving in this age and time. Again, this brings me back to the power of one that each one of us has the power to change a life, to encourage and support the efforts of others to improve their situation in whatever way we can. Each one of us can and each one of us must do something to make a difference. In this respect, it's not so much where you start from, but what you do with what you've learned. Now, graduates, you are leaving this extraordinary school with a solid legal education. You have the means and potential to become the kind of lawyer you wanna be. Your legal education can take you into areas never even imagined when I was in law school. But wherever the paths lead you, I encourage you to embrace the responsibility that we all share in our privileged positions as guardians and protectors of the law. As the Bible says, from those to whom much is given, much is required. And I implore you to reach back to those who are in need and be a voice of empowerment for them. Our most sacred duty as lawyers is to ensure that the rule of law, due process, and fundamental fairness are ever present, not only in our justice system, but also in our broader society for the man far this down. Some of you will fulfill this duty through a public interest career, but if that is not your chosen path, and it certainly doesn't have to be, you can still be a volunteer for a social cause that speaks to your conscience. Or you can always provide welcome financial support to an organization trying to make a difference for people, issues, or things you care about. So lesson number three, make a difference in whatever way you can is not only a good thing to do, but also the right thing to do. Despite all the dissimilarities that may distinguish us, we are still all in the same boat. We have to help the least of us, the man far this down in order to help ourselves. I will close with the words of Martin Niemauer, a Protestant minister in Germany during the 1940s. During the Holocaust, he was held prisoner in a slave camp. When he got out, he wrote about humanity and our common bonds. Here's what he said. First, they came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists. I was silent. I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me. You new graduates, please remember that it is your duty to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. And never forget to say thank you to those who have helped you along the way. I congratulate you and hope that you will continue to grow and learn. I wish you only the very best, and I expect from you only your very best. Thank you and Godspeed. Thank you, Chief Justice Ireland. I now would like to recognize the class valedictorian, Nicole Marie Manzo, and invite her to offer her remarks. Nicole. Good afternoon. Dean Yolanski, President Farrish, members of the Board of Trustees and Board of Directors, faculty, staff, honored guests, family, friends, all of those watching remotely, and most importantly, the class of 2015. It seems like just yesterday we were gathering in the big courtroom for our 1L orientation. I was so nervous, yet so excited at the same time. Feelings very similar to what I feel as I stand before you today. It's all very bittersweet. That night, a second year student addressed our class. Her opening line pierced me and has stuck with me for the last three years. She told us the next three years will be the best years of your life, and you will spend them being miserable. At the time, we had no idea what the saying meant, but all I knew was I definitely did not sign up for miserable. We hadn't learned any canons of interpretation yet, but miserable really didn't seem like an ambiguous term. Three years later, I stand before you today and I could not be more wrong. Misery, at least in this context, is completely ambiguous. Misery is defined as a state of discomfort, and while the term is often considered pejorative, I've learned that it's not. You cannot have success without growth, and you cannot have growth without discomfort. It's called growing pains for a reason. Your bones, your joints, literally cannot grow without your body feeling some sense of discomfort. I didn't understand the saying when I heard it three years back, but today I think I would rephrase it. The last three years of our lives have been the best because we were miserable. The discomfort that every single one of us has felt at one point or another over the last three years is what has pushed us to conquer, feats that we didn't even know were conquerable. The strength, ambition, and passion that will drive every single one of our careers is deeply embedded in each of us because of the numerous times that we had to dig ourselves out of a hole, a hole that seemingly appeared bigger every time we found ourself in one. 48-hour cram sessions, the rule against perpetuities, three-hour exams that could never be completed unless you did them in nine, researching down a rabbit hole, 1L oral arguments, anxiety over hypotheticals that would never appear in a law school exam, juggling numerous obligations, juggling a life outside of these four walls. The list really is endless, and to be sure, each of us face different challenges. For example, while I willingly signed myself up for a second SAC attack with criminal procedure, I have successfully avoided Professor Richie's cold call for three years, and the challenges may have been different, and many of them outside the realm of law school, but the challenges each of us has faced have given us the ambition to overcome bigger challenges down the road. I ask you to think back to your first year. I know it's super painful, I don't wanna do it either, bite down on something if you need to. For most of us, there was nothing more miserable than first year. The discomfort of being thrown into a section of eager, young gunners, randomly called upon, and essentially told that we'll be fighting against each other for a single grade is completely overwhelming. You literally sit there as though you've just volunteered as tribute for your real life hunger games. You're forced to work. Work like someone is working 24 hours a day to take it away from you, because in reality, they are. At the time you're fighting and you're pushing for something, you can't even begin to conceptualize, let alone materialize. But you're pushing for what makes this the best years of your lives. At the end of first semester and the end of first year, I couldn't have imagined taking on another obligation, but standing at the end, I'm sure all of us wish that we only had Dean Yolansky's 10 page reading assignments. Yet somehow you exceed every single boundary, no matter how many odds are stacked against you, no matter how many times you tell your peers, may the odds be ever more in your favor. The truth is, they don't have to be, because even if they're not, you'll stand back up, you'll push to accomplish whatever you lock your eyes on. We're trained to have all the odds against us. They give us a hypothetical, continuously switch the facts out of our favor, but we'll still find something. We'll always find something to turn the situation around. And when we do, the discomfort that we feel in that one area, it begins to fade. It will eventually find home in another unfamiliar area, fade, find home again, fade, find home, and the process, it will continue forever more. But each time that discomfort fades, each time you're able to see the reasons why these have been the best years of our lives. Look at all we've done. We've published numerous articles in our law review. We held a symposium on mass incarceration that literally closed the entire Rhode Island judiciary. We won best brief at the 2015 John Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition. We volunteered over 10,000 hours in pro bono legal services, landed 15 judicial clerkships from Rhode Island, all the way to Hawaii. We externed at placements, ranging from the First Circuit to the Boston Red Sox, and most importantly, we beat the faculty in three consecutive years in jeopardy. The motivation given to us from everything we conquer, no matter how small it may seem, what you get out of the process, what every single one of us has gained and achieved, where we stand today is not where we stood three years ago. Because today, we know that we can conquer literally anything, as long as we're able to leave our comfort zones and push through the discomfort. We are passionate, we are driven, we are determined, and we see no boundaries. This is why these are the best years of our lives. And you know why else? Well, as the saying goes, misery, it really loves company. The graduates that you sit amongst today have gone through all of this together. It was easy to find comfort, knowing that the person to your left and your right may be having a better day than you today, but at one point, they were the one in the hot seat. To have someone that can understand what you are going through, the changes that are occurring. Some of us even befended professors, and by befriended, I mean paid in a scene amount of money at the auction to have dinner at their house or parade around their state drinking with them. But they were our role models, someone who has walked in our shoes and had no issue throwing us over hurdles that we were never able to jump over on our own. And of course, we'll forever be indebted to our family and friends for all the love, support, care, and most of all, patience. I would not be standing up here today if it was not for my father, my mother, my sister, my boyfriend, Professor Tanya Menestier and my best friend, Larissa D'Lisi. The late night phone calls, coffee runs, pick me up text messages, talking us off the edge while we sat patiently waiting for grades to be posted precisely at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday and Thursday. When we went to law school, our family and friends went too. And I'm pretty sure none of our parents signed up for misery, but sitting here today and watching us, I guarantee you that they're able to see why these were the best years of our lives too. They say law school trains you to think differently. I was told that coming in, and I'm telling all of those interested in the career that coming out. Most are unable to break down how it happens, but we all do agree that somehow it happens. We're trained to look at two sides, analyze them, strategize, pick one, and argue it. Misery. There are two sides. You can say it's unhappiness, or you can say it's discomfort. Today, I'm picking discomfort. The discomfort that got us all to this very stage, the discomfort that will continue to help us succeed, boundaries that we never even knew existed, the discomfort that is necessary for the best to occur. While law school as a whole will never be considered a small fee, and most of us will start repressing the memories in really just a few short hours, I hope that each one of you looks back on the experience just as we look back on first year. I hope that when you feel discomfort, you remember moments like this. I hope that you appreciate every single puzzle piece in the bigger picture. And most importantly, I hope that you take this momentum and I hope that you run with it. Because if we've accomplished all of this in just three short years, there's no telling what will come next. Because of this, this right here is what misery feels like, I am definitely signing up again. Congratulations, class of 2015. I hope the next years of your life are even better than the last three. Thank you. Thank you, Nicole, and congratulations. And now, the main event. It is time to present the degree candidates and confer the law degrees. Will the candidates for the degree of Juris Doctor please rise? President Farrish, I certify on behalf of the faculty of the School of Law that these candidates are eligible for the degree of Juris Doctor. By virtue of the authority granted by the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and delegated by the Board of Trustees of Roger Williams University, I confer upon you the degree of Juris Doctor with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities pertaining thereto. Will the candidates please come forward? Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Diana Hassel, will present each candidate. Jeremy Michael Ricks, Magna Cum Laude. Andrew Alamand II Esquire. Lena Thomas. Jennifer Lee Cahoo. Chelsea Green. Allison Biddle. Alicia Mary Connor, Magna Cum Laude. Kristen Elise Sylvia, Magna Cum Laude. Courtney Elizabeth Ross, Magna Cum Laude. Kristen Lynn Kelleher, Magna Cum Laude. Alix Roberts Ogden, Cum Laude. Elizabeth Mara Hickey. John Paul McCauley. E. Gannon, Cum Laude. Clark Dahl. Vanessa Beiros, Cum Laude. Daniel Patrick Riley. Katherine G. Kielbasa, Cum Laude. Larissa Bianca DeLisi, Summa Cum Laude. Cole Marie Monzo, Summa Cum Laude. Erin F. Nadech, Summa Cum Laude. William Maxwell Daley, Magna Cum Laude. Christopher Joseph Fragomani, Cum Laude. Michael J. Hartley Esquire. QT Bennett III. Nicholas Michael Resendez, Cum Laude. Danielle E. Jifaux, Cum Laude. Justin G. Monti, Magna Cum Laude. John Kane III, Co-Yum. Jocelyn Valenzuela-Lopez, Spiker. Ayn C. Astorga, Magna Cum Laude. Amanda Urena. Sexton Smith III, Cum Laude. Robert Michael Elko. Sydney R. Kersh, Cum Laude. Mackenzie C. Flynn, Summa Cum Laude. Lee Maxwell. Hugh Michael Osterberg, Cum Laude. Christine Amanda Chavez. John C. Robinson. Justin Bobo. Nadia A. Comas. Sabra Marina Lapore. Anna Christina Maria. Alice J. Cunningham. Marissa Marie Saracena. Andrew James Koopa. Samantha Cabral Cavallo. Lindsay S. Freyermouth. Jacob Ryan Beale. Thomas H. McHugh Jr. Esquire. Daniel Christopher Hopkins. Megan Lee Kruger, Magna Cum Laude. Dominique K. Juki. Dana N. Wiener, Magna Cum Laude. Joseph M. Palencia Jr. Bienvenido Perez Jr., Cum Laude. Cardona Lynn Esquire, Cum Laude. A. Carr-Waschen. C. M. O'Brien, Cum Laude. Free Thomas Waltime, Magna Cum Laude. Ben Provencher, Magna Cum Laude. Charlene Elva Pratt, Magna Cum Laude. Mr. Patrick J. O'Connor. Sarah A. Gotti, Cum Laude. Andy Tejesus de Marais, Cum Laude. Steven C. Kessinger. R. Kelly. Kevin Michael McDonald. Melissa Slaughter, Esquire, Cum Laude. Sean Philip Jingerich. Jackson Raymond Schimpke, Magna Cum Laude. J. Espinal. Jennifer Santana. Megan Brett McCoy. Michelle Diane Lange. Andrea Nelson Esquire. Gregory J. Caruba. Susan Vanny. Adam Gregory Northrop, Cum Laude. Amanda Desimone Coursaro. Garrett M. Barosh. Todd Joseph Rose, Magna Cum Laude. Melissa N. Wood. Christopher J. Kerner. Justin McGill. Darnay Miriam Wells. Erlyn Rinaldo Rolgo. Yad Alvarez, Cum Laude. Jonathan Graw. Ansu, C. Bianco, Magna Cum Laude. Brett Michael Rosen. Travis James DeCosta. John Sylvain Bang McCone. James McCutcheon. Lexa Antoinette Marino, Summa Cum Laude. C. Joseph Fogarty, Cum Laude. John Charles Madlin. Christopher Anthony Saliba. Troy Schumann, Cum Laude. Samantha K. Pierce. Elizabeth Ann Hackley. Brendan James Wright. Kayla S. O'Connor, Cum Laude. Lauren Elizabeth Campbell, Cum Laude. Melissa E. Diffley. Nicole Janine Polacostro. Michael Joseph Smitsky. Robert Rubinaccio. Jay Doivich Jr. Christopher Paul Quig. Todd Lewis Glendinning. Michael Colby Burke. Christina Marie Saliburks. Ladies and gentlemen, the class of 2015. At the conclusion of the ceremony, we welcome all of you to the law school for refreshments and the chance to informally continue this celebration. But before we close, I want you, the class of 2015, to know that you will be missed. Your industry, your talent, your wit, your kindness, and your camaraderie made this law school a better place and enriched all our lives. We don't want you to go. But I understand that it is us not you who have decided to stay in law school forever. For you, a big wide world awaits and frankly that bodes well for the world. I wish for each of you health, happiness, peace and satisfying, meaningful work. You are ready and you leave here with our unwavering support. Take good care. Thank you. I would ask that the audience remain seated until the platform party and the graduates have filed out. Thank you.