As we near BU Law’s 145th Commencement, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the Class of 2018 and wish them all the best as they embark on what I know will be diverse and successful legal careers.
Since joining BU Law, the Class of 2018 has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to community—not only here at the University, but in Boston and beyond. As students, many actively engaged in pro bono work and advocacy through student groups and nonprofit organizations. Others devoted their time and talent to BU and MIT student entrepreneurs, encouraging and supporting innovation here and across the country. In recognition of that ingenuity and service, a number of local and national organizations have celebrated members of this class:
- Anne Celestin was given the Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland Book Award by the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference for her commitment to student leadership
- Meghan Cunningham received a Meritorious Service Award from the American Bar Association for her work with the BU Collegiate Recovery Program
- Nicole Holbrook received a Student Award from the Massachusetts chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) for reviving the BU Law NLG chapter and for organizing a “Resistance Series” with local student NLG chapters
- Mario Paredes was awarded the Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship from the Massachusetts Bar Association in recognition of his service to underrepresented communities
- Kevin Smith and his team won “Pitch Black,” a single-day competition in which teams proposed innovative solutions to problems facing communities of color in Chicago
Following Commencement, our graduates will begin their legal careers by pursuing many different opportunities. They will join law firms here in Boston as well as in New York, Dallas, Palo Alto, Chicago, Washington, DC, and even as far away as Hong Kong. Others will begin clerkships with, among others, the state supreme courts of Delaware and Nevada; superior courts of New Jersey, Connecticut, and New Hampshire; the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
New alumni will enter public service as public defenders, with District Attorneys’ offices, and the US Army JAG Corps. Three will join government service through competitive honors programs with the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Justice, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Some of the Class of 2018 will follow their passion for justice to nonprofit organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Wherever our graduates are headed, I am confident that they will continue to represent the very best of the BU Law community. Please join me in congratulating members of the Class of 2018 on their accomplishments and wish them well as they begin their legal careers.
If you have openings in your organization, please do let us know by emailing lawcdo@bu.edu. We have terrific new alumni who are seeking their first pathway into the profession, and there are no better mentors than our alumni!
