Law Students Graduate at 25th Annual Commencement Ceremony
Twenty-five years ago, Judge Susan E. Schwab stood on the stage of the Forum in the Capitol Complex for the first time and gave her valedictorian speech to the inaugural graduating class of the Widener University Law School Harrisburg Campus.
On Sunday, a quarter-century later, as the Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, she took the stage again as commencement speaker for her alma mater. The accomplished alumna left the 53 graduating law students with solid advice based on her time as a judge, lawyer, breast cancer survivor, mother and wife.
She encouraged the graduates to never quit, never stop learning, and to trust themselves and their skills. She also counseled them to seek balance in their careers and family lives.
“I had recently recovered from breast cancer and gave birth to our son. My husband was working out of town and my life was filled with taking care of an infant and managing a fast-paced litigation caseload. It struck me that making a career move to state government, while perhaps resulting in a salary decrease, may be just what I needed to achieve some balance in my life, so I applied and got the job” she said. “And, for a while it was exactly what I needed: a welcomed change of pace that gave me meaningful opportunity to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. And, that move also turned out to be a pivotal step in my personal journey. Without that public service experience, it is less likely that I would be where I am today.”
Marc Prokopchak, the 2016 class valedictorian, echoed the advice of Judge Schwab in his address and asked the graduates to take time to reflect on the opportunities law school provided.
“Being mindful of our good fortune is just the first step. We must also take action. We must use our education and our talents to help those who cannot help themselves,” he said. “We all have a responsibility to use our legal education for more than just creating a comfortable lifestyle. Each one of us must find a way to give back from the abundance we’ve been given.”
Widener University President Julie E. Wollman, presiding over her first Widener Law Commonwealth commencement, gave the students one more assignment to complete after graduation.
“Do more. Challenge yourself. Ask the hard questions and continue showing the same grit and determination you’ve already demonstrated,” she said. “There’s always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve.”
During the ceremony, Dean Christian Johnson presented the annual awards to faculty. Professor Christopher Robinette was given the Outstanding Faculty Award, and Distinguished Professor John Dernbach was presented with the Douglas E. Ray Excellence in Faculty Scholarship Award.
In his closing remarks to the graduates, Dean Johnson expressed the importance of becoming lawyers, and filling a critical role in maintaining government and society.
“Let me say that no profession is more honorable than that of the law,” he said. “Lawyers champion the rights of the weak and the powerless, they protect the rule of law that is a cornerstone of our democracy, they guide citizens through the legal process that can seem byzantine to the layperson, they draft laws, and they advise businesses large and small. They represent the rich and the poor, the innocent and the guilty, because no one else can. It is really a noble profession.”
View the Flickr album from Commencement.
Commencement Ceremony Video
You may also view this video directly on Widener Law Commonwealth's Viddler page.