Widener Law Commonwealth Graduates Sworn Into Pennsylvania Bar
Pride, relief, and joy filled the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as 24 members of Widener University Commonwealth Law School’s class of 2025 raised their right hands and took the attorney’s oath, officially joining the Pennsylvania bar. Presided over by Justice P. Kevin Brobson ’95, the ceremony transformed years of study, late nights, and determination into a defining moment of accomplishment.
“Today, you officially transition from one learned in the law to an attorney both learned and licensed to practice,” Brobson told the graduates. “The practice of law is a privilege, not a right. Let your credibility and honesty define your careers.”
Dean andré douglas pond cummings praised the group’s perseverance and success, highlighting that the class of 2025 achieved one of the school’s highest bar-exam results in recent memory.
“I am so proud of this class,” cummings said. “These graduates embody what it means to be personal, practical, and professional.”
Friends, family, and mentors filled the historic courtroom, celebrating alongside the new attorneys as sponsors moved for their admission. For many, the moment was both humbling and surreal.
Kira Meager ’25, now with the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, called the experience “a day I won’t forget.”
“Being sworn in here, just down the street from where I live and work, and by one of our own graduates, Justice Brobson, is incredibly meaningful,” she said. “It feels like things have come full circle.”
Kaylie O’Donnell ’25, an associate attorney at Thomas, Thomas & Hafer in Camp Hill, reflected on the support she received throughout law school.
“I chose Widener because I wanted a school where professors cared about you as a person, not just as a student,” O’Donnell said. “Professors like Michael Dimino, Jill Family and Randy Lee made me feel like I belonged here. Their doors were always open—sometimes literally until 10 p.m.—to help me understand a concept or just check in.”
When her bar-exam results finally arrived, O’Donnell said it all sank in. “Everything I’d been working toward for years had finally paid off,” she said. “It hit me that I really did it.”
Yazmin Giraldo ’25 described the bar process as “challenging but worth it,” encouraging future test-takers to keep perspective. “Take a breather,” she advised. “You’ve been preparing for this for three years. Trust the process—it hasn’t failed you yet.”
Brobson closed with a reflection on the courtroom’s murals by Violet Oakley, whose century-old artwork symbolizes “Law, Love and Wisdom.” He reminded the graduates that their responsibility now extends beyond themselves.
“Future generations will rely on you to keep and enhance the law to benefit everyone, not just a privileged few,” he said.
Graduates who were sworn in included:
Ayooluwa Ariyo
Artem Arutiunian
Yazmin Giraldo
Andrew Harner
Helene Hess
Nicholas Kahler
Angie Kanavy
Haley Kyllonen
Maia Mash
Benjamin McFadden
Kira Meager
Grace Mills
Kaylie O’Donnell
Stacy Oppenheim
Raquel Perez
Shamsiddin Shamsiev
Madelyn Singley
Sophia Soifer
Robyn St. Hilaire
Kendyl Swank
Marisa Swartley
Victoria Waterhouse
Zoë Wilson
Charles Zimmerman
