UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Students, faculty, staff, alumni, family and friends all gathered in Eisenhower Auditorium on Saturday, May 11, for a commencement ceremony to celebrate the Penn State Law in University Park class of 2024. This year’s class included 177 master of laws (LL.M.) graduates, the largest cohort in Penn State Law history, and 140 juris doctor (J.D.) graduates.
Opening the ceremony with his remarks on the extraordinary journey this year’s graduates had undertaken, Victor Romero, interim dean of Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs, Maureen B. Cavanaugh Distinguished Faculty Scholar, and professor of law, expressed his pride in all they had accomplished.
“Congratulations to each and every one of you on the monumental achievement we are celebrating today — your successful completion of a rigorous and demanding program of legal education,” Romero said. “Each one of you has faced and endured unusual and extraordinary challenges during the past few years. Each one of you has shown resilience, support for one another and your community, and leadership throughout your time here at University Park.”
This year’s commencement address was delivered by Teleicia J.R. Dambreville, director and senior counsel for employment at Burlington Stores Inc., and 2013 graduate of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law in University Park. She shared her wisdom and experience with the graduates, emphasizing the importance of “purposeful pivots” and resiliency.
“Remember, resilience is not about avoiding failure, but rather about learning and growing from it,” said Dambreville. “It’s about having the grit and motivation to keep going, to keep pushing and to keep trying.
“Wherever your careers take you, I hope you remain resilient in the face of obstacles, adaptable when changes occur, and connected with one another,” Dambreville added. “For each and every one of you graduating today, a resilient and impressive group that the legal profession is lucky to have, who sit here with mixed feelings of hope for the future and fear of the unknown, I am confident that your education here at Penn State, both inside and outside of the classroom, has prepared you to shake up the profession.”
Temurbek Pulatov, a 2024 LL.M. graduate chosen by his peers to offer this year’s commencement remarks on their behalf, reflected on his year in Happy Valley with his LL.M. classmates from 28 different nations, noting that Penn State Law is “truly global.”
“We will take lessons learned from our time here at Penn State home with us, taking on even greater challenges to use our influence for the greater good,” said Pulatov. “Nobody can predict the lens of current conflict or when the next conflict begins, but individually and together we are ambassadors and can employ our diplomatic, legal and personal skills for a better world. Thank you, again, Penn State University, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will make the world a better place.”
Following the conferring of the degrees by Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost of Penn State, and Alvin F. de Levie, member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, each individual graduate in the class was recognized with a slide as they walked across the stage.
The official remarks of the day ended with the final speaker, Emilee P. Kula, who was elected by her fellow J.D. class graduates. She recounted the personal and collective challenges that the J.D. class faced over the last three years and reminded them of all they are capable of.
“Be proud, class of 2024, because we have overcome adversity together,” said Kula. “Every graduate sitting here today will have an impact on our future communities very soon. Our class has brilliant legal minds and has already done amazing work.
“So, Penn State Law class of 2024, we all sit here today with J.D. at the end of our names. We leave here as classmates, colleagues, co-workers, friends, and maybe even family,” Kula said. “Today marks a momentous occasion, but tomorrow marks the first day of the rest of our careers. We have a beautiful challenge ahead of us, but the Penn State Law class of 2024 has never been one to step down from a challenge.”
The full Penn State Law 2024 commencement ceremony can be viewed here.