News Archive

To the graduating Class of 2022:

American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: to be useful, honorable, and to make a difference is the purpose of life. If the purpose of life is as Emerson insists, then our study of law at IU McKinney has prepared us to be the difference makers.

And that’s because the lawyer’s art deals not in the abstract but with facts, its impact felt for generations to come, from daughters who toiled under the sun to the sons who now bask in it. With society as its canvas, the lawyer’s art can illuminate truth and right the wrongs, drawing upon ideals that recognize the beauty in our shared humanity, a beauty that everyone gets to witness.
 
For the last four years, I’ve immersed myself in the study of the lawyer’s art. Throughout my journey, I’ve seen the law in practice, both its faults and possibilities. I’ve seen the consequences of its unequal application and the promise of its fair administration. And I've seen its long arm cultivate a disciplined hope when its silence showcased murals of inequity.

Furthermore, I’ve encountered the legal legacies of Pauli Murray and Willard Ransom—extraordinary painters of our tradition who risked everything in their fight for civil and human rights, creating the conditions for us to fashion new narratives.

Through their witness, I learned that the provision of “legal services” can extend beyond our immediate circles of concern as an instrument that inspires as much as it compels. As such, what this collection of experience reveals is that the role of the lawyer is similar to that of the student, which is to challenge, remembering that these degrees do not belong to us alone.  
 
And so, we leave McKinney with gratitude towards our deans, faculty, staff, family, friends, and our most cherished colleagues and alumni for sharpening the one tool that no one can ever take away from us: our voice.

Thank you, and Congratulations!