Celebrating Our 2024 Graduates
“Greatness Awaits You” Was the Message to Graduates Cheered on at Law School’s 123rd Commencement Ceremony
Brooklyn Law School celebrated its 123rd Commencement Monday with a lively ceremony that paid tribute to the hard-won achievements of all graduates, with special recognition to those who, in line with the school’s long tradition of providing educational access, were first in their families to earn a college or law school degree.
President and Joseph Crea Dean David D. Meyer, in introductory remarks at the Brooklyn Academy of Music event venue, said that the school’s 123-year history as an engine of social transformation has impacted the trajectory of the professional lives of individuals and society, in general. Meyer asked first-generation professionals, and first-generation college and law school graduates in the audience to stand up, prompting dozens of the more than 400 grads to rise to their feet.
“Brooklyn Law School’s first classes were comprised mostly of immigrants, first-generation Americans, and first-generation professionals; men and women of every race, religion, and nationality who graduated into a deeply imperfect society,” Meyer said. “They sign up immediately to use their power as lawyers to make society better...You leave here not just with a command of legal doctrine or a set of marketable skills but with the passion and leadership to reshape your communities and the world beyond.”
Commencement speaker Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, a Brooklyn native who made history in 2017 when he became New York State’s first Latino district attorney shared his own story with the graduates. He is a first-generation high school, college, and law school graduate himself, Gonzalez said, and his mother was an immigrant. This made him especially proud to be standing at the podium.
“I share that background with you because I believe in the greatness that these graduates will have in their careers. No one could have ever expected when I was a young law student that I would lead the third or fourth largest district attorney's office in the country,” Gonzalez said. “Greatness awaits you.”
He also acknowledged the hard work graduates have endured.
“Today represents the culmination of years of your hard work and dedication and sacrifice,” Gonzalez said. “It's a culmination of all those weekends when your friends went out to play and have fun and hang out in the bar and you stayed in to study civil procedure, or the rules of evidence, or what it means to be a reasonable person.” He then quipped, “And by the way, if you’ve figured that one out already, come talk to me afterward, because I’m still trying.”
Gonzalez also spoke of the important work being done by his office, where about 20 percent of his team of attorneys are alumni of Brooklyn Law School. That includes 50 alumni over the past five years alone, including 16 members of the Class of 2024.
New graduates will face societal issues brought on by the rise of artificial intelligence, the divisiveness created by misinformation, among other challenges, Gonzalez told graduates.
“It will be your duty as lawyers to navigate these complexities with integrity and courage,” Gonzalez said. “The legal landscape, I promise you, will continue to evolve, but the fundamental need for justice will remain constant. We find ourselves at a juncture where trust in our institutions has waned, shaped by waves of misinformation and polarization. This era calls out to new lawyers who are not only skilled in their craft, but also steadfast in their commitment to finding the truth and protecting our democracy.”
Being guided by integrity and fairness is especially paramount for prosecutors, he said. Under his leadership, the Brooklyn D.A.’s office launched a nation-leading conviction review unit that has exonerated more than 500 people who have been wrongfully convicted or convicted based on official misconduct. The office has also made it a mission to seek “jail as a last resort,” and to look for alternatives for non-violent offenders such as providing treatment to those with substance abuse and addiction disorder, or mental health services for those with mental illness.
An ongoing theme by speakers at the ceremony was gratitude for the supportive roles that family and friends and the broader Law School community played in the lives of graduates.
“Today we extend a warm welcome to the family and friends of our graduates and thank them for all the support and encouragement that helps make it possible for their loved ones to become a member of the graduating class of Brooklyn Law School,” Board of Trustees Chair Frank Aquila ’83 said in welcoming remarks. “I ask our graduates to give their family and friends a warm round of applause.” The audience heartily complied.
Valedictorian Elisabeth N. Rosa Di Sant ’24 gave a special thanks to faculty.
“We would not be sitting here today without the support and guidance of our professors who comprise an essential part of our community,” Di Sant said. “Every 2024 graduate knows at least one professor who went above and beyond for those students.
She called out Professor Michael Gerber, who was on stage, in particular. “Besides being a dedicated professor, avid storyteller, and amateur cartoonist, Professor Gerber guided many of the students, myself included, to find internships that would change our legal trajectories,” Di Sant said.
Also, as part of the ceremony, Aquila presented an honorary J.D. to a fellow trustee, Board of Trustees Emeritus Steven L. Zelkowitz, president of Utility Technology Solutions and chief executive officer of Sycamore Energy Consulting. Although he is not an alumnus, his service has been invaluable, Aquila said.
In a departure from the norm this year, the National Anthem was led by a current Brooklyn Law School student, Cara M. Szeles ’25, who performed the song beautifully, and received warm applause from the audience.
Closing out the ceremony was Brooklyn Law School Alumni Association President Deborah Riegel ’93, who helped lead the association’s efforts to support the Bar Exam Prep Fund, impressing upon graduates the importance of staying in touch with their peers in the graduating class. She joked that she was borrowing words of the “grand legal scholar” Lin Manuel Miranda, the famed musical producer, in describing her feelings about Brooklyn Law School graduates.
“Part of the reason that we in the community hire Brooklyn Law School grads is that you are young, scrappy, and hungry,” Riegel said. “And I have full faith that none of you are going to miss your shots, and to that end, we look forward to supporting you through the bar exam.”
To read the Commencement Book click here.