REBECCA: Everyone please join me in warmly welcoming
our Dean, Martha Minow.
[APPLAUSE]
MARTHA MINOW: That was incredibly gracious and lovely.
Thank you.
Rebecca.
And I just want to say what a privilege it is to be here.
I look out at this tremendous group,
I want to say welcome and congratulations
to the class of 2017.
[APPLAUSE]
What a joy it is to celebrate the Harvard Law School
bicentennial class of 2017.
[APPLAUSE]
And all that you have accomplished.
And all that you are.
And all that you will be.
But first I want to ask people to raise your hand,
if you are not graduating today.
Raise your hand.
Everybody else applaud those people.
[APPLAUSE]
Now to state, but then question the obvious,
is a familiar wonder of legal education.
Here we are on class day.
So what precisely does class day mean?
I suggest that it's the day we honor class acts.
Defined as having distinctive and superior quality.
Or better yet impressive and stylish excellence.
We salute this graduating class for your hard work,
your accomplishments in classrooms, clinics, journals,
organizations, lunchrooms, and by that I mean conversations,
as well as eating, and in study rooms, in performances,
in food courts, and other competitions.
With the leadership of these terrific class marshals,
selected by the class--
[APPLAUSE]
We celebrate how the bicentennial class of 2017
has contributed to the school and to the world,
and the promise of what you will do now and for years to come.
Emblematic of this class is your sense of service,
all of the JD graduating students
performed public service and many of the graduate students
did as well.
Your program includes the names of students
who performed more than 1,000 hours of pro bono work.
And those who performed more than 2000 hours.
[APPLAUSE]
I want to salute everyone who was engaged in service.
This day also gives special recognition
to others, specific individuals who
have contributed outstanding passion and service to the law
school and broader community.
These include people identified by the graduates,
and in so doing the graduating class
lifts up judgment, values, taste,
choosing to honor those by which you define yourself.
Former acting Attorney General, Sally Yates you so
honor us with your presence and your public service
and we all look forward to hearing your remarks.
[APPLAUSE]
It is a special honor to be joined here by the staff member
and faculty member selected by the class
for their extraordinary work.
And what wonderful choices you have
made in selecting Jeff McNaught
[APPLAUSE]
And Professor Mark Wu.
[APPLAUSE]
I invite you all here to join me in thanking the amazing DEAN
of Students, Marsha Sells.
[APPLAUSE]
And the entire dean of Students Office for organizing this day,
tomorrow's commencement, and frankly, every day
at the Harvard Law School.
[APPLAUSE]
You'll hear a little more from me tomorrow,
but what a pleasure it is now to soon hear
from the president of the Harvard Law School
association, Peter Kraus, who's been
traveling meeting with some of our 37,000 living alumni.
But first I'm delighted to turn the stage over
to class Marshal Raphael.
Thank you all.