CLASS OF 2025 COMMEMORATES COMMENCEMENT ALONGSIDE U.S. SENATOR CORY BOOKER
Service. Humility. Patience. Responsibility.
These were the overarching themes that attendees of the Class of 2025 commencement ceremony heard throughout the day from their peers, professors, friends, and a United States Senator serving as the day鈥檚 honored speaker.
The legal profession is unique in that attorneys have a particularly specialized station in life that allows them to help people understand and utilize the laws that their elected representatives have created to govern their lives and communities. This connection between education and civic duty was highlighted throughout the event, with both the day鈥檚 commencement speaker, U.S. Senator Cory Booker and Class of 2025 class speaker, Peter Bouck, touching on the subject in a number of ways.
鈥淓ach one of you is more powerful than you know,鈥� said Senator Booker. 鈥淵ou have the capacity and ability beyond your imagination as a law student. And the greatest calling we have is summed up by the question asked to me as a 1L in law school: 鈥榃ill what you are doing help other people? Will you help other people?鈥欌��
That message regarding the importance of an attorney鈥檚 service to their community is one of the reasons this graduating class chose to invite the Senator to Memphis in the first place.
鈥淲e chose Senator Booker as our commencement speaker because of his ability to inspire, his unwavering commitment to service, and the values he represents鈥攙alues that align with those of our graduating class,鈥� said Student Bar Association President Crystal Golden. 鈥淲e wanted someone who could offer a broad perspective, to challenge us to think beyond our immediate surroundings and encourage us to step into leadership with boldness.鈥�
鈥淭he Senator鈥檚 remarks reinforced the idea that service is fundamental 鈥� not just in public office, but in all professions, including the legal field. As future attorneys and leaders, we are called to advocate, to lead, and to serve. His words provided a powerful and motivating send-off, reminding us that success is measured not only by personal achievement but by the impact we have on others,鈥� Golden remarked.
Senator Booker, though an elected politician himself, was purposeful in keeping his remarks above political partisanship, and instead urged graduates to view politics as something to be expanded upon to include active service and community involvement. He particularly noted the risks associated with disengagement from voting and clearly expressed the importance of individuals using their voices to participate in government and helping to shape their communities according to their own values and principles.
鈥淵ou may think your life isn鈥檛 touched by politics. But it touches you every single day. Democracies decline because of the indifference of populations,鈥� Booker said. 鈥淎nd we have to start becoming more engaged and aware and helping to shape our government and our priorities in government.鈥�
Class of 2025 speaker Peter Bouck echoed many of these same sentiments in his message to his classmates. He focused on three specific elements in his effort to summarize the important duty that lay ahead of his fellow graduates.
Listening, curiosity, and humility.
鈥淔or better or worse, your JD singles you out for leadership,鈥� Bouck said. 鈥淎s future attorneys, listening to our clients, not speaking OVER them, will elevate our practice from a mere job into a life of service.鈥�
鈥淚n 2025, in a fractured civil moment, mere humble attention to others is an antidote to blind pride and tribalism,鈥� he noted.
Bouck鈥檚 words closely aligned with the intentions of the SBA when deciding who to invite to speak at the ceremony. Memphis Law, as well as the City of Memphis, has always been known for its authenticity, resilience, and community. Which is why SBA president Golden and her peers wanted to choose a speaker that could reinforce those very ideas to attendees and their classmates.
鈥淪enator Booker鈥檚 speech reinforced the very values that defined our class: resilience, leadership, and the responsibility to uplift others,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淗is words resonated deeply with us as we prepared to step into the next chapter of our lives. He spoke about resilience, purpose, and the responsibility we all have to uplift others鈥攁 message that transcends politics and speaks to the core of human dignity and collective progress. His presence reinforced the idea that leadership is about service, an essential truth not just in public life, but in every profession, especially the legal field. As future attorneys, advocates, and leaders, we are called to serve鈥攚hether through justice, civic engagement, or simply showing up for those in need. It was an unforgettable experience to have him there, reminding us that service is a universal calling and that dedication to uplifting others is the foundation of a better future.鈥�
In his remarks, the Senator tied together that dedication to fighting to uplift others with a relatable story to any student that has ever taken part in one of the law school鈥檚 legal clinics.
Recalling a moment from his own time in law school, Booker shared with the audience a story about the legacy and impression imparted upon him by his very first legal client in his first ever legal clinic in law school as a 1L.
鈥淚 was in a landlord tenant clinic, and I had an elder African American woman who was being evicted from public housing because her grandson, who visited and stayed with her often, was caught with a significant amount of illegal drugs,鈥� Booker recalled. 鈥淎nd she was presented with a settlement which said that she could stay in public housing only if her grandson was never allowed to visit her again, and if he did, he would be immediately arrested.鈥�
Booker went on to note that he found this settlement offer incredibly offensive, sharing with the audience that he was 鈥渟o full of vim and vigor鈥� to fight the case and make a point. But it was his legal clinic supervising attorney that brought him back to reality by reminding him that he if he fought and lost the case, his client would not have a home to go home to.
But it was the client herself that really inspired him and taught him a lesson that still drives him.
鈥淚 kept explaining to her that if she signed this document, while she could stay in public housing, her grandson could no longer visit her,鈥� Booker said. 鈥淚 told her it would only be about a 10 percent chance of winning.鈥�
鈥淎nd she asked me this question I will never forget, she said 鈥業f I decide to fight this case, will it help other people?鈥欌��
Booker recalled that he again reiterated their slim chances of success in fighting the case, but his elderly client brushed that 10 percent warning aside. And as he curled his own fingers into a fist to illustrate this woman鈥檚 passionate response, the lesson hit home to those in the audience.
鈥淪he looked at me hard, took a deep breath, and curled those fingers into a fist and slammed it onto the table. She pointed her finger at me and said, 鈥�10 percent is enough for me. If it will help other people, we will FIGHT,鈥欌�� Booker passionately shared.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I began to learn from some of the humblest people in my life, the power of what greatness is,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 lie with position or wealth. True greatness will always be defined by how you live your life in service to others.鈥�
To be sure, this year鈥檚 commencement speaker will be hard to top. But bringing in a high-profile guest was more than just a big sendoff or over-the-top final gesture by SBA and the Class of 2025.
鈥淪ecuring Senator Cory Booker wasn鈥檛 about prestige; it was about ensuring that our send-off was shaped by wisdom, encouragement, and a powerful call to service. His presence wasn鈥檛 just symbolic鈥攊t validated our journey, reminding us that the work we鈥檝e done and the paths we鈥檙e about to take matter on a larger scale,鈥� said Golden.
鈥淗is speech reinforced the very values that defined our class: resilience, leadership, and the responsibility to uplift others.鈥�