Class of 2023 Commencement

More than 200 graduates attended the commencement ceremony, which took place on May 20 at Pamplin.

Lauren Matosziuk ’23 gave the Reflections of the Graduates address. She shared some inspiration:

“It’s easy to feel like the concept of a just society is basically a pipe dream. But for a moment, think back to your younger self, and remember what drove you to be standing here because today. In earning our law degrees, each of us gains a small tool to help bring that concept just a bit closer to reality.”

Speaker Judge Adrienne C. Nelson

The Honorable Adrienne C. Nelson gave the keynote address to the Class of 2023. Nelson was confirmed as a United States District Judge for the District of Oregon in 2023, and prior to her confirmation, she was an associate justice on the Oregon Supreme Court. “No profession is more honorable than the law. Professionalism is the rock, the foundation upon which the public maintains its confidence in the justice system,” said Nelson.“It is the guiding light to lawyers in meeting their obligations to the public they serve, in defending the rule of law, and in upholding their duties and responsibilities to clients and the court. What we do as lawyers shapes our justice system and our community’s experience with that system. The defenders of the Constitution, the guardians of our liberty, the advocates of just causes, no matter how unpopular, the protectors of the powerless, the wise counselors of our society—that is the role of America’s lawyers. This is what you have trained to become.”