Maryland Carey Law’s 2025 graduation ceremony took place May 23.
Photo: Second from left, Maryland Carey Law Dean Renée Hutchins Laurent, JD, hosted the proceedings. Photo by Matthew D'agostino
The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law held the Class of 2025’s hooding ceremony at the historic Hippodrome Theatre on May 23. Maryland Carey Law Dean Renée Hutchins Laurent, JD, hosted the proceedings with University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Provost Roger Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, in attendance to confer degrees on the JD, LLM, and MSL candidates before they walked the stage to be hooded by law school faculty members.
Former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) Sherrilyn Ifill, JD, offered the keynote address.
Ifill encouraged graduates at this fraught time in our country’s history to view the moment as an opportunity. “Nothing you do in the service of democracy is wasted,” she said, urging the assemblage to view themselves “not as bystanders but as founders and framers of the America your children will inherit.”
Ifill also spoke fondly of her 20 years on the Maryland Carey Law faculty, expressing appreciation for Maryland Carey Law’s “heart and spirit for public service.”
Currently, Ifill is the Vernon Jordan Distinguished Professor in Civil Rights at Howard University School of Law, where she recently founded the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy.
The ceremony’s student speakers were day program class president, Halla McDermon, and evening division president, Melissa Marie La Motta, who mused on their law school experiences and provided inspiration for their peers.
“The world needs us — our voices, our compassion, and our courage,” McDermon told the Class of 2025. “So, let’s move forward with boldness, perseverance, and the resilience that brought us here.”
Members of the high-achieving class were honored the previous day in Maryland Carey Law’s annual Recognition Ceremony where graduation prizes, Latin Honors, and Order of the Coif inductees were announced. Students also learned which of their peers earned the William Strobel Thomas Prize, which is awarded to the graduate recognized by the faculty as having achieved the highest grade point average in the class. This year’s recipient is Samantha Bingaman.
More intimate celebrations throughout the week recognized individuals who graduated in specialty areas and programs, including Business Law; Criminal Law; Cybersecurity and Crisis Management; Dispute Resolution; Environmental Law; Immigration Law; Intellectual Property; International and Comparative Law; Law & Health Care; and Women, Leadership & Equality.
To welcome the Class of 2025 to the alumni community, the Maryland Carey Law School Club (MCLSC), the law school’s leadership giving society, hosted a celebratory toast for the class earlier in the week. Cara O’Brien, JD ’07, one of the MCLSC co-chairs, addressed the soon-to-be alumni, expressing pride in the class and gratitude for the “strength and vibrancy” of the Maryland Carey Law community.
Student Bar Association president Natalie Ward was the event’s student speaker. She encouraged her classmates to remain engaged with the law school after graduation and to provide mentorship for the coming generations of law students.
Finally, Laurent offered the toast, telling graduates, “From the moment you started here, you became part of the Maryland Carey Law community. After graduation, that tight-knit network will only strengthen as you travel through your careers and turn to each other and to us as trusted colleagues and friends. We look forward to your continued engagement with your alma mater as proud Maryland Carey Law alumni. Cheers and congratulations.”