On Saturday, May 18, more than 200 students will be presented for juris doctor, master of laws and master’s degrees when Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) holds its 48th commencement ceremony.
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) will deliver this year’s commencement speech and will receive an honorary degree from the school. Balint is expected to speak to graduates about fighting cynicism and what makes good leaders.
"I’m honored to speak at the Vermont Law and Graduate School’s 48th commencement and to celebrate the class of 2024," said Congresswoman Becca Balint. "These students have shown their tenacity, courage and grit to get to where they are today, and they’ve made the state so proud. Our state and country are facing challenges that require exceptional leadership and fortitude to meet the moment. Now is the time to invest in the next generation to make a better world for all generations to come. It starts here.”
Balint is the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to represent her home state of Vermont. During her eight years in the state senate, she has served on the Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs; Finance; and Rules Committees. While majority leader, she led the passage of the first gun safety laws in the state’s history, aimed at keeping Vermont children, communities and survivors of abuse safe. Balint also worked tirelessly in the state senate to secure Vermont’s largest housing investment in decades, which helped rebuild housing stock and expand middle income housing.
VLGS will also confer honorary degrees upon Mark Latham, VLGS professor of law emeritus, and Canfa Wang, an environmental lawyer and senior professor at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing. Wang will deliver the school’s Honorary Degree Lecture on Friday, May 17, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. entitled, “Unity of Knowledge and Action: To Promote China’s Environmental Rule of Law with Legal Professional Capability.”
“We are honored to have Representative Balint as our commencement speaker this year, and I look forward to the wisdom she will share with our graduates,” said VLGS President Rod Smolla. “Each year I am in awe of the talent and passion shown by our students, and I look forward to watching them grow as professionals, making a measurable impact on our communities and our world.”
The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on the South Royalton Town Green.
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About Vermont Law and Graduate School:
Vermont Law and Graduate School, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master’s degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools strongly feature experiential clinical and field work learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, Facebook and Instagram.