The University of Chicago Law School Class of 2020 celebrated their graduation as no class has before: with a virtual hooding ceremony in the middle of a global pandemic. The Law School aired the ceremony on Saturday, June 13, after the University-wide virtual convocation. The historic hooding ceremony included a slide dedicated to each graduate and messages from notable alumni, faculty hooders, and Dean Thomas J. Miles. Across the country, the new Law School graduates celebrated the day privately with family and small groups of friends. Here are some scenes from the day. (Note: this photo was taken during Law School orientation in 2017).
Dean Thomas J. Miles, the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics, spoke at the beginning of the virtual ceremony. He told graduates: "Your achievement as a graduate of this Law School is well-earned. You transformed yourself into a University of Chicago lawyer, and this transformation did not happen without effort and it did not happen overnight." He spoke about Patsy Mink, '51, the first woman of color elected to Congress, and Earl Dickerson, 1920, the law school's first Black JD graduate and a prominent Chicago lawyer and business executive. "Dickerson, Mink, and so many other graduates of the Law School have encountered unexpected crises and obstacles, and succeeded despite them."
Nearly a dozen alumni shared video messages with the graduates, including Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot,'89, who told graduates: "Both in and outside your careers, you have a responsibility to take your education and use it to think critically, ask questions, serve your communities, advocate for those who can not advocate for themselves, and use the power of your position to fight for what's right."
Judge James C. Ho, '99, of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, told graduates to "always place cause over self."
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, '97, said even if graduates don't remember every detail from every class, they will leave with an "ability to think, write, and speak clearly; [a] willingness to work hard; and [an] intellectual curiosity about the world."
"Years from now, you'll remember that you reached the finish line in 2020," said Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Despite not being together, many students celebrated with small groups of family and friends, and some took photos in their regalia. Leena El-Sadek, '20, marked the day with family in Terry, Mississippi. "My sister hooded me, and I thought that was most appropriate as she was the first person that knew I wanted to go to law school, and she was the first person to support my decision."
After watching the Law School's virtual event, Savannah West, '20, and two classmates, Kamara Nwosu, '20, and Imara McMillan, '20, celebrated at a front lawn ceremony in Chicago's Jackson Park Highlands neighborhood that was arranged by West's mom. Clinical Professor Herschella Conyers, standing on a stage that was decorated by West's preschool teacher, hooded each of the three women. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, the state's first Black lieutenant governor and a family friend, offered the graduates a few words. "You three are entering this profession at a time when we need it -- I'm not going to say more than ever, because we've needed it -- but at this moment, we need you." (Photo by Victor Powell.)
West, Nwosu, McMillan, and their guests singing the Black National Anthem at the end of the program.
Nwosu (being hooded by Conyers) said the ceremony meant a lot to her. "My graduation comes at the crux of two global crises that speak to one truth: the reckoning of political and social systems that perpetuate the discrimination of Black lives is here," Nwosu said. "I am honored and grateful to be given the opportunity to hear from Professor Conyers and Lieutenant Governor Stratton, who looked on our Black faces and charged us to seek justice for our communities. Taking these words to heart, I look forward to forging my future in this spirit.”
Charlie Capps, '20, (shown holding his three-month-old son Charlie Jr.) watched the virtual ceremony with his wife, Shelly. His parents watched the ceremony from St. Louis, and Shelly's parents watched it from Washington State. Charlie and his wife finished the day with a chocolate cheesecake that Shelly had baked.
Christine Liu, '20, celebrated with her two roommates. "We started 3L as roommates and got to end our year together as well (even if it wasn’t anything like we had imagined it.)," she said.
Kelsey Dayton, '20, celebrated with her family at home in Sonoma County, California. "We had a dinner of my favorite foods and then we talked with my extended family on Zoom, because they had been able to watch the ceremony too from around the country," she said.
Amiri Lampley, '20, had an intimate hooding ceremony and celebration with her immediate family at her home church in Madison, Alabama, where her uncle is the pastor. "My mom hooded me, which was a very emotional moment for me because she raised me as a single teen mom and was the first to complete a bachelor's and master's degree in our family," Lampley said.
Kate Forrester-Quek, '20, on the balcony outside the apartment she shares with her husband. "I watched convocation and the Law School hooding ceremony at home with my husband, with my parents and my brother on video chat," she said. "My husband hooded me when my slide came up!"
Jen Herrmann, '20, and Professor Emily Buss, who are neighbors, staged an impromptu hooding ceremony several days before graduation. Herrmann, dressed in her regalia, was heading to Rockefeller Chapel to take photos with friends when she encountered Buss, one of the four faculty hooders. "She happened to be out on her stoop when I passed by," Herrmann said. "As we chatted, I said, 'It's a shame you can't hood me,' to which she responded, 'Well ... do you want me to?'" As Buss bestowed the hood, neighbors applauded.
During the virtual ceremony, the four faculty hooders offered the graduates some parting words. "You are graduating under such difficult circumstances, but you are graduating," said Genevieve Lakier, Assistant Professor of Law. "This is a sign of your grit and determination, your ability to cross the finish line even when the wind is against you."
"Please know that we are celebrating you with redoubled gusto," said Emily Buss, the Mark and Barbara Fried Professor of Law.
"We'll be thinking of you as you cross the virtual stage, to receive your virtual hoods, and to commemorate your very real accomplishments," said Jonathan Masur, the John P. Wilson Professor of Law.
"We have learned as much from you as you have from us," said Saul Levmore, the William B. Graham Distinguished Service Professor of Law. "Go out there and learn more -- it never ends."