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<p>Speakers addressing the 218 graduates who received degrees on Saturday, May 16 advised them to learn from their mistakes and successes, and make a difference in the world.</p>
<p>New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Lee A. Solomon, a 1978 graduate of the law school, spoke to the Delaware graduates about fate and destiny.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I believe a career is not a straight line, but you do end up where you are supposed to because life is about fate and destiny,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Destiny is what you do with what fate puts before you.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The commencement ceremony, held on the school green, also featured remarks by valedictorian Holly Frey and graduate William Howard Leonard Jr. Leonard, who served as president of the Student Bar Association, announced the class gift of picnic tables for the campus lawn and a monetary donation to school student organizations.</p>
<p>Interim Dean <a href="ipl://20//WyIyOSJd">Erin Daly</a>&nbsp;spoke about the core values the law school holds dear, even as it embarks on a new future, retaking its original name of Delaware Law School. The emphasis on applied academics, fostering a vibrant campus, commitments to professional ethics and community, and the intellectual leadership of the faculty and students are core components of the school &ndash; and what the faculty and staff pass on to graduates, she said.</p>
<p>&ldquo;These values will stay with you, throughout all the changes in your lives. They&rsquo;ll sustain you, motivate you, guide you, nourish you, as you make your way through all the adventures that await you,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<p>Daly gave the outstanding faculty award &ndash; decided by a vote of the graduating class &ndash; to Professor <a href="ipl://20//WyI3NSJd">Jules Epstein</a>. She also recognized Associate Professor <a href="ipl://20//WyIxMjEiXQ==">Mary Ellen Maatman</a>&nbsp;and Professor <a href="ipl://20//WyI4MCJd">Alan E. Garfield</a>&nbsp;with the Douglas E. Ray Excellence in Faculty Scholarship Award.</p>
<p>Widener University President James T. Harris III told the graduates they are among the less than one percent of the world&rsquo;s population who possess an advanced degree. He encouraged them to use their educations to confront injustice.</p>
<p>&ldquo;As law graduates, more is expected of you,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The class answered the call to service during their time at Widener. A total of 82 graduates contributed a combined 12,969 hours of pro bono service during their law school careers.</p>
<p>Four graduates received their diplomas with relatives &ndash; who are Widener alumni &ndash; congratulating them during the ceremony. They included Aaron Kostyk, Nathan Carr-Whealy, Elise Wolpert and Matthew Buckworth.</p>