<p>The 80 graduates who received their law degrees in a Sunday morning ceremony were advised to use their education and skills to make a better world.</p>
<p>New Jersey lawyer, educator and social media influencer Glen Gilmore advised Widener Law Commonwealth graduates to never forget the people who helped them reach their graduation day, and to always try their best. Gilmore told a story of his decision years ago to leave law firm life and run for mayor of Hamilton, N.J. A firm colleague advised him there was more money in firm lawyering. But he chose differently, and found a fulfilling path.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&ldquo;It is in the service of others that we as lawyers have the greatest ability to help our communities,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<p>The <a title="2015 Harrisburg Commencement Flickr Album" href="https://flic.kr/s/aHskbMWg7A" target="_blank">commencement ceremony</a>, held at The Forum in the Capitol Complex, also featured remarks from valedictorian Richard Sgrignoli. In remarks that were equal parts humor and sentiment, he said the class had Widener and its faculty &ldquo;to blame&rdquo; for everything from why the grass wasn&rsquo;t cut at his house, to how he went from a nervous 1L to a confident graduate.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The true value of this school falls on our professors,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We owe them a great deal of gratitude.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Graduate Thomas Russo, who served as president of the Student Bar Association, spoke briefly to announce the class gift, a stone monument marking the school name to be placed in front of the classroom building.</p>
<p>Interim Dean Robyn Meadows gave the Outstanding Faculty Award to Professors D. Benjamin Barros and James W. Diehm. She gave the Douglas E. Ray Excellence in Faculty Scholarship Award to Professor Christopher J. Robinette.</p>
<p>Widener University President James T. Harris III told the graduates they should use their degrees to confront injustice in society. He quoted a 1966 speech by then-Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in Cape Town, South Africa, where Kennedy said every time a person stands up for an inequality, it sends out a ripple of hope.</p>
<p>&ldquo;You will be the next generation of attorneys who are ripples of hope,&rdquo; Harris said.</p>
<p>Meadows told the graduates that the Widener Law tradition includes being passionate about service and she expressed pride at their level of civic engagement. She commended the class spirit, with 31 graduates donating 4,870 pro bono hours of service since the first year of law school.</p>
<p>As the Harrisburg campus transitions toward a new future as its own, independent school that is still a part of Widener University, she thanked the students for choosing it and being part of its success.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Because of you, Widener Law Commonwealth is a better place,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;You are the foundation on which Widener Law Commonwealth will continue to grow and thrive.&rdquo;</p>
<h5>Event Photos</h5>
<p><a title="2015/05 Commencement" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/widenerlawcommonwealth/albums/72157654058928328" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/494/18124794323_db26715786_z.jpg" alt="2015/05 Commencement" width="640" height="427" /></a></p>
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