UMass Law 2024 Commencement Program

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UMass Dartmouth School of Law

UMass Law Ceremony May 17, 2024

CXXIV
124th Commencement

UMass Dartmouth Mission

UMass Dartmouth distinguishes itself as a vibrant, public research university dedicated to engaged learning and innovative research resulting in personal and lifelong student success. The University serves as an intellectual catalyst for economic, social, and cultural transformation on a global, national, and regional scale.

UMass Dartmouth Vision

UMass Dartmouth will be a globally recognized premier research university committed to inclusion, access, advancement of knowledge, student success, and community enrichment.

School of Law Mission

UMass Law is the Commonwealth’s public law school. We are committed to providing an excellent, affordable, and accessible legal education. Our collegial community respects and promotes diversity in identity and ideas. Our program balances legal theory, doctrine, skills, experience, and professionalism. We strive to graduate competent, ethical, and creative professionals who exercise sound judgment. Our involvement in the legal community enables our students to thrive in a changing profession and to serve the needs of their future clients. We advance justice within and beyond the Commonwealth through our research, writing, teaching, learning, practice, and engagement with the profession.

Stephen R. Karam, Chairman

Mary L. Burns, Vice Chair ’84, Lowell

Fahad K. Alden ’24, Lowell

Christopher J. Brady ’24, Amherst

David M. Brunelle

Gerald G. Colella ’78, Lowell

Jose M. Delgado ’18, Amherst

Michael E. Dooley ’24, Boston

Robert Epstein ’67, Amherst

Robert Lewis, Jr.

Ann M. Maguire Keches ’73, Amherst

Michael V. O’Brien ’88, Amherst

Noreen C. Okwara, M.D. ’12, Boston; ’17, Chan Medical School

Imari K. Paris Jeffries, PhD ’97, ’99, ’03, Boston

Julie M. Ramos Gagliardi, MBA ’87, Dartmouth

Elizabeth D. Scheibel, JD

Joseph C. Sullivan ’81, Amherst

Steven A. Tolman ’99, Boston

Amelia S. Toye ’24, Chan Medical School

Patrick Tutwiler, PhD

Jehan S. Worthy ’24, Dartmouth

Charles F. Wu, MBA

The permanent record kept in the Office of the University Registrar for each student will certify the award of degree and carry their grades, averages, and honors (if any). At commencement, students graduating with distinction are noted only if that distinction has been earned at the end of the previous semester.

The names appearing in the Commencement Program represent an unofficial listing of candidates.

The University of Massachusetts is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to, and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University.

Board of Trustees
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History of the University

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth traces its roots to 1895 when the state Legislature chartered the New Bedford Textile School and the Bradford Durfee Textile School in Fall River.

As the region’s economic base shifted from textiles to more diverse manufacturing and service industries, the colleges adapted by diversifying their curricula to respond to the needs of new generations of students. By the middle of the 20th century, the colleges grew rapidly, spurred by the GI Bill and the emerging economic and social advantages of a well-educated citizenry. They evolved into multipurpose institutions that prepared engineers, healthcare workers, teachers, and business leaders.

In 1962, the Legislature created Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute (SMTI) by merging the New Bedford Textile School and the Bradford Durfee Textile School. The 710-acre campus in Dartmouth, located between the urban centers of New Bedford and Fall River, was created in 1964. The dramatic campus design was the work of renowned architect Paul Rudolph, then Dean of the Yale University School of Art and Architecture.

The public demand for a comprehensive university provided the momentum in 1969 to transform SMTI into Southeastern Massachusetts University. In 1988, the Swain School of Design merged with the University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, strengthening programs in art and artisanry. In 1991, Southeastern Massachusetts University and the University of Lowell joined the University of Massachusetts, which already had campuses in Amherst, Boston, and Worcester. Thus, Southeastern Massachusetts University became the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Then, in 1994, UMass Dartmouth received approval to offer its first Ph.D. In 2010, the University opened its School of Law, Massachusetts’s only public law school. The school has since earned national American Bar Association accreditation.

Throughout its history, the University has been a national leader in civic engagement. In 2013, it earned a national top 20 ranking among nearly 800 institutions ranked by the Corporation for National Community Service. In 2016, the University achieved formal doctoral institution status when the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education designated the University as a “Doctoral University–Higher Research Activity.” The University remains the only Massachusetts research university located south of Boston.

After achieving “Doctoral University–Higher Research Activity” in 2016, UMass Dartmouth’s research enterprise saw continued growth in high-growth areas like marine technology, cybersecurity, STEM education, offshore wind impacts, big data, and climate change. In recognition of the University’s mission fulfillment, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University #78 in the nation and the second highest-ranked University among public universities in New England on their 2024 Top Performers on Social Mobility list. The ranking analyzes institutions that are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of low-income students awarded Pell Grants.

Today, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is experiencing extraordinary momentum. Total enrollment has reached its highest point since 2015. Over half of UMass Dartmouth students are the first in their families to attend college, and 41% identify as people of color. More students are living on campus than ever before. The University’s sponsored research footprint reached nearly $97M in 2023, a 34% increase over 2022. This increase allows for more impactful research activities contributing to knowledge creation, student learning, and regional economic development.

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Land Acknowledgement Statement

UMass Dartmouth acknowledges the land that we occupy and on which we sit today as the traditional and ancestral home of the Wampanoag nation, including: the Mashpee, Nauset, Nantucket, Pennacook, Pokanoket, Pocasset, Seaconke, and other indigenous nations of Southeast Massachusetts. Without them, we would not have access to this gathering and to this dialogue. We take this opportunity to thank and honor the original caretakers of this land.

Academic Regalia

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and other institutions of higher learning evolved from the great medieval universities in Europe, such as those in Bologna, founded in 1088, Oxford in 1167, and Cambridge in 1209. At that time, everyone wore long gowns and full-flowing robes. After 1600, these apparel were rarely worn in common life, but the tradition continues during Commencement ceremonies.

Gowns are of three basic patterns: (a) the Bachelor’s gown, of unadorned black and with long pointed sleeves; (b) the Master’s gown, unadorned black but with an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist, square cut with an arc cut away; and (c) the Doctor’s gown, velvet-faced, with bell-shaped sleeves and bars of velvet on each sleeve.

In today’s academic procession, the regalia not only contribute pageantry and color but denote the academic status of their wearers. The cap, or mortarboard, is worn by all academics upon occasion. Only those with an academic degree wear the tassel to their left, and only those with a Doctor’s degree are permitted tassels of gold.

Commencement

The Commencement ceremony represents the culmination of years of hard work for students who are receiving degrees. During the Commencement, the name of each graduate is read. The degrees are conferred after all names have been read. Please do not detract from the dignity of the ceremony and the enjoyment of other participants and their guests by leaving before the ceremony is completed.

The Mace

The mace, once a terrible instrument of medieval close combat, has come to symbolize the power and authority of an appointed or anointed leader. Many universities, eager to engage in the medieval pageantry reflecting the origins of our earliest universities, have adapted the mace as a ceremonial staff borne at the head of processions traditionally marking the beginning of convocation and commencement.

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Mace, created by Richard Creighton, Professor of Fine Arts, is the gift of the late Vice Chancellor for Student Services Emeritus, Celestino Macedo, and the late Special Assistant to the President, Norman Zalkind, LHD ’81.

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Order of Exercises

The Procession

The audience is requested to remain seated until after the processional has been completed.

National Anthem

Kianna Wilson ’24

Welcome

Ramprasad Balasubramanian, PhD

Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Greetings from the Law School

Sam Panarella, JD

Dean

Greetings from the Board of Trustees

Julie M. Ramos Gagliardi

Student Address

Natalia Del Coral Vargas ’24

Honorary Degree Presentation

Sam Panarella, JD

Commencement Address

Justice Geraldine Hines, JD, Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court (ret.)

Announcement of Awards

Sam Panarella, JD

Hooding of the Candidates and Conferring of Juris Doctor Degrees

Ramprasad Balasubramanian, PhD

Sam Panarella, JD

Recessional

Student Awards

Academic Achievement Awards

Full-time student:

Justin M. Taylor

Part-time student:

Megan L. Winkeler

Clinical Legal Education Award (CLEA)

Tom Heesung Shin

Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Company (CATIC) Foundation, Inc. Award

Charles A. Nutaitis

Dean’s Service Award

Grace Angeline St. Urbain

Daniel M. Martinez

Pro Bono Award

Christopher A. Amaral 543.50 hours of pro bono work

Public Interest Fellow Leadership Award

Jordan Isabella Edith Lambdin 554 hours of public service work

St. Thomas More Award

Justin J. Bennett

Student Bar Association

Hon. Francis L. Larkin Amicus Award

Natalia Del Coral Vargas

Thurgood Marshall Social Justice Award

Joslyn J. Sharpe

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Law Student Speaker

Natalia C. Vargas was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. At UMass Law, she has served as the Executive Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for the Student Bar Association, the Chair of the SBA Events Committee Chair, and as a Student Ambassador for the 2023-2024 academic year. Natalia participated in the University’s Immigration Clinic and served as a Diversity and Inclusion Committee member. She was awarded the 2024 Unsung Hero Award by the student body for her work planning and facilitating events with the law school’s student organizations.

Raised in Southwest Florida, Natalia earned a B.A. in English Literature from Florida Gulf Coast University. Before arriving at UMass Law, she worked at a low-income tax clinic at a civil legal services agency in Fort Myers, Florida. Her parents, sisters, extended family, and treasured friends have encouraged and motivated her to give everything her most honest and full effort. She is immensely thankful for their support and love. She feels extremely grateful for her community within the law school. And of course, she would be remiss if she did not express appreciation for her dog, Benny, who brought her comfort and joy since her very first year of law school. Natalia dedicates today’s remarks to the Class of 2024 and all who helped them throughout their law school journey. After law school, Natalia plans to practice transactional law with a private law firm in Massachusetts.

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Commencement Speaker

Born in the Mississippi Delta, Justice Geraldine S. Hines has dedicated her life to justice and equality, which is marked by her groundbreaking legal work and active engagement in various civic and community organizations. Geraldine graduated from Tougaloo College before pursuing a legal education at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she graduated in 1971. She began as a Massachusetts Law Reform Institute staff attorney and engaged in prisoner’s rights litigation. From 1973 to 1977, she practiced criminal law with the Roxbury Defenders’ Committee, eventually ascending to Director of the Committee.

After a fellowship at MIT focusing on policy initiatives to combat police misconduct in communities of color, she served as co-counsel in Commonwealth v. Willie Sanders. She litigated several civil rights cases related to discrimination in education as a staff attorney at the Harvard University Center for Law and Education. In 1982, Justice Hines transitioned into private practice, appearing in state and federal courts on various legal matters, including criminal, administrative, labor, and family law. She continued her unwavering advocacy for civil rights, including litigating employment discrimination and police misconduct claims, as a founding partner in the New England region’s first law firm for women of color.

Her career culminated in a series of judicial appointments, starting with her designation as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court in 2001 by Governor Paul Cellucci. Governor Deval Patrick appointed her as an Associate Justice of the Appeals Court in 2013, and a year later, she was elevated to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Justice Hines’ impact extends beyond the courtroom, including involvement in civic and community organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Lawyers Guild, and the National Conference of Black Lawyers.

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2024 School of Law

Sam Panarella, JD

Dean

Juris Doctor Recipients

Jahshanti Allen

Benjamin M. Alpert*

Christopher A. Amaral*

Ethan J. Andrews

Sarah Rachael Barnes

Richard A. Barreiros*

Justin J. Bennett

Ellen M. Berrigan

Nicholas Borsari

Madison Therese Joy Boucher

Daniela A. Briceno

Haley E. Brown

Raul Calderon

Caylin Cannavino***

Kirsten Chambers*

Micah Joseph Charette

Samuel J. Cox

Miranda C. Crane

Whitney W. Crews

Kimberly Croce

Daniel J. Curran

Nicole A. Czarnowski

Samuel S. Daitsman

Maura E. Daltwas

Hermon Daniel

Stephen M. Dodd

Jenna S. Doran

Carolina Echavarria

Salah Dean ElAyoubi

Anna Rose Epstein

Alexander Fisher

Emile B. Freeman

Courtney R. Frye

Delaney Gagnon

Tara E. George

Armen Gharibian

Hadassah B. Gomez

Guadalupe Isabel Gonzalez

Victoria A. Graham

Austin J. Grainey

Alise Greco*

Dana R. Green

Matthew A. Gruneberg***

Melissa V. Hamilton**

Elizabeth A. Harris

Lauren M. Harvey

Tiffany Nneka Igwe

Rosalia Josephine Imperato

Oliver Jenkins

Joshua Christopher Kam

Katherine Theresa Kane*

Joseph F. Kelley

Kyle Mark Kelley

Jordan Isabella Edith Lambdin*

Niki Layton

Jason J. Lee

Kevin P. Lefrancois

Alanna G. Levy

HaauYan Li

Alessia Anna Limotta

Daniel Lopez

Alexander Philip Lustbader

Duncan Lawrence Martin (posthumously)

Daniel M. Martinez

Xavier Martinez-Krawiec

Jonathan W. Matsler**

Paul M. McAlarney***

Michael McMurtry

Cynthia M Miller

Jacob Miller

Laurie J. Miller

Kiran Mistry-Patel*

Chace Austin Montano

Douglas Wayne Murdock

Chen C. Nee

Jared Brian Nickerson*

Gevorg A. Novshadyan

Charles A. Nutaitis*

Patrick O’Neil**

Shivam S. Patel

Jose Juan Perez Rodriguez

Savannah G. Plaisted

Cameran Raven Pottinger

Alexandra L. Rampy

John B. Robitaille

Jeremie D. Rogers**

Victoria Ann Russo*

Hannah K. Sampson

Kareem M. Sayid

Margaret E. Scarlett

Madison R. Schlauder*

Katelyn Seetaram

Suwanta Shah

Joslyn J. Sharpe

Tom Heesung Shin***

Grace Angeline St. Urbain

Dominique Tannous

Justin M. Taylor***

Michael James Taylor

Christopher L. Tetreault*

Lauren E. Thomas***

Tyler K. Tyack

Natalia Del Coral Vargas

Matthew Vender*

John Walden

Andrew D. White

Eric Rollin Gilbert Whitner

Megan L. Winkeler***

Angela M. Woislaw***

Jehan Senai Worthy

Rachael Karr Wright***

Sara Zaman

Alexis R. Zangari

Honors designations - pending final grades

*** Summa Cum Laude ** Magna Cum Laude * Cum Laude

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2024 Recognition

Academic Fellows

Benjamin M. Alpert

Christopher A. Amaral

Sarah Rachael Barnes

Caylin Cannavino

Kimberly Croce

Matthew A. Gruneberg

Jordan Isabella Edith Lambdin

Alanna G. Levy

Kiran Mistry-Patel

Chace Austin Montano

Patrick O’Neil

Madison R. Schlauder

Tom Heesung Shin

Christopher L. Tetreault

Rachael Karr Wright

Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity Award

Charles A. Nutaitis

Public Interest Law Fellows

Richard A. Barreiros

Haley E. Brown

Whitney W Crews

Samuel S. Daitsman

Hermon Daniel

Delaney Gagnon

Elizabeth A. Harris

Jordan Isabella Edith Lambdin

Kevin P. Lefrancois

Alanna G. Levy

Jonathan W. Matsler

Michael McMurtry

Cynthia M. Miller

Gevorg A. Novshadyan

Savannah G. Plaisted

Cameran Raven Pottinger

Madison R. Schlauder

Joslyn J. Sharpe

Tom Heesung Shin

Grace Angeline St. Urbain

Angela M. Woislaw

Jehan Senai Worthy

Law Review Board

Editor-In-Chief

Megan L. Winkeler

Managing Editors

Paul M. McAlarney

Justin M. Taylor

Executive Articles Editor

Savannah G. Plaisted

Business Editor

Lauren E. Thomas

Notes Editor

Lauren M. Harvey

Technology Editor Caylin Cannavino

Conference Editor

Rachael Karr Wright

Lead Editors

Matthew A. Gruneberg

Tom Heesung Shin

Matthew Vender

Staff Editors

Christopher A. Amaral

Whitney W. Crews

Nicole A. Czarnowski

Melissa V. Hamilton

Jonathan W. Matsler

Christopher L. Tetreault

“Servant of Justice Award” for performing 100 hours of pro bono

Sarah Rachael Barnes

Madison Therese Joy Boucher

Kimberly Croce

Salah Dean ElAyoubi

Joshua Christopher Kam

Daniel M. Martinez

Xavier Martinez-Krawiec

Charles A. Nutaitis

Shivam S. Patel

Margaret E Scarlett

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2024 Recognition (continued)

“Leader for Justice Award” for performing 200 or more hours of pro bono or community service

Christopher A. Amaral

Richard A. Barreiros

Haley E. Brown

Raul Calderon

Miranda C. Crane

Whitney W. Crews

Nicole A. Czarnowski

Samuel S. Daitsman

Hermon Daniel

Carolina Echavarria

Delaney Gagnon

Tara E. George

Dana R. Green

Elizabeth A. Harris

Jordan Isabella Edith Lambdin

Kevin P. Lefrancois

Alanna G. Levy

Jonathan W. Matsler

Michael McMurtry

Cynthia M. Miller

Kiran Mistry-Patel

Chace Austin Montano

Gevorg A. Novshadyan

Savannah G. Plaisted

Cameran Raven Pottinger

Madison R. Schlauder

Suwanta Shah

Joslyn J. Sharpe

Tom Heesung Shin

Grace Angeline St. Urbain

Angela M. Woislaw

Jehan Senai Worthy

Sara Zaman

Alexis R. Zangari

Faculty and Staff Marshals

Chief Marshal

Professor Phillip E. Cleary, JD

Faculty Marshal

Professor Dwight G. Duncan, JD

Staff Marshals

Julie Cahill, JD

Sandra Leger Silva Nancy Moniz, MPP

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Congratulations from the UMass Law Alumni Association!

As you determine where the next steps lead you—whether you remain in the SouthCoast, relocate for your dream job, or take some time to decide—a network of supportive UMass Dartmouth Law alumni are here to support you. There are many ways for you to be an engaged UMass Dartmouth Law alum starting today!

Stay connected to UMass Law through the Corsair Network

Sign up for the Corsair Network, where you can maintain and build connections with UMass Dartmouth Law alumni eager to mentor you as you begin your careers. Tap into a powerful network and valuable resources exclusive to the UMass Dartmouth Law alumni community. Update your contact info here at corsairnetwork.com

You’re invited to join the entire UMass Dartmouth community back on campus for Blue & Gold Weekend, October 25-26!

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333 Faunce Corner Road

Dartmouth, MA 02747-1252

umassd.edu/law

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