Class of 2020 Highlights

Shine On Class of 2020

Congratulations to the Class of 2020! Your class set out what you planned to do and the accomplishment of law school is now behind you. We were thrilled to welcome you to the Ave Maria Law community in 2017. Since then, we have watched you grow into such distinguished women and men. Your class hailed from 28 states and 60 different undergraduate institutions, top states being Florida, Virginia, Georgia, and Ohio. Your class entered at 63% female and 37% male with 28 being the average age. Just after you started law school on our Naples, Florida campus, Hurricane Irma hit. You came together with the rest of our community with perseverance and strength and we all built a special bond. You are now departing Ave Maria Law during the pandemic, and again, you came together with strength and grit and were an example to all of the 1Ls and 2Ls at our school. The Virtual Commencement Ceremony took place on August 1, 2020. The ceremony was not presented live. The ceremony included a reading of each graduate’s name and remarks from Kevin Cieply, President & Dean, Bishop Frank J. Dewane, Tom Monaghan, Founder and Chairman, Monsignor Frank McGrath, Chaplain, Maureen Milliron, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Class of 2014 alumnus Joshua Molandes, Class of 2020 Student Commencement Speaker Giselle Guzman, and Commencement Speaker Callista Gingrich, United States Ambassador to the Holy See.

Congratulations to Giselle Guzman for being selected as the Class of 2020 Student Commencement Speaker. Giselle is a talented woman who embraced everything her law school community had to offer. She excelled in her studies and in her extracurriculars, such as being a part of the Law Review, a Dean’s Delegate, and a member of the Moot Court Board winning a competition this past school year. Giselle also embraced the new Ave Maria Moves mind, body, and spirit initiative on campus. You could always find Giselle on a spin bike, or rooting for her classmates.

“Ave Maria is life changing and the Class of 2020 is truly extraordinary. There is no better way to depart from my law school journey than to celebrate this accomplishment with those who shared this unique experience with me.”

GISELLE GUZMAN, CLASS OF 2020

2020 Student Commencement Awards

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CABRINI AWARD Presented to the student with outstanding performance in clinical programs. JACQUELINE MCCABE

CORONEL ST. MICHAEL AWARD Presented to the student veteran who has been an effective advocate of the United States Armed Forces on campus or in the community. DAVID MICHAEL IDLER ST. THOMAS AQUINAS AWARD Presented by the Dean to the student who best exemplifies the ideals of Ave Maria School of Law. MARINA MAHER MOUSSA

ST. CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA AWARD Presented to the student excelling in oral advocacy, especially in moot court competitions and the trial advocacy program. GISELLE GUZMAN

THOMAS MARCEL DE MAIO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020 PRO BONO RECOGNITION RECIPIENTS Thank you for dedicating your time and talent to the community. ALAN CELEJ, Class of 2020 JACQUELINE CORONEL, Class of 2020 ELISA HUAPILLA, Class of 2020 PETE FERNANDES, Class of 2020 PHILUMINA JOHANNI, Class of 2020 MARINA MOUSSA, Class of 2020 CLARK ROBINSON, Class of 2020 ST. IVES AWARD Presented to the student who has acted most vigorously in defense of a Catholic moral and social order. CAROLYN ANNE DE SALVO ST. THOMAS MORE AWARD Presented to the student who most embodies the virtues of this great saint as well as for outstanding grades. RICHARD VARADAN ST. RAYMOND OF PENYAFORT AWARD Presented to the student excelling in written advocacy. EVELYN ANNE HILDEBRAND THERESA RENÉ HOLT

MARY, QUEEN OF LAWYERS AWARD To the student whose life and learning shows that the student, like Mary, is the person we would choose to defend us in the most important judgment of all.

COLLEEN RUTH MCINERNEY TARYN VAUGHN, Class of 2020

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CLASS OF 2020 VETERANS

THEODORE FORLENZA, Class of 2020 DAVID IDLER, Class of 2020 CAROLYN STEWART, Class of 2020 TARYN VAUGHN, Class of 2020

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020 OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (OPD) STUDENT AMBASSADORS!

SAMANTHA ENCALADA I believe the best part about being an ambassador allowed me to connect with the professional development department individuals, but also the networking connections that OPD has made over the years. I was able to have conversations about career path choices and given advice from a lot of the alumni or other practicing attorneys in the area, all while helping other students get connected with potential employers and opportunities. It was a great experience to be a part of the Ave Maria Law community while searching for current or future employment.

ERIC LEEMAN

The OPD Ambassador program has been invaluable to me. Being an ambassador gave me exclusive access to those making hiring decisions for local government agencies, non-profits, and law firms. This access allowed me to enhance my networking skills, and to be an example of the caliber of student we have at Ave Maria. While networking at these events allowed me to find my dream job, I am more proud of the opportunity I had to show potential employers what they are getting by hiring a law student from Ave Maria School of Law. My goal as an Ambassador, and now as an associate, is to promote the Ave Maria brand, and ensure that every student who wants a quality internship, has that opportunity. I recommend students that want to network, want to promote Ave Maria, and want to help their fellow classmates apply to the OPD Ambassador program. You won’t regret it – I can guarantee that.

ELISA HUAPILLA PEREZ The Office of Professional Development (OPD) has a wide array of opportunities to help each student at Ave Maria Law develop skills that will help them be better attorneys. OPD team members took the time to review a personalized plan that allows me to be prepared for the legal profession. I look forward to using those skills in practice, thank you Ave Law OPD! MICHELE DALEY PETERS Aside from meeting and working with some of my amazing school colleagues, being a student ambassador for the Office of Professional Development (OPD) helped me connect and network with potential employers. I even managed to secure an externship through OPD. I continue to use the tools OPD provides and continue to ask for their opinions and suggestions throughout the process of strategizing my after-law school prospects.

NICOLE SANTINI I grew to know the OPD team well and really enjoyed the lasting friendships made with them. OPD helped me each year to find an internship, with one of them becoming my first job out of school. Their help with my resume and cover letters and what I’ve learned through OPD will never be forgotten! Thank you OPD!

NICOLETTE SELLITTI I enjoyed being an Ambassador for the Office of Professional Development for the past three years because I was able to practice my mock interview skills and become more comfortable in legal interviews with not only local attorneys, but also judges. I think that students should take advantage of this great opportunity that OPD gives us to obtain valuable feedback for our future endeavors!

TARYN VAUGHN

The Office of Professional Development has helped me to become more involved in the law school and our community; without opportunities from the

OPD, I would not have been able to make the contacts and develop the relationships that have been built during the past three years.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020 ADMISSIONS AMBASSADORS You have been such an important part of meeting with future law students and making them feel right at home on our campus. We’re grateful for you.

KRISTINA BORJAS DOROTHY CLARK JACQUELINE CORONEL

PETE FERNANDES RANDI LEVEY SHARON LINSNER

TAYLOR MATHEWS DAVID MERRILL COLLEEN MCINERNEY

MARINA MOUSSA NICOLE SANTINI TARYN VAUGHN

AVE MARIA LAW REVIEW PUBLISHED NOTES

John Percy Cheffers, Entrusting Foxes with the Hen House: How a Bad Law Pits Big Pharma and the Federal Government Against Vaccine-Injured Children Kaitlyn Ann Coyle, Particularly Abused: Closing the Backdoor on Certifiably Deniable Particular Social Group Asylum Claims Evelyn Anne Hildebrand, Incentive, Entitlement, and the Ineffective Subsidization of the Housing Market Theresa René Holt, A Question of Coercion: When Does Legislator-Led Prayer Cross the Constitutional Lines? Kayla Marie Lasswell, Victimizing the Victim Again: Weaponizing Continuances in Criminal Cases

MOOT COURT COMPETITIONS

2020 NATIONAL LATINO LAW ASSOCIATION COMPETITION Melissa Alvarez, Champion Giselle Guzman, Champion

2019 ST. THOMAS MORE TRIAL COMPETITION Thomas Marcel De Maio, Finalist Colleen Ruth McInerney, Champion Marina Maher Moussa, Champion, Best Oralist

2019 ROBERT H. BORK APPELLATE COMPETITION Samantha Reinae Encalada, Finalist Pete Savio Fernandes, Champion, Best Brief Colleen Leahy, Finalist Marina Maher Moussa, Champion, Best Brief, Best Oralist

2019 UCLA-CYBER CRIMES MOOT COURT COMPETITION Alicia Kay Henry, Champion Ian Michael Johanni, Best Brief Philumina Marie Johanni, Best Brief Eric James Leeman, Champion

2019 THURGOOD MARSHALL MOOT COURT COMPETITION Kristina Maria Borjas, Best Brief Pete Savio Fernandes, Best Brief

2018 ROBERT H. BORK APPELLATE COMPETITION Carolyn Anne De Salvo, Finalist David Christopher Merrill, Champion Richard Varadan, Finalist, Best Oralist

2018 ST. THOMAS MORE 1L ORAL ADVOCACY COMPETITION Carolyn Anne De Salvo, Finalist Evelyn Anne Hildebrand, Best Brief Kayla Marie Lasswell, Finalist Marina Maher Moussa, Finalist Richard Varadan, Champion