DÉJÀ VU The Class of 2002 Valedictorian, Caroline Edsall Littleton, returns to the Commencement platform to address the Class of 2017.
St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School was pleased to welcome Caroline Edsall Littleton '02 as our Commencement speaker on June 10. She offered the Class of 2017 some sound advice for college and beyond, and excerpts from her remarks can be found on p. 15. Caroline is a successful lawyer currently working for the law firm, Jones Day, where she focuses her practice on appellate advocacy and critical motions before U.S. courts, and international commercial and investment arbitration. Her impressive resume includes a clerkship with Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., D.C. Circuit Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge Anita B. Brody. In 2012 Caroline was named to Forbes “30 under 30: Law and Policy.” She went to Yale University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in history, graduating summa cum laude. Caroline received her law degree from Yale in 2010. Caroline was a 'lifer' at SSSAS, and her ties to the school run deep. Her father Jack is Class of 1964, and her sister, Allison '85, and two brothers, Carter '91 and Robert '06, are also all alumni.
Q & A WITH CAROLINE Q. What does it mean to you to come back to SSSAS as the 2017 Commencement Speaker?
A.
It is a tremendous honor to return to the school as this year's Commencement Speaker. When I think back on my years at SSSAS, I remember them as years of warmth, comfort, and happiness. And when I think back on my own graduation day, I remember a day filled with extreme joy and celebration. It is a privilege beyond measure to be asked to return for the culmination of the Class of 2017's journey, and to play a part in their day of joy and celebration.
Q.
You clearly have a love of languages. How did the modern and classical languages program and teachers at SSSAS prepare you for your career?
A.
language) — it is because I started my study of French when I was eight years old with Madame [Laura] Walker. I will also be forever grateful to Monsieur Brinkmeyer for encouraging me to attend the Virginia Governor's School for French — a three-week immersion program in the summer, where it was all French all the time. That was probably the best thing that I ever did for my language skills, even as compared to the two years that I spent living in France. Because to be restricted to speaking French and only French improved my language skills by leaps and bounds, whereas even when living in France, I was able to speak some English, and therefore my progress was not as exponential. Madame Van Way, Madame Rhetts, and Madame Jones were wonderful teachers as well, and being able to go to Normandy on the school exchange program was an unforgettable and invaluable experience. Speaking French is a significant part of who I am, and that part of me was born at SSSAS!
Q. Why did you choose law as your career? A. I decided to go to law school towards the end of college.
I was a history major, and I wrote my senior essay on the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. As I spent a year researching and writing about that topic, I learned about the role international law had played during and after the war. It was fascinating and I wanted to learn more. When I began law school, I was primarily interested in public international law (the international law governing relationships between countries), but I discovered a perhaps even stronger interest in private international law (the international law governing relationships between people and companies) by the end of my three years. Today my practice involves elements of both. I work on international investment arbitrations, which generally are disputes between a company from one country and the government of another — the company is able to bring an arbitration against the government by virtue of a bilateral investment treaty between the two countries involved. I also work on international commercial arbitrations, which generally are disputes between two companies from two different countries — the two companies had a contract that said if litigation arose, they would proceed to arbitration and apply a certain body of law (sometimes U.S. law, but usually foreign law such as English or French law) to resolve their dispute.
The language program at SSSAS is excellent. I am confident that—to the extent that my French accent is good (and I do not sound too obviously like an American when I speak the www.sssas.org | 13