NEWS

PAGE 7 FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2022 UTICATANGERINE.COM

Utica University 2022 Commencement speaker announced

◊ ISABELLA HUDZIAK

MANAGING NEWS EDITOR

◊ HOLLIE DAVID

FEATURES EDITOR

Utica University announced on April 12 that the commencement speaker for the 2022 Commencement ceremony was announced as Utica University alumna Justice Janet Malone. Malone graduated in 1986 from Utica with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from the City University of New York in 1989. It was then in 1992 that Malone passed the bar exam and was admitted to the New York State, Appellate Division, Second Department. She went on to work in several positions throughout the Westchester County court system, such as an elected judge at the Westchester County Family Court from 2008 to 2017. During the 2016 election, Malone was elected as a New York Supreme Court officeholder. She is the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court in the Ninth Judicial District of New York. The undergraduate commencement will be held at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, May 12, at 5 p.m. Approximately 550 undergraduate students are eligible to graduate, according to the Utica University website.

Justice Janet Malone /Photo: Utica University

Student on the Street: What do “U” think?

Question: What is your reaction to Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation?

“I think her confirmation was well overdue. It’s about time that we finally have a first Black woman justice on the court, considering that in America, we’re diverse, but yet we don’t see any diversity represented in our government and especially in the Supreme Court. As a political science major, it gave me hope to basically aspire for higher and greatness, because I finally see someone who looks like me on the Supreme Court, which is like the highest court of them all.”

-President of BSU, Isabella Gilbert, Senior

“I’m not really familiar with her but I hope it puts us in a new direction.”

-Bryan Wusu-Ansah, Senior

“Kentanji Brown Jackson becoming our Supreme Court justice is a long time coming. There is still a lot of work to be done but this is the first step. Especially since it’s so difficult for her to even get that position, even though she’s more than qualified for that position.”

-Vice President of BSU, Amara Clemente-Johnson, Junior

“Kentanji Brown Jackson is more than qualified. I think the way she was treated by others was completely unethical and she deserves to be on the Supreme Court.”

-Derek Corsner, Senior

“When I found out about the confirmation of Kentanji Brown Jackson to be a part of the Supreme Court, I felt proud and excited because of not only her hard work and dedication to serve justice, but it’s also because of the fact that there have been more people of color who are being included in multiple parts of the supreme court systems and other branches associated with the government because of their advocacy for a more inclusive environment for all individuals.”

-Crystal Santiago, Senior