Commencement 2022

When many of the Albany Law School Class of 2022 graduates began their law school career, not a single one of them could have predicted the changes that were ahead—in the world, in academics, or in life itself.

But as President and Dean Alicia Ouellette ’94 told them:

“The way you have supported one another, the way you have pivoted, the way you powered through all that life has thrown at you over the past couple of years, speaks volumes about the kinds of professionals you will be. Even when you’ve struggled, you’ve prevailed,” she said. “Your ability to come together is made even more remarkable when you think about just how diverse a group of individuals you are.”

In total, 201 graduates—165 J.D., 19 M.S., and 17 LL.M—were celebrated at Albany Law School’s 171st Commencement on May 20, 2022, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This year’s graduates represent 20 states, 15 countries, 18 languages, 90 undergraduate institutions, and 35 undergraduate academic degree types. They also completed a historic 56,572 pro bono hours.

The Commencement speaker, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins ’88, gave the keynote address. Ambassador Jenkins is the current Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, a position she assumed in July 2021. She is the first African American to ever serve as an Under Secretary of State at the U.S. Department of State.

“Being here right now makes me think about the path that led me to where I am today. In my years as a student to the department of state's first African American undersecretary, I have always wanted to work in public service,” Ambassador Jenkins said. “What led me to my decision for law school? Well, quite simply, I wanted to learn how to think like a lawyer and to analyze problems with a legal mind. I also wanted to be sure to learn how I could protect the rights of those of my family and my friends.”

In Her Own Words

Andrea Gagliardi ’22, in her own words, on what Commencement day means to her

Two weeks ago, I walked across the stage. I graduated Albany Law School Cum Laude, a member of the Justinian Society, and on Albany Law Review. I earned both the Health Law and the Civil and Constitutional Rights concentrations, with honors! I am also the 2022 recipient of the Moscowitz Health Law Clinic Prize.

That all sounds great, and it is!

But if someone dug a bit deeper, they might notice my 1L year was so bad I had to retake classes. They might see I wasn’t eligible to try the write-on competition until I was a rising 3L. They won’t know that I struggled because of Lyme disease and Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. They won’t know I’ve appealed multiple times to the New York Law Exam and Bar Exam for reasonable accommodations. They won’t know I’ve lived with anxiety most of my life, which only got worse as I feared my elderly parents dying from COVID, or getting infected myself and dealing with long-COVID symptoms on top of Lyme.

They’ll see I was elected to SBA, twice! They won’t know I ran because I wanted to make sure someone was representing non-traditional students, older students, disabled students, and students who were struggling the most academically. They won’t know I had a lot of trouble networking because I had to weigh the risks & benefits of COVID exposure. They won’t know my 2L summer job didn’t allow employees to eat together.

They also won’t look at my resume and know that my elderly parents were living in a hotel this semester because a fire ripped through the kitchen. The house was consumed by smoke and then flooded. They won’t know they both got sick with COVID while living in the hotel. They won’t know I considered not taking the bar exam so I could help clean and rebuild. They won’t know that the fire left me unsure of where I will live if I don’t find a job before September.

Everyone is fighting battles no one knows about. On paper, it looks like I won my battle. I nearly doubled my cumulative GPA! But it didn’t come without a cost. I’m exhausted and now I have to throw myself into studying for the bar, finding a job, and helping my parents in any way I can.

Law school is hard. I’m grateful for all the things I was able to achieve at Albany Law. I’m proud of how I represented the student body. I’m even prouder of how I advocated for myself along the way. You will always be your own best advocate. It took me 12 years after graduating college to realize that, but here I am. I am a Juris Doctor and soon to be lawyer. I didn’t overcome Lyme, anxiety, etc., but I fought as hard as I could to make the most of these 3 unpredictable years.

It is likely no law students will ever experience anything close to what the Class of 2022 did, but we did it. I hope we will leave the profession better than how we found it. I can’t write all this on a one page resume, so I’m writing it here. Congrats to everyone from the Class of 2022!