South Texas College of Law Houston conferred doctor of jurisprudence (J.D.) degrees to more than 60 graduates December 10 during the Fall 2022 Commencement Ceremony in Joe Green Auditorium.
STCL Houston, which began its 100th academic year this fall, honored the graduates for their outstanding academic achievement and their perseverance. (You can watch a recording of the ceremony here: https://youtu.be/DRPUZurFxtA.)
“Congratulations on a job very well done,” said President and Dean Michael F. Barry. “No matter what you’ve faced during your tenure here at South Texas, you have risen to the challenge. You demonstrated persistence, commitment, and dedication, undeterred by a seemingly ever-changing landscape. Because you persevered, I have the honor of proudly welcoming you today into the distinguished profession of law.”
The top academic achiever in the December graduating class, Tyler Williams, served as articles editor of the South Texas Law Review, was a Presidential Fellow, was named to the Order of the Lytae, and earned CALI awards for the highest grade in multiple courses. The Texas A&M graduate completed multiple internships.
Williams encouraged his fellow graduates to follow advice he regularly received from his dad and lifelong baseball coach: “You can’t control who is in the other dugout. What you can control is your attitude and your effort. Bring your best effort every day, control the things you can control, and leave it all on the field. If you do those things, the ‘score’ will take care of itself.”
One alumna who brings her best every day, Jennifer Stogner ’06, Of Counsel at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, welcomed the graduates into the 16,000-strong Alumni Association. She will become the president in 2023.
“That’s what the South Texas alumni family does… we’re here for each other,” Stogner said. “Stay connected, make friends among the alumni, and keep coming back to South Texas — not because you have to, but because you want to. Pay it forward.”
Commencement speaker Richard A. Morris ’91, special counsel with Rogers, Morris & Grover and STCL Houston’s 2022 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, ensured the South Texas graduates they can have confidence their J.D. degree and law school experience have prepared them for anything they will face as attorneys.
Morris argued a case in 2021 before the U.S. Supreme Court, and he won a 9-0 decision for his client. “The takeaway was that the stage was not too big for me,” Morris said. “This law school prepared me to have a rich and challenging law career that culminated in the chance to argue before the Supreme Court.”
Morris noted that neither of his parents attended college, and he was not an exceptional student in high school or college himself.
“It does not matter where you started or how you got here,” Morris said. “Today is a new beginning. Have faith that this law school has prepared you for what lies ahead. The rest is up to you. The stage is not too big for you; you are ready.”
