“You have more power today than you did yesterday,” Attorney Joshua Schiffer (J.D. ’02) told graduates of the Georgia State University College of Law December Class of 2023. “I urge you to share your power with your community. Wield it with love.”
Schiffer gave his remarks at the College of Law’s December Commencement and Hooding Ceremony on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, among a filled ceremonial courtroom of graduates, family and friends.
Schiffer began his career as a law clerk in Cobb County Superior Court, and his career has spanned cases across the legal spectrum. Now a criminal defense attorney, Schiffer also offers insights on local and national legal matters as a frequent guest on Court TV and Atlanta News First on CBS.
His words reminded the graduating class to carefully consider the power they derive from their knowledge and access to the legal profession, and he emphasized that the best attorneys lead and win by loving the law. “The one thing we all have in common with one another is our system of laws. Success comes through fidelity to that system,” he said.
Sky Ha Nul Park (J.D. ’23) gave remarks to her fellow students as a member of their graduating cohort, encouraging them to maintain balance in their careers. She urged her fellow graduates to balance theory with practice, ambition with humility, and perhaps most importantly to balance the scales of equality in their pursuit of justice.
“We walked into this room with incredible aspirations,” she said. “We made all of these sacrifices because we wanted to make a difference for the world, our communities and our families. It is thanks to the community built in this room that we are able to find that balance.”
A first-generation college graduate and the first person in her family to receive an advanced degree, Park was a part-time student throughout her entire law school career and worked full-time for the Georgia General Assembly. She has already started her post-graduation job as the Director of Legal Affairs at the Metro Atlanta Chamber where she will focus on public safety and the judiciary.
Park walks across the graduation stage among a class of 27 College of Law students, and 12 of them are graduating with honors. Just like Park, many of her peers completed their degrees through a part-time program, and they were commended by Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Courtney Anderson at the ceremony. “Part-time students [are] the foundation and the reason for Georgia State College of Law,” she said, highlighting the formidable task of balancing careers and family obligations while engaging with the rigorous curriculum and extracurricular activities of the college. “The faculty, staff, and your loved ones are so proud of you for these phenomenal honors -- and you should be just as proud of yourselves.”