Thomas Jefferson School of Law's Spring Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2014, 10 a.m., at Copley Symphony Hall located in downtown San Diego. Approximately 215 graduating students will receive Juris Doctor degrees.
Kimberly Roth, graduating Summa Cum Laude will be addressing the audience as Valedictorian. “I’m really excited to be valedictorian of my graduating class,” said Roth. “It means all of my hard work over the past three years paid off! These past three years have flown by, but I am eager to graduate, pass the bar, and enter the real world!” In addition to tutoring and mentoring other law students, Roth currently interns at the Attorney General's Office. She has previously interned for Disability Rights California and for the San Diego County Office of the District Attorney.
During her time in law school, Roth served as Editor for Thomas Jefferson's Law Review and Vice Chair of TJSL's Moot Court Competition Team – which Roth describes as representing some of her most memorable experiences at TJSL. “Our team is like a family to me and I have thoroughly enjoyed working hard for competitions with my fellow teammates,” she said.
“I was fortunate to take classes with some of the best professors around that were enthusiastic about the subjects they taught, happy to be teaching, and willing to go out of their way to see their students succeed!” said Roth – who credits Professors Susan Bisom-Rapp, William Slomanson, Aaron Schwabach, Marybeth Herald, Julie Greenberg, Anders Kaye, K.J. Greene, Jane Seigel, Carmela Simoncini and Paul Spiegelman, for helping her develop her research, writing, and oral advocacy skills.
“I owe a huge thank you to everyone that helped me to be successful in law school. Most importantly, I would not be where I am today without the continuous love and support from my parents, sister, and friends. Their encouragement helped me work hard and push through the late study nights at the library and all-nighters at Lestat’s Coffee House,” added Roth.
The doors will open at 9 a.m. at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B Street, San Diego. The graduation ceremony starts promptly at 10 a.m.
The Spring 2014 commencement speaker will be Board of Trustees Member Federal Judge Roger T. Benitez ‘78. The Honorable Benitez was first appointed to the Superior Court of California in 1997, after previously working in general practice with a law firm. He served as Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division before being appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District in 2001. In 2004, he was appointed to the District Judge position he now holds. Judge Benitez has sat by designation numerous times with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and also has sat on assignment in Arizona, Guam and Saipan. He is a charter member of the Wallace Inn of Court, currently chairs the Southern District's IT Committee and is a member of the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on Financial Disclosure, having been appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts.
