Gov. John Bel Edwards Delivers Keynote Address
Baton Rouge, LA — The LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center awarded degrees to 166 students during Commencement ceremonies held Friday at the Baton Rouge River Center, with Louisiana Governor and 1999 LSU Law graduate John Bel Edwards delivering the Commencement address.
“I believe a great lawyer is someone who uses their abilities to make a positive difference in both the legal profession and the community, said Governor Edwards. “If you do ever doubt what your purpose is, just remind yourself of the motto for which Louisiana stands: ‘A state, under God, united in purpose and ideals, confident that justice shall prevail for all those abiding here’ . . . Because on your 1st day practicing law, unlike just about any other profession, you can start changing the world for the better. More than an awesome opportunity; this is an obligation.”
Governor Edwards credited the Law Center’s dedicated teachers, his supportive family, and God for the blessings he received during his legal education.
Some 161 students received the Juris Doctor and Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, and five students received the Master of Laws degree. In addition to earning the Juris Doctor and Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, eight students earned the Graduate Certificate in Energy Law and Policy. Stanley J. Jacobs, member of the LSU Board of Supervisors, conferred degrees on behalf of the Board, and Dr. F. King Alexander, LSU President, delivered brief remarks to the graduates.
“Your future is unlimited – your potential is vast. Lawyers just like you fought historic court battles that brought down boundaries for African Americans, women, Latinos, and many others, leading the way to achievements like LSU’s 2015-16 graduating class – our most diverse in history,” said Dr. Alexander.
Three students —Thomas Dalton Bourgeois Jr., Jared Andrew Clark and Leah Nicole Neupert — graduated Summa Cum Laude, ranking within the top two percent of the graduating class. Eighteen students graduated Magna Cum Laude, and 22 students graduated Cum Laude.
Eighteen students were elected to membership in The Order of the Coif, a national honorary law fraternity that accepts to membership only students from the highest 10 percent of the third-year class. Inductees were honored in a separate ceremony prior to commencement.
Also joining in this year’s commencement ceremonies were members of the LSU Law Center Class of 1966, this year’s Golden Graduates.
LSU Law students gather prior to 2016 Commencement exercises held today at the Baton Rouge River Center.
LSU PAUL M. HEBERT LAW CENTER COMMENCEMENT 2016
ALPHABETICAL LIST
2016 Honor Graduates
Summa Cum Laude
Thomas Dalton Bourgeois Jr., Berwick, LA
Jared Andrew Clark, Kenner, LA
Leah Nicole Neupert, Baton Rouge, LA
Magna Cum Laude
Kristen Diane Amond, Baton Rouge, LA
Lauren Jean Bradberry, Gonzales, LA
Lauren Nicole Brink, Sulphur, LA
Catherine Leigh Cranfield, New Orleans, LA
Briana Leigh Drescher, Prairieville, LA
A’Dair Ragan Flynt, Lake Charles, LA
Brittany Lauren Holt, Shreveport, LA
Matthew Ryan Lee, Clinton, LA
Mark Carl Macmurdo, Baton Rouge, LA
Kassidy Leigh Montgomery, Watson, LA
Gregory Joseph Reda, Baton Rouge, LA
Mahogane Denea Reed, Austin, TX
Alex Tyler Robertson, Hattiesburg, MS
Lucas Hodgkins Self, Bossier City, LA
Parker Norris Smith, Covington, LA
Phillip Michael Smith, New Iberia, LA
Alexandra Elise Vozzella, Shreveport, LA
Brittanie DeLane Wagnon, Sugartown, LA
Cum Laude
Marcus John Leland Adams, Alexandria, VA
Gabrielle Rachel Alessi-Friedlander, Wilton, CT
Alex Shannon Aughtry, Atlanta, GA
Dakota Kyle Chenevert, Baton Rouge, LA
Matthew Jerrol Crain, Mandeville, LA
Taylor James Crousillac, Baton Rouge, LA
Morgan Ashley Druhan, Spanish Fort, AL
Jade Elizabeth Ennis, Slidell, LA
Anthony John Gambino Jr., New Orleans, LA
Vivian Alexandra Jeansonne, Baton Rouge, LA
Maxwell Benjamin Kallenberger, Lafayette, LA
Megan Wiggins Kelley, Ponchatoula, LA
Ashley Danielle Knarr, Miami, FL
Elisabeth Blanton Hoâ LeBlanc, New Orleans, LA
Stephanie Marie Lott, Shreveport, LA
Jacques Charles Mestayer, Lafayette, LA
William Parker Self, Bossier City, LA
Ross Morris Sims III, Auburn, AL
Stephen Andrew Stanford, Welsh, LA
Parish Jaques Tillman, Baton Rouge, LA
Grant Matthew Tolbird, West Monroe, LA
Alicia Michelle Westerhoff, Anchorage, AK
The Order of the Coif
Eighteen students were inducted into The Order of the Coif, a national honorary law fraternity that accepts to membership only students from the highest 10 percent of the third-year class. Pictured: L to R, Bottom: Professor Randall Trahan; Lauren Nicole Brink; Thomas Dalton Bourgeois Jr.; Matthew Ryan Lee; Parker Norris Smith; Mary Terrell Joseph (’70), wife of former LSU Law Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Cheney C. Joseph (’70), Professor of the Year; Interim LSU Law Center Dean William R. Corbett; Alex Tyler Robertson; Phillip Michael Smith; Briana Leigh Drescher; Interim Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs Andrea B. Carroll; Top Row: Brittany Lauren Holt; Lauren Jean Bradberry; Brittanie DeLane Wagnon; Jared Andrew Clark; Mark Carl Macmurdo; Gregory Joseph Reda; Lucas Hodgkins Self; Mahogane Denea Reed; Kristen Diane Amond; Leah Nicole Neupert; and A’Dair Ragan Flynt.
Kristen Diane Amond, Baton Rouge, LA
Thomas Dalton Bourgeois Jr., Berwick, LA
Lauren Jean Bradberry, Gonzales, LA
Lauren Nicole Brink, Sulphur, LA
Jared Andrew Clark, Mandeville, LA
Briana Leigh Drescher, Prairieville, LA
A’Dair Ragan Flynt, Lake Charles, LA
Brittany Lauren Holt, Shreveport, LA
Matthew Ryan Lee, Clinton, LA
Mark Carl Macmurdo, Baton Rouge, LA
Leah Nicole Neupert, Baton Rouge, LA
Gregory Joseph Reda, Baton Rouge, LA
Mahogane Denea Reed, Austin, TX
Alex Tyler Robertson, Hattiesburg, MS
Lucas Hodgkins Self, Bossier City, LA
Parker Norris Smith, Covington, LA
Phillip Michael Smith, New Iberia, LA
Brittanie DeLane Wagnon, Sugartown, LA
2016 Juris Doctor and Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law Graduates
Albert Ivan Adams Jr., Kenner, LA
Daniel C. Alcanzare, Baton Rouge, LA
Gabrielle Rachel Alessi-Friedlander, Wilton, CT
Kristen Diane Amond, Baton Rouge, LA
Tiare Elizabeth Angelo, Covington, LA
Charles A. Anzelmo, Baton Rouge, LA
Alex Shannon Aughtry, Atlanta, GA
Timothy Eldridge Benedetto, Destrehan, LA
Ebony Kenyatta Benton, New Roads, LA
Claire Elizabeth Berg, Shreveport, LA
Celeste Marie Birdsall, Cut Off, LA
Taylor Joseph Boudreaux, Lafayette, LA
Thomas Dalton Bourgeois Jr., Berwick, LA
Francis Ephrem Boustany III, Lafayette, LA
Adam Joseph Boyer, Mandeville, LA
Lauren Jean Bradberry, Gonzales, LA
James Paul Breaux, Lafayette, LA
Lauren Nicole Brink, Sulphur, LA
Jasmine Najee Brown, New Orleans, LA
George Oliver Bursavich, Baton Rouge, LA
Tiffany Sierra Bush, Atlanta, GA
Matthew Ware Carpenter, Baton Rouge, LA
DeSharné Lavette Carroll, Birmingham, AL
James Michael Carroll, Grand Lake, LA
Christopher Brian Carter Jr., Belle Rose, LA
Dakota Kyle Chenevert, Baton Rouge, LA
Danielle Lauren Chester, Katy, TX
Jared Andrew Clark, Kenner, LA
Justin Bernard Clark, Mandeville, LA
Kathryn Elizabeth Clements, Shreveport, LA
Autumn Marie Coe, Denham Springs, LA
Bryce David Cohen, Metairie, LA
Matthew Jerrol Crain, Mandeville, LA
Catherine Leigh Cranfield, New Orleans, LA
Taylor James Crousillac, Baton Rouge, LA
Thomas Eugene Damico, Lafayette, LA
Matthew James Darouse, Baton Rouge, LA
Rachel Stafford Day, Baton Rouge, LA
Briana Leigh Drescher, Prairieville, LA
Morgan Ashley Druhan, Spanish Fort, AL
Fritz Henry Amos Dugas Sr., Lafayette, LA
Lauren Anne Duncan, Covington, GA
Joshua D. Ecuyer, Metairie, LA
Jade Elizabeth Ennis, Slidell, LA
Kristin Lee Farquharson, Ruston, LA
Lindsay Melancon Faucheux, Paulina, LA
Paula Elizabeth Finley, Belle Chasse, LA
A’Dair Ragan Flynt, Lake Charles, LA
Christopher Thomas Freyder, Kenner, LA
Miles Cody Friddle, Thomasville, AL
Russell Earl Friedy, Baton Rouge, LA
Anthony John Gambino Jr., New Orleans, LA
Jordan Leah Gasperecz-McMills, Baton Rouge, LA
Hannah Elaine Grantham, Sibley, LA
Sharica Janee Gray, Houston, TX
Brienne Michele Griffin, Baton Rouge, LA
Cody Tyler Grosshart, Haughton, LA
Michael Benjamin Guerry, Baton Rouge, LA
Chassidy Janese Guidry, Dallas, TX
Markel Roy Guidry, Palmetto, LA
Andrew Reginald Hairston, Oklahoma City, OK
George Washington Hardy IV, Lafayette, LA
Ryan Austin Harris, Lafayette, LA
Megan Blaire Quispe Hebert, Lafayette, LA
Alexander Cameron Hertenstein, Avon, CT
Brittany Lauren Holt, Shreveport, LA
James Bryan Holzer, Baton Rouge, LA
Colin Warren Hotard, Gretna, LA
Aaron Thomas Hubbard, Bossier City, LA
Kristen Sharee Hunter, Lafayette, LA
Philip James Hunter, Alexandria, LA
Vivian Alexandra Jeansonne, Baton Rouge, LA
Collin Andrew Jones, Kenner, LA
Stefan Jovicic, Baton Rouge, LA
Maxwell Benjamin Kallenberger, Lafayette, LA
Megan Wiggins Kelley, Ponchatoula, LA
Ashley Danielle Knarr, Miami, FL
Michelle Ann Kornblith, Spring, TX
Erwin Kosal Kristel, Baton Rouge, LA
Nicholas Dehne Kunkel, Fort Wright, KY
Elisabeth Blanton Hoâ LeBlanc, New Orleans, LA
John Fitzgerald Lee, Metairie, LA
Matthew Ryan Lee, Clinton, LA
Omega Genevieve Leslie, Thibodaux, LA
Mary Lauren Lock, Rowlett, TX
Charles Spencer Long, Donaldsonville, LA
Stephanie Marie Lott, Shreveport, LA
Reyna Nicole Lubin, LaPlace, LA
Mark Carl Macmurdo, Baton Rouge, LA
Michael Mahaffey, Baton Rouge, LA
Peter Sinnott Martin, Mill Valley, CA
Kristen Elizabeth Meeks, Mandeville, LA
Jacques Charles Mestayer, Lafayette, LA
Contessa TerryAnn Monroe, Gainesville, FL
Kassidy Leigh Montgomery, Watson, LA
Randa Marie Morris, Butler, MO
Andrea Dana Neal, Covington, LA
Leah Nicole Neupert, Baton Rouge, LA
Colin Patrick O’Rourke, Lake Charles, LA
Tarkan Ali-Riza Orhon, Göttingen, Germany
Mary Margaret Anne Peebles, Augusta, GA
Christopher Joseph Peyton, Lafayette, LA
Amy Lynn Poindexter, West Monroe, LA
Gregory Joseph Reda, Baton Rouge, LA
Alexander Lee Harkins Reed, Mandeville, LA
Mahogane Denea Reed, Austin, TX
Joy Allement Reily, Baton Rouge, LA
Etienne Francis René, Metairie, LA
Mallory Alexis Richard, Baton Rouge, LA
George McCulla Riviere, Thibodaux, LA
Alex Tyler Robertson, Hattiesburg, MS
Brittany Nichole Root, Baton Rouge, LA
Adam Jordan Ross, West Monroe, LA
Ramsey Valentine Ross, Shreveport, LA
Matthew Patrick Roth, St. Amant, LA
Nahshon J. Route, Baton Rouge, LA
Erin Marie Russell, New Orleans, LA
Bobby Millad Salehi, Austin, TX
Elisa Monique Samaniego, El Paso, TX
Clare Elizabeth Sanchez, Lake Charles, LA
Aaron James Scamp, Baton Rouge, LA
William Patric Schulz Jr., Ponchatoula, LA
Leona Elizabeth Scoular, Lawrence, KS
Lucas Hodgkins Self, Bossier City, LA
William Parker Self, Bossier City, LA
Parker Norris Smith, Covington, LA
Phillip Michael Smith, New Iberia, LA
Bryan Richard Somers, Simpson, LA
Stephen Andrew Stanford, Welsh, LA
Brian Harrison Strand, Mandeville, LA
Adam Michael Sullivan, Many, LA
Kiara Adria Taite, Pascagoula, MS
Lauren Victoria Tarver, Shreveport, LA
James Martin Terry, Harleton, TX
Tanequia Dene’ Thibeaux, Lafayette, LA
Kendale Javaris Thompson, LaPlace, LA
Jordan Gary Tiemann, Shreveport, LA
Parish Jaques Tillman, Baton Rouge, LA
Grant Matthew Tolbird, West Monroe, LA
Hilary Tuttle Trahan, Opelousas, LA
Brandon Michael Tregle, Morgan City, LA
Kimberly Ann Ulasiewicz, New Orleans, LA
Angelina M. Valuri, Gainesville, FL
Noel Simon Veneracion, Shreveport, LA
Alexandra Elise Vozzella, Shreveport, LA
Brittanie DeLane Wagnon, Sugartown, LA
Camille Elise Walther, Covington, LA
Derek Warden, Bernice, LA
Elizabeth Karen Warner, Sulphur, LA
Andrew Garrett West, Rockford, IL
Alicia Michelle Westerhoff, Anchorage, AK
Andrew James Whall, Bloomington, CA
Jeffery Allan Wheeler II, St. Francisville, LA
Luke Davis Whetstone, Shreveport, LA
Ashley Lynn Wilson, Metairie, LA
2016 Juris Doctor Graduates
Marcus John Leland Adams, Alexandria, VA
John Brice Bender, Austin, TX
Katherine Anne Bernhardt, Lafayette, LA
Tucker Tyler Bohren, New Orleans, LA
George Philip Bonvillain Jr., Lake Charles, LA
Miesha Lashay Dunn, Beaumont, TX
Baber Ali Haider, Sugar Land, TX
David Michael Hoard, Tampa, FL
Harrell Matute-Betancourt, Miami, FL
Christian Laurence Ornelas, Alvin, TX
Eric Martin Przybysz, Flower Mound, TX
David Jordan Rogers, Sugarland, TX
Ross Morris Sims III, Auburn, AL
Candidates for Master of Laws (LL.M.)
Marina A. Biragova, Baton Rouge, LA
Tatiana Amalia Ciolpan, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alina Emilia Ciortea, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alexandru Gociu, Oradea, Romania
Modupe Kemisola Iyun, Zachary, LA
Sara Vono, Chambery, France
In addition to the J.D./D.C.L., the following students earned the Graduate Certificate in Energy Law and Policy
James Michael Carroll, Grand Lake, LA
Dakota Kyle Chenevert, Baton Rouge, LA
Cody Tyler Grosshart, Haughton, LA
David Michael Hoard, Tampa, FL
Colin Warren Hotard, Gretna, LA
Joy Allement Reily, Baton Rouge, LA
Parker Norris Smith, Covington, LA
Alicia Michelle Westerhoff, Anchorage, AK
The following students received their J.D./D.C.L. in August 2015:
Barrett Fitzgerald Jackson, Panama City, FL
The following students received their J.D./D.C.L. in December 2015:
Cristina Tisa Capello, Baton Rouge, LA
Damion L. Jack, New Orleans, LA
Emily Ruth Kunst, Deweyville, TX
Sheji Monae’ LaDay, Houston, TX
Christopher Jude Seemann, Metairie, LA
