FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2026

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Seven Ave Maria School of Law graduates were sworn in together as Assistant State Attorneys for Florida’s Twentieth Judicial Circuit on September 22, 2026, just days after learning they had passed the Florida Bar Examination.

In a remarkable reflection of Ave Maria School of Law’s commitment to public service, seven of the eight new prosecutors welcomed into the Office of the State Attorney are Ave Law graduates. Victoria E. Micklavzina, Lili A. Rodriguez, Mary E. Purcell, Alejandro G. Ulbrich, Elena G. Stephenson, John P. Spencer and Cassidy J. Champlin took their oaths together during an enthusiastic ceremony led by State Attorney Amira D. Fox.

Fox greeted the new attorneys and their families with visible pride and joy, celebrating both the quality of the incoming group and its 100 percent Bar passage rate.

“I think it is the first time in State Attorney history that a group of over five people taking the Bar has had a 100 percent pass rate,” Fox told them. “Look at the quality that you’re bringing to this office. We are so thrilled to have you all.”

Fox welcomed the attorneys to what she described as “the greatest prosecution team in the United States,” emphasizing the office’s reputation for leadership in Florida and throughout the country. She also spoke candidly about the demanding months ahead as the new prosecutors learn to manage their dockets and assume the responsibilities of public service.

For all its challenges, she told them, prosecution offers the extraordinary privilege of making a meaningful difference each day.

“This is a job where you can get involved in your community, and this is a job where you can go to bed every single night feeling like you did good and that you made a difference in somebody else’s life,” Fox said.

Champlin was the first of the group to take the oath. After swearing to support, protect and defend the constitutions and governments of the United States and the State of Florida, she signed her appointment and received her official badge.

“To be here with my classmates and get sworn in together is really surreal,” Champlin said. “To join in the celebration of not only becoming attorneys, but Assistant State Attorneys, is just fantastic.”

Champlin had previously served in the office as a certified legal intern alongside several of her classmates. That experience confirmed her interest in criminal law and showed her how the moral formation she received at Ave Maria School of Law could be lived through a career in public service.

“I was leaving every day feeling like I changed someone’s life for the better,” she said. Champlin explained that the School’s integration of moral principles throughout its curriculum strengthened her desire to serve others. “I wanted to do good in the community,” she said, describing that commitment as an extension of Ave Law’s broader mission.

That understanding of the law as a vocation was echoed by her classmates.

“I am honored and proud to be sworn in as an Assistant State Attorney,” Lili A. Rodriguez said. “The Lord has been kind to grant me a career where I have the opportunity to serve the community. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, Ave Maria School of Law and my mentors at the State Attorney’s Office.”

For Elena G. Stephenson, taking the oath marked both a professional milestone and the fulfillment of a deeply held prayer.

“Taking the oath as an Assistant State Attorney wasn’t just a career milestone, but an answered prayer from my Lord, Jesus,” she said. “In an instant, years of late-night studying and exams were transformed into a profound duty that I have the honor of living every day. I cannot thank all my supporters enough for helping me achieve one of my greatest accomplishments.”

Victoria E. Micklavzina reflected on the significance of reaching the milestone alongside the classmates who shared the challenges of law school and the Bar examination.

“Today was a very special day as seven Ave Maria graduates were sworn in as Assistant State Attorneys in Florida’s Twentieth Judicial Circuit,” she said. “I’m so thankful to everyone at Ave for helping us reach this milestone, and I’m especially thankful to my classmates who have been on this journey with me through law school and the Bar Exam. I’m so proud of everything we have accomplished.”

For John P. Spencer, the ceremony represented the fulfillment of a childhood dream made more meaningful by the difficulties overcome along the way.

“Every achievement has a journey of trials and tribulations—not to defeat you, but to provide knowledge, resilience and humility,” he said. “I feel incredibly blessed for every heartache and headache because each one allowed today to be even more impactful. It helped me understand how hard we can fight to achieve our dreams.”

Alejandro G. Ulbrich reflected on the moral responsibility accompanying the authority entrusted to a prosecutor.

“I waited for this day every day for three years while I was in law school,” he said. “The office of a prosecutor comes with great privilege, but even greater responsibility. As Jesus told Pilate, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.’”

Mary E. Purcell expressed gratitude for the intellectual and spiritual formation she and her classmates received at Ave Maria School of Law.

“Today, six of my classmates and I were sworn in as Assistant State Attorneys,” she said. “I am grateful to Ave Maria School of Law for our formation, both intellectually and spiritually. We are excited to take what we have learned from such wonderful professors into the courtroom, help the citizens of Florida achieve justice, and give all glory and thanksgiving to God.”

The presence of seven Ave Law graduates in a single incoming group reflects the School’s longstanding commitment to preparing attorneys for lives of service.

“Many Ave Maria School of Law graduates begin their legal careers in prosecutors’ offices throughout the country,” said Jill Backer, Associate Dean for Student Engagement and Associate Director of the Business Law Institute. “Ave Maria School of Law’s dedication to public service is clear when you see how many of our alumni work for the people as prosecutors.”

For these seven classmates, the ceremony marked more than admission to the profession. It was the beginning of a shared vocation: carrying their legal education, Catholic formation and commitment to justice into the courtroom in service to the people of Southwest Florida.

###