Juris Doctors Presented to 82 Students
NAPLES, FL — May 17, 2025 — Ave Maria School of Law proudly conferred Juris Doctor degrees to 82 graduating students during its annual Commencement Ceremony, held at Artis–Naples in Naples, Florida. The event marked a joyous culmination of academic excellence, faith, and service.
Chief Executive Officer and Dean John M. Czarnetzky presided over the ceremony and conferred three honorary degrees to distinguished leaders in the legal profession:
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Leonard Leo, Chairman of CRC Advisors and Chairman and Trustee of Marble Freedom Trust
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Kevin Cieply, former President and Dean of Ave Maria School of Law (2015–2021)
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John J. Ferguson, Managing Partner at Ferguson Cohen LLP, recognized for five decades of legal expertise in trusts and estates
Honoring Excellence in Alumni Leadership
The Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award was presented to Erin Mersino (Class of 2007). This award honors an alumnus who exemplifies the values of Ave Maria School of Law through professional achievement, service to the law school, and dedication to community.
Student Honors and Address
The Class of 2025 selected Mr. William Galvano to deliver the student commencement address, representing his peers with pride and gratitude.
This year’s Student Commencement Awards recognized outstanding graduates for their character, academic distinction, and commitment to the legal profession:
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Award: Victoria Alice Kelly
- St. Michael Award: Jillian Stewart Reville
- St. Thomas Aquinas Award: Justin Ryan Corman
- St. Raymond of Penyafort Award: Kendall Rae Coughlin
- St. Raymond of Penyafort Award: Margaret Ann Nolan
- St. Catherine of Alexandria Award: Wendell Jerome Powell II
- St. Catherine of Alexandria Award: Mallory Elizabeth Fernandes
- St. Ives Award: Zachary S. Pearlman
- St. Thomas More Award: William S. Galvano
- Mary, Queen of Lawyers Award: Phillip Thomas Gay
Ave Maria School of Law is a Catholic law school dedicated to educating lawyers with the finest professional skills. Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio, Ave Maria School of Law offers a distinctive legal education — an education characterized by the harmony of faith and reason. Formed by outstanding professional training and a distinctive educational philosophy, Ave Maria’s graduates are equipped for leading positions in law firms, corporate legal offices, the judiciary, and national, state, and local government.
Our mission is to offer an outstanding legal education in fidelity to the Catholic Faith, as expressed through Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the teaching authority of the Church. University legal education began in Catholic universities, and Catholic law schools have been the bearers of a tradition that safeguards the dignity of the human person and the common good. Ave Maria School of Law affirms Catholic legal education’s traditional emphasis on the only secure foundation for human freedom — the natural law written on the heart of every human being. We affirm the need for society to rediscover those human and moral truths that flow from the nature of the human person and that safeguard human freedom.
