The room was hushed, the audience was transfixed. The student speaker, Clara Manahan, was describing how deeply her LSJ education had impacted her. “In the Law, Societies, and Justice Program,” she said, “you find a community of individuals who have committed themselves to caring, even when it hurts.”
Clara was addressing the University of Washington’s Foundation Board. The Board is composed of individuals who are dedicated to ensuring a sufficiently high level of philanthropic giving to enable UW to continue to provide strong service to students like Clara. Her heartfelt and moving speech earned her a standing ovation.
The members of the LSJ community are indeed committed to caring just as Clara described. It is certainly a privilege for me to work alongside so many people – faculty, staff, current students, alumni – who are so strongly dedicated to making a difference in the world.
You’ll see evidence of this in the stories we feature here, including one focused on Clara’s speech. As you’ll learn, the good work in LSJ continues, in no small part due to support of our dedicated and inspiring alumni.
In her speech, Clara summarized LSJ this way: “In a way, LSJ tells the story of hope: it presents to its students the harsh realities of the world and then has the audacity to convince them that they can change it.”
We plan in LSJ to continue to be audacious in this way. With your ongoing support, that’s precisely what we will do.
With all best wishes,
Steve Herbert