The following is a lightly edited version of BC’s Law Student Association President Commencement speech, delivered on May 22 by Mike Jean-Louis ’26.

Good morning to our faculty, our staff, our families, our friends, and most importantly, the extraordinary Class of 2026. Forgive me, if my voice is a little wobbly, I’m a little nervous. You would think after three years of cold calls this wouldn’t phase me. But this feels a little different.

For those who may not know, last March I had the honor of being elected LSA President alongside my Vice President Elias Massion. And with that came a healthy list of responsibilities. Planning events. Advocating for students. Trying our best to make law school life just a little easier for everyone. 

But despite all of those responsibilities, there was one thing I could never quite get off my mind: What was I going to say in this speech? Because how do you begin to summarize an experience like this?

I thought about doing what many of us naturally do, breaking law school down into chapters.

1L year, the year that humbles you. The endless reading, the late nights, the quiet moments of self-doubt where you wonder whether everyone else somehow understands something you missed.

2L year, where freedom meets ambition. Where suddenly the opportunities multiply, journals, clinics, externships, leadership, and in our excitement, because were law students we stretch ourselves thin.

And 3L year… When the finish line comes into view, and somehow time starts moving both painfully slow and impossibly fast.

I thought about speaking about the culture here at BC Law, because truly, it is one of the things that makes this place so special. There is something that feels different here, that you can’t find at other law schools. A warmth here that can’t be captured in rankings or brochures.

But despite all of that, the thread that’s followed through amidst all the free-flowing ideas, all the drafts and half-formed thoughts, the thread I kept finding myself following was the relationships we’ve built with one another.

And maybe that’s because—if I’m being honest—I didn’t expect that.

I came into law school thinking this would feel transactional. Professional. Temporary. I thought my classmates would be colleagues. The kind of people you say hi how are you, and the response is always “good.”

But it was everything but that. The people sitting next to you became the ones who checked in when you disappeared for a few days. The ones who shared outlines without hesitation. The ones who celebrated your wins as if they were their own. The ones who we went on vacation with, some of us fell in love with, and sat with us in excitement and disappointment, confidence and uncertainty, and when we’ve had our most energy, and exhaustion.

There’s a quote that I’ve always been drawn too that says “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.”

And while that quote is stark, I think it points to something deeply human: all of us, in one way or another, are shaped by whether we feel seen. Whether we feel supported. Whether we feel like we belong.

This class, and BC has show me that when people are embraced, we build.

We build friendships that outlast circumstance.

We build communities that carry us through some of the hardest seasons of our lives.

BC Law did not just teach us contracts, constitutional law, or civil procedure.

It taught us how to show up for one another.

And now, as we prepare to leave this place, I think that matters just as much as anything we learned in the classroom.

Because the truth is we are stepping into a world that can feel like it’s burning.

A world where human rights can feel less like guarantees and more like privileges.

A world where the value placed on life can seem dictated by the mere happenstance of where someone is born, what they look like, what they believe, or whether those in power have chosen to see their humanity.

But that’s why we’re here. And not because we’ll know every answer—and we’ll feel that when people will call us for questions in practice areas we know nothing about—but because we’ve been given tools to advocate. And that shows the very reliance society places on us.

Our job is not to simply observe the fire, but instead to bring warmth where there is isolation.

Yes, we will scatter. Across firms. Courtrooms. Nonprofits. Government offices. Across this country, and across the world. Our paths will look different, and our stories are unique. But our responsibilities are shared. To use what we have been given not merely to succeed personally—but to serve.

And if there is any group, I believe prepared to do exactly that, it is this one.

This past week, we had the privilege of celebrating our time together at 3L week. And I want to take a moment to thank the people who made that possible.

Josh, thank you for your incredible work as Student Organization Director. Denise, you’ve done amazing as an LLM rep as well.  Chloe, thank you for being a great secretary. Anna, Keyon, Collins, thank you for taking on 3L Week and helping make this final chapter something special for our class.

And of course, I cannot stand here without acknowledging Elias. Before any of this, Elias was already my brother. But after this, we were attached to the hip. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Thank you for carrying the load when I fell short. You are just as much President as I am and that is reflected in people constantly needing a reminder of who’s VP and who’s President. I love you.

Finally, to our families and friends, Thank you.

There’s a reason that quote about the village resonates so deeply. Because so many of us standing here today know what it feels like to be embraced by one. And if this journey has taught us anything, it’s that none of us arrive here alone. We stand here today because we were loved, supported, challenged, and carried.

Thank you for the late-night phone calls. For encouragement. For the prayers. For the financial sacrifices. For showing up when we had nothing left to give. For being for us what we now hope to be for others. We would not be here without you.

To the class of 2026, congratulations to us, and it’s been an honor serving as your president.

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Mike Jean-Louis served as LSA President for 2025-26. He can be reached at jeanlomb@bc.edu.