𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐘, angelina jolie

𝐗𝐕

2 years later

"good morning and welcome to you, our LLM graduates, your family and friends and to the Yale Law faculty and staff. we know how hard you have worked to achieve your success and today we celebrate your achievements. and now, I am delighted to present to you our student speaker this morning, Eleanor Atkinson.—the dean paused as cheers and loud claps came from the attendees— Eleanor Atkinson is graduating this spring with an LLM degree and an additional certificate of specialization in Human Rights Law. Eleanor is already a junior associate at the United Nations, to which she will return after graduation. Eleanor completed her bachelor and master of law at Yale University, she is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish. and in addition to her legal practice, she has devoted substantial time to volunteer work. please welcome, Eleanor Atkinson."
the crowd cheered and applauded, she could see her loved ones seated in the first row, with proud smiles on their faces.

elizabeth olsen, her girlfriend of two years, beamed beside her, and her maternal grandparents, siblings, and close friends, including her ever-supportive best friend selene, filled the front row with proud smiles. yet, amidst the joy, there lingered a poignant absence – that of angelina. eleanor's eyes scanned the audience, realizing that one crucial person was missing from this significant moment. however, she staunchly pushed aside thoughts of angelina, a promise she made to herself on this celebratory day.

as eleanor took the stage to deliver her speech, the cheers and claps from the attendees resonated through the venue. pax, ever the vigilant recorder of precious moments, stood up to capture the essence of eleanor's words with his professional camera.

"thank you, dean gerken, for the kind introduction. congratulations to my fellow students of the exceptional class of 2020."
eleanor began, her words met with enthusiastic applause. her eyes scanned the audience yearning for a presence that wasn't there, however catching glimpses of her loved ones – elizabeth, her grandparents, siblings, and friends – all with proud smiles.
her girlfriend nodded her head — ever so slightly but encouragingly — while she tried to contain her tears, unsuccessfully.

"good morning friends, families, staff, professors. it is a great honor to speak on behalf of those who speak even more languages than me. my late mother was a lawyer, and most of my important role models have been lawyers, so for me there is no higher honor than to be addressed as one.
we never thought this day would come. we prayed for its quick delivery, crossed days off our calendars, counted hours, minutes and seconds and now that it's here, i'm sorry it is, because it means leaving friends who inspire me and teachers who have been my mentors, so many people who have shaped my life, and my fellow students lives impermeably and forever. it is incredible to think that we embarked in this journey as strangers, i can recall sharing adventures, all nighters, and hysteric study sessions with every and each one of you. 

"among the 90 people coming from 33 different countries around the world, some have been successful lawyers for many years, some are professors or work for international organizations, still others are helping to build the next africa, and the list goes on.
in front of such a diverse talented group of individuals, like the french philosopher Montaigne, i have often wondered: 'what do i know?'. and apart from the fact i have realised i know nothing, what is the importance of knowledge and our role in it?
Lux et Veritas, light and truth. this is Yale's motto, and its mission is to illuminate our lives and the world.

"right now, a multitude of global issues pose major issues to intellectuals in Yale and people who are concerned about humanity, like me. for some of you this world seems a little dark, oftentimes we take light for granted,  but it's in the darkest places that we understand how indispensable it is. so now we have the chance to bring this knowledge out to the world, to our worlds, to illuminate the life of others and most of all, to use it wisely because we've learned that from knowledge comes, not only light, but also power. i urge my colleagues to take the light we've received from this great institution to our respective destinations and ensure that everyone feels safe, seen and heard around us.