Fay Hartog Levin Speaks to Loyola School of Law

Remarks made by Council Distinguished Fellow, and Honorary Doctor of Laws, Fay Hartog Levin, for the 2026 graduates of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Delivered on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the school's Lake Shore Campus. 

President Reed, Provost Woods, Dean Alexandre, trustees, distinguished faculty, Student Speaker Maddy Clark, honored guests, relieved graduates, family, and friends:

Thank you for this humbling honor. When informed that I would be receiving this honorary degree and asked to be your keynote speaker, my first reaction was, “Why me? What could I say that might give you hope and inspiration for the legal career that you have chosen?”

When I graduated from Loyola Law School five decades ago, I had no clear plan for what I would do with my JD. On reflection, I think my career has been a compilation of luck, imagination, and opportunities. When I needed a change, for a variety of reasons, I seized the moment. And you can too!

But these are troubling and intimidating times. There is unprecedented turmoil and violence around the world and at home. Sadly, it has struck the Loyola family all too recently.

And I think often of a conversation I had with my son, not that long ago, when he was expecting his first child. I said, “How can you bring children into this world, which is so full of threats and problems? His response was, "We count on them to fix those problems.”

So likewise, my generation turns to yours, and with the extraordinary skills and knowledge that you have acquired, we are counting on you to be our best defense to the challenges that face us today.

Commentators say that in terms of foreign and domestic relations, the United States has lost its way. And, as our country is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I contemplated what Benjamin Franklin said when asked at the end of the 1787 Constitutional Convention, "Well, what have we got: a republic or a monarchy?” His response, "A republic, if you can keep it.”

His comment has been interpreted to mean that our representative form of self-government cannot survive without vigilance against tyranny and corruption. It requires civic duty from everyone to protect our democracy. And now, 250 years later, some of us are asking, what will it take to preserve our democracy?

When you take your oath of office pursuant to Article VI of the US Constitution to support the Constitution, you will be committing yourself to this civic duty. Some of you may practice law representing the state, local, or federal government.

This is generally referred to as “public service.” Others will represent private citizens or private enterprises.

Some of you will have the opportunity to be civically engaged in your day job, working for the benefit of educational, human rights, or social service organizations. But there are many other ways to be “civically engaged.”

My CV doesn’t tell you all the ways in which I became civically engaged.  It also doesn’t tell you how I measured success in my life. What I can tell you is that my greatest satisfaction has been from my civic engagement and “Being a person for others” – the Jesuit value which I intuitively embraced during my life and career.

My parents were Dutch Jews who escaped Europe during WW2 and immigrated to the US after the war. They cherished the American values of freedom and opportunity for all. And they worked hard to be a part of their community. I like to think that I inherited their values.

So how did I find satisfaction in my life and career?

Some might say that it was luck. I define luck as a combination of opportunity and advocacy: that is, being an advocate for yourself when a propitious opportunity presents itself. You have been trained to be advocates! You are all talented and educated.

Be ready to recognize the opportunities that may present themselves. And then use your skills to turn those opportunities into luck! You are an advocate, and your first client is you!

But aside from your day job, you have many opportunities to contribute to the moral fabric of our country. You can mentor others. You can volunteer to register voters in your local community or help veterans get their government entitlements. You can work on a campaign, or run for school board, statewide office, Congress, and more… You can encourage others to join you. You can serve on nonprofit boards and advise on legal and governance matters. You can provide pro bono legal advice to a variety of advocacy organizations. Just do it.

Thinking about it is not nearly enough. What benefit it brings to our country is legion - what it will bring to you is even more so.

The satisfaction I received from doing all these things is how I measure my own success. It is what I gave away in time, energy, and resources that makes me feel successful, not what tangibles I have accumulated.

And, of course, I was lucky in meeting a state senator named Barack Obama when I worked at the Field Museum in government and community relations. 

And because I thought he had a special gift, I became involved in his campaign for the US Senate, and thereafter his campaign for the US Presidency. I took advantage of that opportunity. After Obama was inaugurated, I did advocate for my ambassadorship. And I used the network I had developed through all my volunteer activities to support me.

The Ambassadorship to the Netherlands was the most rewarding job I ever had. Every single day was meaningful. The Dutch government and the people I connected with all appreciated my Dutch background, my legal training, and my prior involvement in cultural activities.

The only pure luck I recognized in my career was getting my first job working for the State Board of Education and joining a small group of school law experts. I even taught the first School Law course at Loyola! 

How did I get that first job? The General Counsel of the State Board of Education was an alumna of Loyola Law School, and she had posted the job opportunity at Loyola! Pure luck!

I am always moved by “the Star-Spangled Banner.” When it was played in my honor in the Hague’s palace courtyard upon my arrival to present my credentials to the Queen as Ambassador to the Netherlands, I had never felt prouder to represent our country.

I was sad that my parents were not around to see their daughter honored in their Homeland! Their hopes had been realized, even though they weren’t alive to appreciate it.

So, as a person once said to me as I embarked on my career, “Dreams do come true, and sometimes they even exceed your wildest expectations!”

I hope YOU will dream BIG and will share the Loyola commitment to “Be a person for others.”

And remember to use your well-earned Loyola J D to defend the ideals of our Constitution as set forth in the Constitution’s preamble:

…to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…”

Thank you, congratulations, and good luck to my fellow Loyola Law alumni!