UCI Law grad and super mom is student commencement speaker on Mother’s Day weekend

EVENT:  UCI Law graduate Star Leal, selected by her classmates to be this year’s student commencement speaker, gave birth to a baby boy – her fourth child –last Sunday. Leal, 29, earned her degree while advocating for homeless and special needs children and ran highly successful toy drives for them. She will focus her practice on special education. Her mother will be in the audience as she speaks on Saturday.

WHEN/WHERE: 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. Saturday, May 12, 2018 in Aldrich Park. Park in Lot 16 (grid G5 on campus map: http://communications.uci.edu//documents/pdf/UCI_14_map_campus_core.pdf)

INFORMATION:  Media planning to attend should contact Ryne Hodkowski at 949-824-0385 or on his cell phone the day of the event 708-439-4298. Ms. Leal is available for interviews.

BACKGROUND:  Leal was raised by a single mother who juggled several jobs, and her commencement speech will be her Mother’s Day present to her. She will also highlight the critical importance of upholding laws designed to protect children, her chosen area of practice following graduation.

UCI Law celebrates its seventh class commencement on Saturday. Ranked No. 4 overall in the National Jurist 2018 list of Best Schools for Practical Training, UCI Law is a visionary law school focused on training talented and passionate lawyers and driven by professional excellence, intellectual rigor, and a commitment to enrich our communities through public service. In the 2015 study by University of St. Thomas School of Law, the UCI Law faculty ranked No. 6 in the nation in scholarly impact. More information about UCI Law is available here.