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Sister
Rita Murillo Addresses 2007 Graduates
of Community College of Allegheny County
 (Following
is the keynote address that Sister Rita delivered May
12, 2007, at the 40th annual commencement ceremonies at
the Community College of Allegheny County. Since 1999,
Sister Rita has been a full-time trial attorney for the
Juvenile Division of the Office of the Public Defender
of Allegheny County She is on the Board of Governors for
the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Sister Rita became a Sister of St. Joseph shortly after
high school and began her higher education at what is
now Carlow University. She served as a high school teacher
and language department head before beginning her legal
studies. A widely respected legal mind and advocate for
children, Sister Murillo was a federal public defender
and argued cases in the Western District of Pennsylvania
and Third Circuit Court of Appeals. She also served as
a public defender in the Child Division of Criminal Court
in Allegheny County. Sister Rita recently was honored
by the Pennsylvania Commission for Women who identified
her as one of 50 remarkable African-American and Latina
Women in Pennsylvania.)
Good
afternoon, Graduates, Faculty and Distinguished Guests,
As
I drove to the Convention Center this afternoon I could
not help but be grateful that we would not have to deal
with the traffic congestion, heightened security, and
political demonstrations that accompanied the Commencement
at St. Vincent’s yesterday. The presence of the President
of the United States had an enormous impact on the ceremonies
out on Route 30. Yet, you may wonder how it came to be
that your keynote speaker is a woman of somewhat ordinary
circumstances rather than some national figure.
I come before you, honored to address you on this very
important day, basically because I am one of those ordinary
people who like you have been able to see many of my dreams
come true. Twenty-five years ago, almost to the day, I
walked in front of my fellow graduates and our families
and received my Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame Law School.
My father came from a hospital in Johnstown against medical
advice and drove with my six brothers and sisters and
various nieces and nephews to South Bend, Indiana. That
day meant so much to the retired steel worker who had
never completed high school, that not even a serious medical
condition could keep him away.
As
I look out at you graduates, I am struck at how extraordinary
you are. In my early years of teaching
I learned how easily some people mislabel men and women
who might appear to be ordinary but who are in fact gifted
and passionate individuals. I may not know you by name
but I know that you comprise a wide spectrum of young
and not so young individuals who have made the significant
choices that have brought you to this moment in history
when we can celebrate your giftedness.
Some
of you have taken the path directly from high school and
have completed this first level of collegiate studies
and are preparing to continue your journey in other universities
or technical schools. Others, like the administrative
assistant in our Office of the Public Defender, have taken
one course at a time while continuing to work fulltime,
raise a family, and care for an ailing spouse. You finally
come forward in your cap and gown to receive this precious
acknowledgement of your extraordinary perseverance and
dedication to learning.
Still
others have felt the sharp pain of being labeled as "different"
and have found in the curriculum here at CCAC an avenue
to tap into the previously hidden talents that you so
generously seek to share with the world. To each of you
I offer my sincere congratulations and best wishes as
you step forward from the launching pad of CCAC.
When
I graduated from high school in 1961, I wasn’t certain
of which dream would capture the passion that I sensed
lay dormant within me. I would flippantly tell others
that I would either become a lawyer, a doctor or be a
star on Broadway. Those three dreams came lightly to my
tongue but I had little or no idea of what I would have
to do to make any or all of them come true.
My
family did not have the money to send me to college. Nevertheless,
I did not question that I would find a scholarship or
another aid program to make higher education possible.
At the same time, I found myself struggling with another
more fundamental choice. I had felt a calling to religious
life and finally made the choice to enter the Sisters
of St. Joseph of Baden, PA.
My
three dreams seemed to fade far into the background as
I found myself being led into a religious community where
only my hands and face could be seen by the public. The
life of a religious woman in the 1960’s was a lifetime
away from Broadway, the courtroom or the emergency room.
Yet, I knew that my heart was drawing me into this radical
lifestyle and I chose to pursue it even though I knew
not where it would take me. I have thrived and continue
to thrive in religious life just as it has continued to
evolve during these past 46 years. I trusted that following
my heart would lead me to where I would tap the core of
my inner most being.
I
became a high school Spanish teacher and learned that
I love being with teenagers and young adults. My classroom
became the stage on which I performed the many roles demanded
of me as I challenged students to embrace Hispanic culture
and heritage and to be willing to learn to communicate
in the language used by more than one-quarter of the world’s
population.
As
a teacher, I argued the causes of my troubled students
before the courts of the school administration and sought
to be a healing hand to the wounded souls and egos of
teenagers who struggled with addiction and numerous emotional
crises. For 16 years, the classroom was my courtroom and
hospital ward and I blossomed in it.
Yet,
throughout those years, I still felt that there was a
level of passion within me that had not yet emerged. Again,
trusting my heart, and with the encouragement of my religious
community, I took the LSAT to see if that might still
be a possibility for me. I emerged from that exam with
a sense of renewed passion and excitement that I could
not deny was leading me into a new dimension of the religious
life I had chosen.
It
wasn’t easy for a 36 year old high school teacher to leave
the classroom and become a law school student. I had completed
my master’s degree but that was directed to improving
my abilities as a teacher. I knew that I was a good teacher.
Who knew if I could even make it through law school? Some
of my classmates were young enough to be my children!
But the passion in my heart impelled me to step beyond
my resistance and fears and lead me to Notre Dame Law
School.
As
I received my degree, 25 years ago, I had no idea where
I would use it. I had spent a summer internship in New
York City at Covenant House working with runaway teenagers.
I went to court with them and was certified to handle
preliminary legal matters. Yet, when I returned to Pennsylvania,
I knew that I needed to have more legal experience before
I could effectively represent young people.
For
the next fourteen years, I worked first in Allegheny County
and then in the Federal Public Defender criminal trial
divisions. I represented defendants charged with everything
from disorderly conduct to homicide. I came to recognize
how critical it is to intervene much earlier in the lives
of these troubled individuals. My heart told me that it
was time for me to move to the Juvenile Division so that
I might try to have an impact on lives before patterns
were too deeply set.
I
continued to do adult criminal defense as I gradually
increased my juvenile practice. I quickly learned the
critical differences between adult criminal and juvenile
law practice. I have been fortunate to have been an integral
part in the recognition and development of juvenile law
as a specialized practice.
The
juvenile division of the Office of the Public Defender
is entrusted with our most precious legacy… i.e.,
the protection and treatment of the young people who come
through our system. I’m once again working with teenagers
and young adults and as heartbreaking as it sometimes
may be,….. I love it!
I
weep when I hear the name of one of my children as the
latest victim or suspect on the evening news. I rejoice
when a young person finally decides that he/she is tired
of running and chooses to turn himself or herself into
authorities and thereby take control of their lives by
facing the consequences of their prior choices.
Each
one of you graduates has had the opportunity to make choices
that enabled you to receive your degree today. Many of
my former clients have pursued their GED education at
CCAC and have chosen to go on to additional educational
opportunities. Like you, they have recognized a passion
in their souls and are willing to make the sacrifices
necessary to find an avenue to develop that passion.
I
urge you as I urge my clients, do not sell yourself short.
In her book, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU,
Cheri Huber proceeds from a fundamental premise. She says
on page one,
"You
have been taught
that there is something wrong with you
and that you are imperfect.
but there isn’t
and you’re not."
Her
book is an easy read that packs a profound message and
insight into the myths that we have learned in the process
of socialization. She helps us recognize the subtle self-hate
that hinders us from accepting the person that we know
ourselves to be deep down inside. In the name of humility
we take blame but not credit. We keep trying to be perfect
instead of loving ourselves as we are, right here, right
now. The only way we can truly grow and flourish is to
first accept and love ourselves with all our imperfections.
That
is the gift I wish for you on this graduation day. I wish
that you will look within your hearts and choose to not
allow anyone (including yourself) to tear you down or
in anyway diminish the uniqueness that is you. If you
choose to embrace that fullness of who you are, you will
continue to be a success in life and in your careers.
I
recently received an invitation to a surprise retirement
party for a woman whom I taught. She was and is a woman
of passion who has tremendous enthusiasm and leadership
ability. Unfortunately, the guidance counselor at her
school was blind to her gifts and told her to not bother
going to college because she did not have the ability
to succeed. I was appalled and encouraged her to go on
to school.
She
went to CCAC, graduated and then went on to Duquesne University
to complete her education. She eventually became a guidance
counselor and is now retiring after 35 years in that profession.
Needless to say, she has never denigrated a child’s abilities
and has encouraged each of them to recognize and embrace
the gifts that they hold within themselves.
One
of my favorite shows is Dancing with the Stars.
I love to watch celebrities with minimal or no dancing
skills gradually come to an amazing degree of proficiency.
Each of them, even the least coordinated develops a style
that reflects their inner being. The ones that improve
the most are the ones who are not afraid to push their
personal boundaries and make mistakes. I challenge you
to let yourselves go, make what ever mistakes that will
happen as you stretch into the new dance pattern of life.
Let yourself go and dance to the music in your heart and
you’ll know true happiness.
As
we proceed with these festivities, take a moment to congratulate
yourself. Allow yourself to be tangibly aware of the ways
that you have glimpsed the gem within you. Let yourself
feel the music struggling to emerge from your soul and
don’t be afraid to dance. Your steps may not be like mine
or like those of anyone else. But your dance can and will
be one of wonderment and you will be a shining star.
Thank
you for the opportunity to share this special day with
you. Keep the children in the juvenile system in your
prayers. They too are searching for their passion and
often stumble and fall. They like you are our future and
we owe it to them to not forget them.
©2008
Sisters of St Joseph - Baden
1020 State Street, Baden PA 15005
724.869.2151 | 412.761.3700 | Fax: 724.869.3336
Feedback, questions and comments are welcomed at csjprbah@stargate.net
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