Jasmine Lee ‘20
President Emeritus
This was not the farewell I planned to write as my time with SBA came to a close. I assumed that after Spring Break we would return to Grounds with stories of our travels, looking forward to the last few weeks of school together. For my fellow 3Ls, I know this included a lot of “last” moments. However, the Law School (and the world) look a lot different now than just a few days ago, and so what I write to you today must be different as well. It’s an odd time to say goodbye to SBA. I always felt saying goodbye and turning things over to the next president would be strange after being so involved during my time in Law School, but online classes and social distancing have made this even stranger. These are necessary precautions, of course, but an odd disruption to the normal patterns of our lives nonetheless. Still, I’ve reflected on my time as SBA president and there is so much I am proud of and so many students both inside and outside the organization I have had the privilege of working with and getting to know better.
Looking back, it seems my term was bookended with unexpected events that students were asked to respond to. Just weeks into my term last year, the men’s basketball team reached the NCAA Final Four and championship games. Anyone who knows me knows how deeply I care about UVA sports, and I loved being able to share those moments with so many in the student body! Now, under incredibly different circumstances, we are once again asked to respond to something unexpected—and far more serious. In the email Katharine Janes ’21 and I sent to the student body, we noted how the hallmark of our Law School has always been our community. I’m really proud to see that on display even as we are spread out and not all together in Charlottesville. In the past few days, I have received messages from students asking for ways they can help others within our community. Members of our community have reached out, wondering what they can do to ease a burden from someone else right now. It is incredible and makes me so proud to see how law students are working to look out for each other. Though I am ending my term as SBA president, please know that I am still available for anyone who may need me—please do not hesitate to reach out.
I am excited to leave SBA in the hands of Katharine and her team, and I cannot wait to see what their SBA looks like. Katharine, Savanna Williams ’21, Chance Maginness ’22, and Katherine O’Neal ’22 are already working so hard for you all and I know they will continue to do so. New Exec, I have been lucky to be able to work with you all over the past year and I am still here as a resource for you and SBA going forward.
To my Executive Board: Rachel Staub ’20, Trevor Quick ’20, and Katharine, thank you for all of your support this year. Thank you for the work you did for this school and for being integral parts of SBA. I don’t think you all get half the credit you should for your work, advocacy, and dedication. All I can say is thank you for everything you have done for me, SBA, and the school. You guys know how much you mean to me; this year was only as special as it was because of you three.
To SBA 2019-2020: Thank you for the long hours, the discussions, and all of the time you have dedicated to the Law School through both SBA and your other organizations. SBA can only function when there are people in positions who care about making UVA Law better for everyone, and you all did that in spades.
To the student body: Thank you for trusting me and working with me as your president this past year. To say it was an honor to be SBA president would be an understatement, and I thank you for giving me this opportunity and responsibility. 3Ls, I know this is not how we anticipated our final semester going, but I also know we have taken every challenge since our arrival in Charlottesville and met it head on. Those challenges have brought us closer together and shown that we are a class that can and will lean on each other. This situation is one more example of that. I can only hope to see you all around Grounds again soon.
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jtl3gm@virginia.edu