Mitchell Hamline School of Law celebrated the Class of 2026 during its commencement ceremony on May 30 at the legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. The annual ceremony recognizes students who have completed their Master of Laws or Juris Doctor degree throughout the year.
This year’s graduating class consists of 325 students—and 187 of those were first-generation law students, forging new paths in their families and delivering on Mitchell Hamline’s commitment to making legal education accessible. The class represents 41 U.S. states and 19 countries and includes 12 graduates from Tribal Nations and First Nations across the continent.
Rachel Evangelisto ’26 (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) gave the land acknowledgement, and Colleen Josephs ’26 served as the student speaker. Mitchell Hamline proudly welcomed Rich Ruohonen ’96 to deliver this year’s commencement address. Ruohonen is an internationally recognized curler—notably becoming this year the oldest American to compete in a Winter Olympics—a partner and trial attorney at TSR Injury Law, and a proud alumnus of Mitchell Hamline.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, President and Dean Camille Davidson charged the class with their final assignment.
“Graduates, you are entering a legal system that still has much work left to do,” she said. “Our vision as an institution is a legal system that is just and accessible to all, and now, as you go out into the world, armed with your degree and your experience, it is up to you to help make this vision a reality.”
