Attorney Manisha P. Patel Honored as Virginia Tech Commencement Speaker

In May 2019, Attorney Manisha P. Patel was honored as the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Department of Economics 2019 Commencement Speaker. Attorney Patel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Virginia Tech.  Patel spoke to the Class of 2019 and not only spoke of her journey from a fourteen-year-old declaring to her family that she was going to be a lawyer but also provided three areas of advice for the graduates to hold onto as they leave their undergraduate years.  First, Patel asked the graduates to know and value their education.  Second, Patel spoke to the notion of GRIT, Angela Duckworth’s trait that is defined as “the passion and perseverance toward a goal despite being confronted by significant obstacles and distractions,” and described the challenges of law school and eventual struggles with the NC bar exam.  Finally, Attorney Patel spoke to the university motto, “That I May Serve,” as one of her lifelong moral guideposts for her professional and personal lives.

Full speech can be viewed at the following links:

Part 1: https://youtu.be/Cvj-iJ6rcWI

Part 2: https://youtu.be/AZOEVHMGcWo