Stetson Law Honors Exceptional 2025 Grads
On the eve of Stetson Law’s 2025 commencement, graduating students and their loved ones packed the Great Hall to honor those who exceeded expectations.
The annual Graduate Awards Ceremony celebrates those who went above and beyond during their time at Stetson Law. Honorees included graduates who performed pro bono work well beyond the number of hours required, participated in Stetson Law Review and other publications, received prestigious scholarships, and others.
“Law school not only teaches you to be a lawyer, it also teaches you to be a leader,” said Stetson Law Dean D. Benjamin Barros at the start of the event. “Your achievements are a testament to your dedication and excellence. You have set a standard for your peers and those who will follow you in your footsteps.”
A broad range of endeavors
As with the legal profession itself, law school offers those within it a variety of ways to distinguish themselves.
Stetson Law students do so by focusing their studies on a specific area of law, serving on a Stetson legal journal, showing promise, or participating in relevant extracurricular activities.
Noting Stetson Law’s reputation for instilling professionalism in its students, Stetson University President Christopher Roellke commended the graduates for going the extra mile to distinguish themselves professionally.
“As your president, I want to extend the warmest congratulations to each and every one of you for what you’ve achieved,” Roellke said. “We are exceptionally proud of you and we absolutely know that you are, in fact, practice-ready.” The most prestigious awards bestowed that day were the Dean’s Excellence Award, the Walter Mann Award, and the Edward D. Foreman – Most Distinguished Student Award. The 2025 recipients of these were Flora Patel, Ronny Legare, and Shelby Ponton, respectively.
The Foreman Award turns 20
Named for 1971 Stetson Law alumnus Edward D. Foreman and established by his wife, Bonnie Foreman, the Foreman Award was first given in 2005. Factoring in community involvement, leadership, and selflessness, the Foreman Award honors a graduating student whose success and promise goes well beyond a top grade-point average.
The award package consists of a flame-shaped statue, a $5,000 award, and engraving of the recipient’s name on a plaque outside the Great Hall. It has been given to 26 students since it was first issued. Past recipients include former Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls, Stetson Law Professor Erin Okuno, 2024 alumnus Cameron Kubly, and the award’s first recipient, 2005 alumnus Andrew Chiang.
Many were in attendance to cheer on the 2025 recipient, Shelby Nicole Ponton.
A top student in her class, Ponton was on the Moot Court Board and served as editor-in-chief for Stetson Law Review during her time at Stetson – all while being a mother of two small children who are now 3 years old and 18 months old.
“We took a family walk around this campus every day,” she said in her acceptance speech. “Our kids experienced their first ever words here, their first steps here.”
Prior to law school, she worked as an animal cruelty investigator and rescue coordinator.
Ponton thanked those who supported her, from Professors Tomer Stein, Kelly Feeley, and James Hart – whom she said were key in her success as a 1L – to her colleagues on the law review’s editorial board.
She cited the support and wisdom of family members as critical in her accomplishments.
“My mother, she’s instilled many lessons in me, but the number one thing is, no matter where you come from, no matter who you are, whatever obstacles you face, if you have an absolutely relentless work ethic, you can change your life,” Ponton said. “You can do anything.”
Post date: May 16
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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