Attorney General Miyares to Speak at ASL Commencement Ceremony
Appalachian School of Law is pleased to announce that the Honorable Jason Miyares, the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia, will address ASL’s 2022 graduating class at the school’s commencement ceremony in May, 2022. “I am truly honored to be selected as the Appalachian School of Law’s 2022 Commencement speaker,” Miyares stated. “ASL is an incredible asset to Southwest Virginia. Their students are well-rounded, hardworking, passionate people who want to serve their communities through the practice of law. The ASL alumni in my administration are dedicated public servants, and I cannot wait to speak to ASL’s next generation of young, earnest lawyers.”
Keith Faulkner, ASL’s President and Dean, stated: “Our graduates are entering the legal profession at a historic moment for the Commonwealth. Virginians have always aspired to achieve the highest ideals of liberty, equality, and public service. General Miyares is a storybook example of the power of this uniquely American dream.”
The Attorney General’s story did not start in Virginia but rather in Havana when his mother, Miriam Miyares, fled Cuba, penniless, and homeless. She taught her son a love for freedom, democracy, and instilled in him a powerful sense of hope. Miyares graduated from James Madison University and the College of William and Mary School of Law. Upon graduation, he served as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Office.
In 2015, almost fifty years to the day that she fled Cuba, Miriam Miyares was able to vote for her son to represent her in the oldest democracy in the Western Hemisphere, the Virginia House of Delegates. While representing Virginia Beach, Jason was recognized as “Legislator of the Year” by the College Affordability and Public Trust in both 2018 and 2019 for his work on transparency and affordability in higher education. The Hampton Roads Military Officers Association of America also recognized General Miyares for his exemplary work in the House of Delegates in 2018, and the Safe House Project followed suit in 2019 for his work combatting human trafficking - an issue that his administration continues to prioritize today.
Miyares is the first Cuban-American elected to the General Assembly, the first Hispanic elected statewide in Virginia, and the first son of an immigrant ever elected to be Attorney General of Virginia. He is passionate about preserving the American Miracle for the next generation of Virginians. He currently lives in Virginia Beach with his wife Page, their three daughters, Gabriella, Sophia, and Elaina, and their golden retriever, Buckley.
“We teach our students,” Dean Faulkner said, “that hard work, earnest optimism, and faithful service can go a long way toward discovering and achieving one’s highest expectations.” “Having General Miyares at our commencement ceremony,” Dean Faulkner continued, “will showcase the best attributes of public service and servant leadership.”
The commencement ceremony will take place on May 14, 2022, at Riverview Elementary School in Grundy, Virginia. For further information, please contact Appalachian School of Law.