Graduates from the Class of 2025 receive prestigious awards

Gianna Dixon, L鈥�25, was the recipient of the John J. Sciullo Peer Excellency Award, named in honor of the late John Sciullo, who served as the eighth dean of Duquesne Kline School of Law, from 1982 to 1993. This award is voted on by the class and is given to a graduating student who is worthy of the admiration and respect of their fellow classmates.

Dixon served as a teaching assistant for the Duquesne Kline School of Law鈥檚 Legal Research & Writing program for two years. She was also the president of the Environmental Law Society and was an active member of the Duquesne Italian American Legal Society (DIALS). Dixon graduated cum laude and among her other honors, she received an outstanding oral argument distinction during 1L, and three CALI awards for Contracts, LRW, and Trial Advocacy.

鈥淓very single classmate I had the privilege of getting to know at Duquesne Kline helped me in some way, whether it was by giving me a new perspective on an issue, or just by making me laugh during the stress of finals week. I know this is going to be an excellent group of attorneys and advocates in the very near future, so I'm really proud and humbled to receive an award that was bestowed by the class in particular,鈥� Dixon said.

She will be working as an associate attorney at Smith Butz LLC in the fall, where her focus will be primarily on municipal law and energy litigation in Washington County.

Rachel Barr, L鈥�25, received the Dr. John and Liz Murray Award for Excellence in Student Scholarship. This award is named in honor of Duquesne鈥檚 eleventh president, Dr. John Murray, and his wife, Liz. Giles received the award for authoring the most outstanding published law review article of anyone in the graduating class.

Barr, who graduated summa cum laude, was executive editor of the Duquesne Law Review Vol. 63 and was an Appellate Moot Court board member. 鈥淚 am extremely honored to receive this award because it serves as a reminder of my time spent at the Duquesne Kline School of Law. This award, along with the education that led to it, will propel me forward into an exciting and purposeful legal career,鈥� Barr said.

She will start work with Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani鈥檚 Pittsburgh office after the July bar exam.

Barr also received the President Ken and Laura Gormley Distinguished Student Award along with Hannah Dean, L鈥�25. This special award is given on behalf of the entire law school faculty to two graduating students who, in the judgment of the faculty, have displayed general scholastic excellence and who have performed meritorious service to the law school. The award is named by the university鈥檚 board of directors in recognition of Ken Gormley鈥攍ong-serving faculty member, constitutional scholar, dean of the law school, and president of the university. 

鈥淩eceiving the President Ken & Laura Gormley Distinguished Student Award is such an honor. The faculty at Duquesne Kline have provided me with so much support and guidance over the past three years and have pushed me to become a more effective writer, leader, and advocate, so it is truly a privilege to receive this award from them. It has been a joy to serve the law school in various positions, especially those that have allowed me to support other students seeking out a career in the public interest sphere, and I look forward to continuing this kind of work through mentorship and advocacy throughout my legal career. This award was a very special way to end my time at Duquesne Kline, and I am so grateful to the many people who helped me get here,鈥� Dean said.

During her time at Duquesne Kline, Dean served as an associate editor for the Duquesne Law Review, the president of the Public Interest Law Association and the First-Generation Society, a senior editor for Juris, and as a Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education Fellow. She spent the past academic year as an intern for the Honorable Judge Jill Beck of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Dean graduated with summa cum laude academic honors along with CALI awards for the highest grade in the Contracts, Property, and Criminal Law doctrinal courses. She was also selected as a Summer 2024 Peggy Browning Fellow.

Dean will start as a Workers' Rights Fellow with Justice at Work in August.

Congratulations to these graduates who are prepared for what is next in their careers!