Sr. Juanita --Rita Murillo, CSJ

Sister Rita Murillo Addresses 2007 Graduates
of Community College of Allegheny County

Since 1999, Sister Rita has been a full-time trial attorney for the Juvenile Division of the Office of the Public Defender of Allegheny County She is on the Board of Governors for the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Sister Rita became a Sister of St. Joseph shortly after high school and began her higher education at what is now Carlow University. She served as a high school teacher and language department head before beginning her legal studies. A widely respected legal mind and advocate for children, Sister Murillo was a federal public defender and argued cases in the Western District of Pennsylvania and Third Circuit Court of Appeals. She also served as a public defender in the Child Division of Criminal Court in Allegheny County. Sister Rita recently was honored by the Pennsylvania Commission for Women who identified her as one of 50 remarkable African-American and Latina Women in Pennsylvania.)

(Following is the keynote address that Sister Rita delivered May 12, 2007, at the 40th annual commencement ceremonies at the Community College of Allegheny County.)

Good afternoon, Graduates, Faculty and Distinguished Guests,

As I drove to the Convention Center this afternoon I could not help but be grateful that we would not have to deal with the traffic congestion, heightened security, and political demonstrations that accompanied the Commencement at St. Vincent’s yesterday. The presence of the President of the United States had an enormous impact on the ceremonies out on Route 30. Yet, you may wonder how it came to be that your keynote speaker is a woman of somewhat ordinary circumstances rather than some national figure.

I come before you, honored to address you on this very important day, basically because I am one of those ordinary people who like you have been able to see many of my dreams come true. Twenty-five years ago, almost to the day, I walked in front of my fellow graduates and our families and received my Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame Law School. My father came from a hospital in Johnstown against medical advice and drove with my six brothers and sisters and various nieces and nephews to South Bend, Indiana. That day meant so much to the retired steel worker who had never completed high school, that not even a serious medical condition could keep him away.

As I look out at you graduates, I am struck at how extraordinary you are. In my early years of teaching I learned how easily some people mislabel men and women who might appear to be ordinary but who are in fact gifted and passionate individuals. I may not know you by name but I know that you comprise a wide spectrum of young and not so young individuals who have made the significant choices that have brought you to this moment in history when we can celebrate your giftedness.

Some of you have taken the path directly from high school and have completed this first level of collegiate studies and are preparing to continue your journey in other universities or technical schools. Others, like the administrative assistant in our Office of the Public Defender, have taken one course at a time while continuing to work fulltime, raise a family, and care for an ailing spouse. You finally come forward in your cap and gown to receive this precious acknowledgement of your extraordinary perseverance and dedication to learning.

Still others have felt the sharp pain of being labeled as "different" and have found in the curriculum here at CCAC an avenue to tap into the previously hidden talents that you so generously seek to share with the world. To each of you I offer my sincere congratulations and best wishes as you step forward from the launching pad of CCAC.

When I graduated from high school in 1961, I wasn’t certain of which dream would capture the passion that I sensed lay dormant within me. I would flippantly tell others that I would either become a lawyer, a doctor or be a star on Broadway. Those three dreams came lightly to my tongue but I had little or no idea of what I would have to do to make any or all of them come true.

My family did not have the money to send me to college. Nevertheless, I did not question that I would find a scholarship or another aid program to make higher education possible. At the same time, I found myself struggling with another more fundamental choice. I had felt a calling to religious life and finally made the choice to enter the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, PA.

My three dreams seemed to fade far into the background as I found myself being led into a religious community where only my hands and face could be seen by the public. The life of a religious woman in the 1960’s was a lifetime away from Broadway, the courtroom or the emergency room. Yet, I knew that my heart was drawing me into this radical lifestyle and I chose to pursue it even though I knew not where it would take me. I have thrived and continue to thrive in religious life just as it has continued to evolve during these past 46 years. I trusted that following my heart would lead me to where I would tap the core of my inner most being.

I became a high school Spanish teacher and learned that I love being with teenagers and young adults. My classroom became the stage on which I performed the many roles demanded of me as I challenged students to embrace Hispanic culture and heritage and to be willing to learn to communicate in the language used by more than one-quarter of the world’s population.

As a teacher, I argued the causes of my troubled students before the courts of the school administration and sought to be a healing hand to the wounded souls and egos of teenagers who struggled with addiction and numerous emotional crises. For 16 years, the classroom was my courtroom and hospital ward and I blossomed in it.

Yet, throughout those years, I still felt that there was a level of passion within me that had not yet emerged. Again, trusting my heart, and with the encouragement of my religious community, I took the LSAT to see if that might still be a possibility for me. I emerged from that exam with a sense of renewed passion and excitement that I could not deny was leading me into a new dimension of the religious life I had chosen.

It wasn’t easy for a 36 year old high school teacher to leave the classroom and become a law school student. I had completed my master’s degree but that was directed to improving my abilities as a teacher. I knew that I was a good teacher. Who knew if I could even make it through law school? Some of my classmates were young enough to be my children! But the passion in my heart impelled me to step beyond my resistance and fears and lead me to Notre Dame Law School.

As I received my degree, 25 years ago, I had no idea where I would use it. I had spent a summer internship in New York City at Covenant House working with runaway teenagers. I went to court with them and was certified to handle preliminary legal matters. Yet, when I returned to Pennsylvania, I knew that I needed to have more legal experience before I could effectively represent young people.

For the next fourteen years, I worked first in Allegheny County and then in the Federal Public Defender criminal trial divisions. I represented defendants charged with everything from disorderly conduct to homicide. I came to recognize how critical it is to intervene much earlier in the lives of these troubled individuals. My heart told me that it was time for me to move to the Juvenile Division so that I might try to have an impact on lives before patterns were too deeply set.

I continued to do adult criminal defense as I gradually increased my juvenile practice. I quickly learned the critical differences between adult criminal and juvenile law practice. I have been fortunate to have been an integral part in the recognition and development of juvenile law as a specialized practice.

The juvenile division of the Office of the Public Defender is entrusted with our most precious legacy… i.e., the protection and treatment of the young people who come through our system. I’m once again working with teenagers and young adults and as heartbreaking as it sometimes may be,….. I love it!

I weep when I hear the name of one of my children as the latest victim or suspect on the evening news. I rejoice when a young person finally decides that he/she is tired of running and chooses to turn himself or herself into authorities and thereby take control of their lives by facing the consequences of their prior choices.

Each one of you graduates has had the opportunity to make choices that enabled you to receive your degree today. Many of my former clients have pursued their GED education at CCAC and have chosen to go on to additional educational opportunities. Like you, they have recognized a passion in their souls and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to find an avenue to develop that passion.

I urge you as I urge my clients, do not sell yourself short. In her book, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU, Cheri Huber proceeds from a fundamental premise. She says on page one,


"You have been taught
that there is something wrong with you
and that you are imperfect.
but there isn’t
and you’re not."


Her book is an easy read that packs a profound message and insight into the myths that we have learned in the process of socialization. She helps us recognize the subtle self-hate that hinders us from accepting the person that we know ourselves to be deep down inside. In the name of humility we take blame but not credit. We keep trying to be perfect instead of loving ourselves as we are, right here, right now. The only way we can truly grow and flourish is to first accept and love ourselves with all our imperfections.

That is the gift I wish for you on this graduation day. I wish that you will look within your hearts and choose to not allow anyone (including yourself) to tear you down or in anyway diminish the uniqueness that is you. If you choose to embrace that fullness of who you are, you will continue to be a success in life and in your careers.

I recently received an invitation to a surprise retirement party for a woman whom I taught. She was and is a woman of passion who has tremendous enthusiasm and leadership ability. Unfortunately, the guidance counselor at her school was blind to her gifts and told her to not bother going to college because she did not have the ability to succeed. I was appalled and encouraged her to go on to school.

She went to CCAC, graduated and then went on to Duquesne University to complete her education. She eventually became a guidance counselor and is now retiring after 35 years in that profession. Needless to say, she has never denigrated a child’s abilities and has encouraged each of them to recognize and embrace the gifts that they hold within themselves.

One of my favorite shows is Dancing with the Stars. I love to watch celebrities with minimal or no dancing skills gradually come to an amazing degree of proficiency. Each of them, even the least coordinated develops a style that reflects their inner being. The ones that improve the most are the ones who are not afraid to push their personal boundaries and make mistakes. I challenge you to let yourselves go, make what ever mistakes that will happen as you stretch into the new dance pattern of life. Let yourself go and dance to the music in your heart and you’ll know true happiness.

As we proceed with these festivities, take a moment to congratulate yourself. Allow yourself to be tangibly aware of the ways that you have glimpsed the gem within you. Let yourself feel the music struggling to emerge from your soul and don’t be afraid to dance. Your steps may not be like mine or like those of anyone else. But your dance can and will be one of wonderment and you will be a shining star.

Thank you for the opportunity to share this special day with you. Keep the children in the juvenile system in your prayers. They too are searching for their passion and often stumble and fall. They like you are our future and we owe it to them to not forget them.