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Naples Daily News: Sen. Marco Rubio Addresses Ave Maria Law Graduates

May 16, 2011 | News

The 2011 Ave Maria School of Law graduating class is the last of its kind—the 90 students are the last who began at a campus in the bustling college town of Ann Arbor, Mich., and then completed their degrees in the warmth of North Naples.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a prominent Florida attorney and practicing Catholic gave his first-ever commencement address as senator, though he’s given several earlier in his political career. Rubio also received an honorary degree at the graduation ceremony held at the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts on Sunday.

“Had I known I was getting an honorary degree, I’d have skipped law school about 13 years ago,” Rubio joked.

Though his demeanor was light and approachable, Rubio gave strong words of advice to the graduates.

“One tip I can give you,” Rubio said. “You cannot do anything without God… Not ‘You can’t do most things without God.’ You will not be able to do anything that you want, truly with fulfillment, without God,” he said.

Read the full story here.