My greatest fear is that the dean of the business school in my university in Venezuela was right, that things will never change. My deepest thought is that there are two types of people, those with blood in their veins and those with milk. The ones with blood have a cause [raison d’etat] that inspires their lives. Those with milk flow though life without living. What I would like to tell you is that you prove that even though maybe things won’t change, we have to try our best.

I walked into this class with empty pockets, and, as we say in Venezuela, I’m leaving with them full. I had hoped to learn what makes the American legal system so perfect, and to bring back my new insights to Venezuela to reform our chaotic system. I certainly didn’t learn what I expected. However, I learned something far more valuable. I learned that no perfect system exists, but that with the right tools, strong convictions, and powerful communication, I can help push our system toward an ideal.

Flashback to 1994: Caracas, Venezuela. I’m sitting in a plush air-condition conference room at Catolica University surrounded by the Board of Directors -- the president, vice presidents, deans, professors, and three elected student representatives, myself included. I had noticed for several weeks (while sitting at board meetings) that the Christ figure on the crucifix was missing. Christ was simply gone … leaving an empty cross! I was wondering why when suddenly everyone raised their hands to vote in favor of firing a popular professor. I couldn't believe it. What could have made them change their minds from last week, when those in favor of firing the professor were a very small majority. No additional point was discussed today. No specific wrongdoings were outlined. Could the president of the university's presence and the absence of anonymous voting have swayed the decision? What could have made them ignore the ethical principles they taught us?

During the break I joked with the president about the missing Christ figure. "Did Jesus run away because he couldn’t bear watching the decisions made in this room?" I said. He smiled dismissively.

This mirrored a similar board decision I’d witnessed. A popular female law professor was fired for no apparent reason while she was away on a Fullbright fellowship. The board had notified the students that her classes were closed, and when she returned, they told her she had no job because no students signed up for her classes. The same scenario had occurred: very little discussion and no apparent reason for dismissing her. Later, when I asked the president why someone with her credentials was fired, he said, "If you want her to stay we can hire her to water the plants."

These repeated incidents led me to skip commencement because I could not in good faith shake hands with the board before my classmates.

Having grown up in Venezuela, in a system that operates under a thin veil of corruption, I came to Harvard with the idea that the system would be great, that officials would be honest.

I learned in your class that my assumptions were wrong.

Through the cases presented such as Prof. Berkowitz tenure fight, I realized that there’s no perfect system, mainly because the players are only human. It seems that obedience to authority and the need to conform are so deeply ingrained in human nature that people are compelled to act against their principles to gain status and security.

You taught me by example. The fact that you’re involved in Professor Berkowitz’s case and that you brought him into class to lecture showed us your values, what you believe in. Through the cases you chose to present, you showed us the force of your purpose. Actions speak louder than words. Also, I learned that people with strong convictions transmit their messages more powerfully.

You taught me to follow my convictions but that I must put the law into perspective. That is, every attorney has access to the law but what makes the difference between a mediocre and great lawyer is the ability to read the law critically, understand it in context and use it creatively. I also learned that how a message is conveyed is as important as the message itself. Engaging messages persuade, boring messages are lost in the wind.

You also helped us develop our ideas and our communication styles by assigning us actual cases and requiring us to transmit our message on the Web, today’s most powerful communication tool. Thus, learning by doing, and at the same time having a social impact.

You taught me to see the legal scenario more clearly as an imperfect system. You taught me not to be discouraged, to fight for my convictions, to constantly improve the system.

A close friend once told me that in each of us there’s a "yes" that can change history and a "no" that can maintain the status quo. Thank you very much for being that "yes," for reaffirming my path, and for giving me the tools to achieve my goal, that is to build the country that the majority of Venezuelans want.