L&C Alumna Brittney Lehr to Speak at L&C’s 54th Annual Commencement

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College will celebrate its 54th annual Commencement, May 21, 2025, featuring 2016 alumna Brittney Lehr as the event’s keynote speaker.

The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. at the Hatheway Cultural Center’s Ann Whitney Olin Theatre.

“Commencement is a time to honor the hard work and achievements of our students,” said L&C President Ken Trzaska. “We are thrilled to welcome Brittney Lehr back to campus to share her inspiring journey with our graduates.”

Lehr, a Carrollton native, graduated from L&C with an Associate in Applied Science degree in 2016. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security from MacMurray College in 2018 and a Juris Doctorate from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2022. She currently serves as a felony assistant state’s attorney and DUI attorney in Sangamon County.

"Lewis and Clark had the hardest class that I ever took throughout my entire collegiate career,” Lehr said. “This forced me to adapt my study habits and ways of thinking, preparing me for a career in law."

While at L&C, Lehr was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and received the Monticello Women’s Scholarship. Her decision to pursue law was deeply personal, inspired by a family tragedy that motivated her to seek justice for others.

Lehr’s professional journey began in Sangamon County’s Traffic and Misdemeanor Division in 2022. She was promoted to DUI attorney in 2023 and now handles a range of felony cases, including aggravated DUIs, retail thefts, and domestic battery.

She will address the Class of 2025 with words of wisdom from her own experience.

"Sometimes you have to pivot or change the play in a split second,” Lehr said.

This year’s Commencement will celebrate around 800 total graduates, with more than 300 students expected to participate in the ceremony.

“Whether this night marks the end of a student’s college journey or the beginning of a new chapter, it’s a moment to be proud of,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Cherise Jackson. “We’re excited to celebrate with our students and their families.”

Tickets are required for entry. Each graduate was given a set number of guest tickets, based on participation in this year’s ceremony and space available.

Additional guests can watch a livestream of the ceremony broadcast in The Commons, which will be the location for a post-ceremony reception or stream the ceremony online via the college’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/lewisandclarkcc.

To learn more, visit www.lc.edu/graduation.