JD valedictorian emphasizes importance of community, persistence
June 18, 2024
Being elected as valedictorian is an honour Konner Fung-Kee-Fung (JD / MBA ’24) doesn’t take lightly as he’s keenly aware of the accomplishments of his fellow graduates. It’s the support of these peers and friends, along with the accessibility of faculty members and alumni, that has been the defining feature of his time at Western.
As a dual degree student who also maximized co-curricular opportunities—from a role as a teaching assistant to the Canadian United States Law Journal—he won’t try to tell you it was easy. He will say it was worth it. Of all he has learned, he believes the lessons in resiliency and the importance of giving and receiving support have been the most valuable.
In this Q&A, Fung-Kee-Fung reflects on the past three years, eyes the future and offers advice to the next generation.
What inspired you to pursue your JD?
I spent three years in a public affairs consulting role, which introduced me to advocacy. I really enjoyed the work, but I also wanted a deeper appreciation of how change happens. I wanted to pair that experience with a law degree.
What stands out as the highlights of your experience at Western Law?
Two experiences were particularly important to me. The first was the corporate securities moot. When I was a participant I had a great co-council, Alina Gdaniec. A year later, we both returned as student coaches. It’s a lot of work and it’s deeply stressful, but you learn and laugh a lot along the way. It’s really rewarding to commit to giving your all to something with amazing teammates and friends and crossing the finish line together.
Similarly, I had the opportunity to lead the Canadian United States Law Journal alongside a great teammate, Jack Walsh. Intellectually, it was exciting to pair current events with a foundation in international law. As a project manager, it was also a pleasure to work with students across all years of study. We were able to cap it all off with a trip to Cleveland for the Canadian United States Law Institute Annual Conference. Jack and I felt it was important to go to contribute to the unity between our schools, as our editorial board is comprised of students from both Western and Case Western Reserve University.
What advice would you give to future Western Law students?
Different peoples’ experiences at law school and what they want out of law school are so different, so its hard to prescribe universal advice. I think having some source of external support or group of people that you identify with and can lean on is important and conversely being there for other people who are going through it. The other thing is just not getting discouraged, just doing a little bit each day eventually adds up to a successful experience.
It’s an undertaking to apply for law school between the application process, the standardized testing, and putting yourself out there. But if you’re at all interested in doing this, I think you should go for it. Don’t self-select yourself out of the experience.
What are your future hopes for your career?
As I start articling (at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP), I’m just hoping to take the next year and try my hardest. I want to learn as much as I can, and I’ll reevaluate as time passes. I’m excited because so much is open.
What motivates you and what positive impact do you hope to have throughout your career?
I’ve benefited from the advice and mentorship of many former Western students and current practitioners. When I was in first year, I went to 2L and 3L students for guidance. When I was going through the recruit or making decisions about where I want to go afterward, former Western students made themselves available. As my career progresses, I hope to pay it forward. I want to be a professional that continues to make time to support other lawyers, especially those in earlier stages of their careers.
What does it mean to you to be selected as class Valedictorian and what message do you hope to impart on your classmates?
I’m grateful for the honour, and I’ll do my best to represent and celebrate the achievements of everyone in our class. In my remarks, I plan to acknowledge that while we’ve had a tremendous range of experiences in our time here, we’ve all persisted in some way. This should give us confidence to tackle future challenges.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
