Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is honored to welcome Reverend Doctor Luis Arriaga Valenzuela as its commencement speaker for the graduating Class of 2025.

A Jesuit priest, legal scholar, and esteemed academic leader, Father Arriaga has devoted his professional life to the defense and advancement of human rights within his native Mexico. Currently serving as the President of the Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO) in Mexico City, his extensive leadership also includes presidencies of ITESO Jesuit University in Guadalajara and the Association of Jesuit Universities in Latin America. 

A Staunch Human Rights Advocate

Father Arriaga’s human rights advocacy has emerged from close collaborations with Indigenous communities, migrant populations, and individuals in vulnerable circumstances across Chiapas, the border region, and the United States. His efforts extend beyond direct advocacy to encompass significant leadership roles within numerous organizations, including the Center for Reflection and Action of Labor, Cultural and Educational Standards in Guadalajara; the Ignatius Loyola Migrant and Refugee Association in Chiapas; the Legal Rights Center for the Indigenous in Chiapas; and the Center for Social Justice and International Law in Washington, D.C.

He is currently the Global Leader of the Task Force for the Promotion of Democracy, a program of the International Association of Jesuit Universities. From 2006 to 2011, he served as the Director of the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center, a prominent advocacy organization for human rights reform established by the Jesuit order in 1988 and based in Mexico City. Under his astute leadership, the center forged strong and meaningful connections with local communities, effectively pursuing avenues for redress on behalf of those who have suffered injustice.

In the aftermath of the tragic murders of two Jesuit priests in Chihuahua in June 2022, Father Arriaga emerged as a prominent and articulate voice, mobilizing the Church, the Jesuit order, and the educational establishment in Mexico to demand lasting change through non-violent means. His denunciation of the extrajudicial killing of their murderer was particularly incisive, as he articulated in the Jesuit professional journal for higher education, Conversations: “As Jesuits, we mourn this death too, inhumanly celebrated by more than one authority, and we insist that we did not fight for this outcome. In a country where an average of 35,000 people are murdered every year, we must urgently change our way of doing justice.” The Jesuit commitment to justice and peace, he eloquently wrote, “demands a journey to the roots of our historical reality and our inner self. We must find in the depths of our own suffering a renewed fervor for justice. Our struggle is radical because it implies understanding that the body of the murdered — and that of the victimizers — is our own body.

His unwavering commitment to promoting the human rights of the disenfranchised has been acknowledged through several prestigious accolades, including the Emilio Krieger Medal from the National Association of Democratic Lawyers and the Hermila Galindo Award from the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City.

Father Arriaga’s academic background includes a law degree from IBERO, complemented by studies in Religious Sciences at the same institution. He earned a Master’s degree in Social Philosophy from ITESO, a Master of Laws in International Law and Justice from Fordham University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He furthered his scholarly pursuits as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford Law School’s Human Rights Center and served as a lecturer and member of the International Human Rights Clinic at Loyola Law School. Subsequently, he joined the faculty of the Santa Clara University School of Law as a law professor and human rights scholar, a position he held until his appointment as President of IBERO.
A distinguished and prolific author, Father Arriaga has contributed extensively to academic journals, scholarly essay collections, and edited volumes. He also serves as a regular and insightful commentator for leading national and international newspapers, including El Universal and El País.

The Graduate School’s ceremony for graduating students, their families and our community will take place on Friday, May 16, at 9:00 a.m. on Healy Lawn.

For more information about Commencement weekend, please visit the official Commencement website.