– Photo by John Meiu
Oakland County 51st District Court Judge Jodi Debbrecht Switalski (center) was presented with the Integrity in Our Communities award at Western Michigan Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills campus on Tuesday, March 31. Happy to honor the judge were (left to right) WMU-Cooley Associate Dean Joan Vestrand, and WMU-Cooley Assistant Dean Lisa Halushka.
Oakland County 51st District Court Judge Jodi Debbrecht Switalski was presented with the Integrity in Our Communities award at WMU-Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills campus on Tuesday, March 31. Debbrecht Switalski presides over the 51st District Court in Waterford. She was chosen to receive the award because of the integrity she displays both on the bench and in her professional contributions to the fight against interpersonal violence, substance abuse, addiction and more. She co-founded the Regional Anti-Drug Education Outreach (RADEO) organization, as well as organized numerous town hall forums and seminars to educate the community on synthetic drugs and opioids.
After being presented the award, Debbrecht Switalski provided the keynote as part of the law school’s Integrity in Our Communities Speaker Series which was sponsored by the campus’ Student Bar Association. During her presentation she reflected on the inspirations in her life that were the driving force behind her tireless efforts to educate the community and engage in efforts to stop substance abuse addiction and on behalf of our military veterans. Switalski spoke about members of her family who have inspired and supported her and recalled the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “what you don’t do can be a destructive force.”
“We are all blessed; all of us, and we each have the opportunity to make a difference,” said Debbrecht Switalksi. “I implore each of you, when you get home look in the mirror and ask the question ‘Did I get in the arena today?’ That’s what integrity in our community is to me...what you don’t do can be a destructive force. So, do something.”
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