It never gets old. As I stood on the stage at Commencement last Saturday — taking in the 7,000 graduates and 23,000 loved ones who filled California Memorial Stadium — I was struck, once again, with a mix of pride, joy, and excitement for all the places they will go (borrowing from the title of a Dr. Seuss classic).
I framed my remarks around three questions that help take the measure of a life, including “How many people did I illuminate?” and “What did I stand for?” Berkeley helps students see, for example, the promise in themselves that was not visible before. That’s one of our university’s superpowers. Now it’s one of theirs. Committing to the greater good includes paying attention to the small opportunities we have every day to support one another, invest in others’ success, and grow not just as individuals but as a community, too.
This year’s top graduating senior, Charles Long Jr., praised the “organic intellectuals” sitting before him, the thinkers, scholars, and activists who came to Berkeley to “understand, represent, and serve” the communities they come from. A sociology and social welfare double major, Charles said his future was taken from him at age 18 “by a system that called itself justice.” Now, he said, he has “gained the language to understand that pain, the methods to study it, and the credibility to return to those same systems, not with resentment, but with purpose.” He urged graduates to leave Berkeley curious, brave, “humble enough to listen, disciplined enough to learn, and bold enough to act. … Not because it makes you important, but because it makes life better for someone else.”
The keynote speaker, former secretary of labor and best-selling author Robert Reich, is himself proudest of being a teacher. Bob said that whenever he feels despair, he just strolls through campus to remind himself that the nation and world are not just going to be okay; our students will make it much better. But he also didn’t sugarcoat the challenges they face. He said it was everyone’s responsibility, regardless of their political party, to do whatever we can to preserve our voice in government, “fight authoritarianism, maintain the rule of law, and protect freedom of speech and expression. … to seek the truth and speak truth to power … to work toward a society based on inclusion rather than exclusion.”
And yet, beneath these responsibilities — the civic ones, the moral ones, the ones that ask so much of us — Bob reminded graduates of a more fundamental value: love. From the families who helped them get to and through Berkeley to the faculty and staff who poured their hearts into their learning — our graduates should know they are loved. And as Bob concluded, they are just the teachers and the leaders our world needs.
Fiat Lux, and Go Bears!
Chancellor Rich Lyons
Chancellor’s Choice
Video: Peter E. Haas Public Service Award — As a first-year student at UC Berkeley, Manu Meel ’20 was dismayed by a protest that turned violent. Motivated by a desire to overcome political divisions, he cofounded what is now called BridgeUSA, a national youth-led movement that cultivates constructive dialogue. He was awarded the Peter E. Haas Public Service Award at Commencement. Watch a video on his contributions.
Lifelong learning courses this summer—OLLI at UC Berkeley is offeringa range of in-person and hybrid summer courses taught by Berkeley faculty and other leading scholars. Topics include the lessons of WWII-era Japanese American incarceration; 75 years of U.S. involvement in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan; brain health; and the cinema of Paul Thomas Anderson. OLLI is a member-driven community of lifelong learners dedicated to connection and intellectual engagement. Explore the lineup.