Good afternoon, everyone.
It is my great honor to preside over today’s ceremony and to celebrate the remarkable UCLA Class of 2026. To our graduates: Congratulations!
This moment belongs to all of you — and I hope you feel a deep sense of pride as you mark this milestone. But no one reaches this day alone. Let’s applaud the parents, families, friends, faculty, staff, coaches and mentors whose support and encouragement helped make this achievement possible.
Graduation is a time to reflect on the moments that shaped your lives as Bruins. You may remember stepping onto Bruin Walk for the first time. You may remember a class that questioned your assumptions about the world. You may remember late-night conversations on the Hill, or the rhythm of the 8-clap rising around you in Pauley. At the time, those moments may have seemed ordinary. Years from now, you will return to them as some of your most cherished memories.
The talent and ambition you brought to UCLA has been transformed: You are leaving with a deeper understanding of yourselves, of others, and of the world you will now help shape. We call this UCLA for Life.
I would like to speak briefly about the world you are entering. We are living in a moment marked by an unprecedented mix of pressure and promise. New discoveries are expanding what is possible. And the future can seem limitless. At the same time, though, polarization is dividing our communities, and trust in institutions is declining. In this complex context, you are about to enter the most dynamic labor market in history, mostly due to advances in technology, which are both creating new jobs and disrupting existing ones. These challenges will help shape the future you inherit. They also offer opportunities for you – yourselves – to shape the future.
As you leave UCLA, you carry with you more than the knowledge you gained in your classes. You carry the values that underpin our value to society: the search for truth, freedom of expression, respectful disagreement, expansion of opportunity, embrace of difference, dedication to service, and the relentless pursuit of inclusive excellence. These are not just university values. They are human values. They help us find common ground. And they remind us that disagreement does not have to mean division. In moments like these, values matter most when they guide our actions.
I believe one action is especially important: kindness to strangers. Let me tell you why this matters to me — not just as UCLA’s chancellor, but as a person. The defining moment of my life happened before I was born. In the 1930s, my paternal grandparents were forced to flee Germany, along with their two young children — my father, who was six, and my aunt, who was four. A series of unlikely events brought them to Mexico — a country poorer in material wealth but richer in tolerance, solidarity and kindness to strangers.
It is relatively easy to be kind to people who look like us, sound like us, pray like us or love like us. It is much more difficult to show kindness across those differences. That kindness saved my family. It allowed them to rebuild their lives. And it made my own life possible. Like all my siblings and cousins, I was raised with a sense of responsibility to give back. We dedicated our careers to public service — through medicine, science, music, and education — because we understood what kindness can make possible.
Today, I believe this more strongly than ever. In a time when it is easy to retreat into our own silos, kindness is a way of building connection. It reminds us of our shared humanity. And it opens the door to understanding.
That brings me back to you — and to UCLA. As graduates of this great institution, you now carry UCLA’s mission far beyond Westwood. UCLA will always be part of you — and you will always be part of UCLA.
Our university’s motto — Fiat Lux, or “Let there be light” — is not just a phrase. It is a call to action for the rest of your lives. Let your learning be a source of light. Let your voice bring light to difficult conversations. And let your actions shine light where it is needed most. When you are unsure where to begin, begin with kindness.
Class of 2026: May you lead with intellect, humility, and heart. May you use what you have learned here not only to improve your own lives, but also to improve the lives of others. And may we stay connected as One UCLA.
Congratulations! Go Bruins!