Good afternoon, everyone.
It is my great honor to preside over today’s ceremony and to celebrate the remarkable UCLA Class of 2025. To our graduates: Congratulations on earning your degree from the #1 public university in the nation!
This moment belongs to all of you — and I hope you feel a deep sense of pride and purpose as you mark this milestone. But no one reaches this day alone. Let’s applaud the parents, families, friends, faculty, staff, and mentors whose support and love have helped you along the way.
Graduation offers a natural time to reflect on the many beautiful moments that made up your lives as Bruins. You may remember when you got your UCLA acceptance letter — a moment of sheer joy. You may remember strolling down Bruin Walk for the first time, dazed by the sunshine and the boxes of Porto’s, or attending your first lecture and wondering whether you were in the right building — or the right major. You may recall the class that changed your thinking: perhaps a math course that taught you to see patterns in the world around you, or a philosophy seminar that inspired you to grapple with complex ethical questions. You might remember late-night talks on the Hill that reshaped your grad school plans, or cheering alongside thousands of fans at a Bruins game, 8-clapping in sync with a crowd of strangers who suddenly felt like family.
These moments — large and small — create the mosaic of your UCLA experience. But your journey also unfolded during one of the most complex periods in recent memory. You navigated college life in a world transformed by a global pandemic. You faced changes to the format of your classes, and with the L.A. wildfires, the worst natural disaster in our city’s history — all while managing coursework, relationships, jobs, and the countless pressures of student life. And yet here you are. Your tenacity and grit have brought you to this moment. And more importantly, you have grown into people who think critically, care deeply, and act with intention.
I would like to speak candidly about the world you are stepping into — and what it will ask of you. You are entering a time of extraordinary promise and profound uncertainty. Trust in institutions — including the ones that helped bring you to this moment — is fraying. These tensions will shape the world you are building. And while you may be leaving our campus, you are not leaving behind the values you developed here.
At my inauguration last week, I spoke of the Bruin spirit. And our need to advance the values that underpin our value to society: 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 ideals — they are values that connect us as human beings and build bridges across communities. And they will need passionate champions like you.
But how do we carry those values into life? I believe the answer begins with one simple but radical idea: 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 coincidences brought them to Mexico — a country poorer in material wealth but rich in the things that matter most: tolerance, solidarity, and kindness to strangers.
It is relatively easy to be kind to those we know. But true kindness — the kind that transforms generations of lives — reaches across boundaries, identities, and differences. That kindness saved my family, helping them rebuild in Mexico. 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 have all dedicated our careers to public service — through medicine, science, music, and education. Not because we had to. But because we saw firsthand what kindness can make possible. Today, more than ever, I believe this in my heart.
Too often, division drowns out dialogue. Withdrawing into like-minded circles seems easier than extending a hand to someone who does not look like you. But kindness can be an act of defiance — a light in the fog of cynicism, tribalism, and withdrawal. And that brings me back to you — and to UCLA.
As graduates of this great institution, you now carry UCLA’s mission into the world. Our university’s motto — Fiat Lux, or “Let there be light” — is not just a poetic phrase. It is a charge to you. Let your learning be a source of light. Let your voice be a light in difficult conversations. And let your actions shine light in places shadowed by injustice or indifference. And when you are unsure where to begin — begin with kindness. Especially toward those you do not know. That is how we renew connections among humanity and make space for knowledge.
As you depart this campus, you are leaving with more than a degree. You are leaving with a set of values, a community of fellow Bruins, and the ability to shape the world in ways both bold and quiet. UCLA will always be part of you — and you will always be part of UCLA. You have learned how to learn — a trait that will serve you well as you move forward. We call this mindset “UCLA for Life.” This is education that lasts an entire life. And education that prepares our students for life, by enabling them to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives as vital members of a community.
Class of 2025: May you lead with intellect, humility, and heart. May you use what you have learned here not just to better yourselves — but to better the lives of others.
Congratulations. Let’s stay connected as One UCLA. And let’s forever say: Go Bruins!