University of California - Berkeley Class of 2024
Dear Cal alumni and friends:
Graduating from college is always worth celebrating. This was especially true for the Class of 2024, many of whom had missed out on prom and other high school traditions because of the pandemic.
Nearly 8,000 graduates — many wearing colorful stoles and personalized mortarboards to accent their black gowns — participated in the campuswide commencement on Saturday. Over 20,000 guests cheered from the sun-drenched stands. It was a quintessential Berkeley day, with an exuberant, hard-earned ceremony and expected protests against the conflict in Gaza happening simultaneously. The program was briefly paused three times with requests for civility. During one break, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” played on the speakers, and people around the stadium sang alongside the chanting. But in the end, the ceremony continued, and there were no arrests.
Christopher Ying ’24 — this year’s University Medalist, the highest honor for a graduating senior — spoke about his experience as a math tutor at San Quentin State Prison. First introduced to the inmates through their crimes and ID numbers, he said he eventually learned to look beyond their labels. “It taught me that every person has their own story, filled with their own joys, heartbreaks, failures, and dreams,” he said. “The people around you, even those with whom you may disagree, do not fit neatly into categories.”
I agree with Christopher. As our society becomes increasingly divided by labels, we have lost the ability to talk with one another. I told graduates that I feel passionately about working to regain this capacity, whatever our beliefs and perspectives, and finding a way to recognize our shared humanity.
Cynthia "Cynt" Marshall ’81, the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the first African American female CEO in the National Basketball Association, rallied the crowd with her keynote address. She told the audience to look at someone and say, “Neighbor … the ball … is in … your hands.” Comparing a game to life and a ball to the choices we make, Cynt urged graduates to keep good company on the court, use their position to give their “time, talent, and treasure,” and handle the ball with character. “There is a difference between doing things right and doing the right thing,” she said. “You have been taught how to do both.”
Cynt’s words ring true, no matter what stage of life you are in. Thank you for keeping Cal in your court.
Fiat Lux, and Go Bears!
Carol T. Christ
Chancellor