UC Merced graduates urged at Fall Commencement to continue ‘pioneering spirit’
.JPG "The campus sculpture entitled “Beginnings,” was first inspired by UC Merced’s former acting Chancellor Rod Park in the year 2006. The artwork was conceived by sculptor Aris Demetrios.")
UC Merced’s fall 2019 commencement in the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center ushered nearly 200 students into post-graduate life Sunday, Dec. 15, according to a university news release.
Following the tradition of having alumni speak at commencement, 2010 graduate Jessica Anderson encouraged students to find their passion and continue their pioneering spirit into the workforce.
“I hope they have found what their passion is, or are on the path to finding it, so they can find things that are exciting for them to do every day,” Anderson said, according to the release. “That’s why we go to school and get these degrees, to find something that, yes, you can make money off of, but something that is enjoyable and that they are proud to do.”
Anderson graduated from UC Merced with a mechanical engineering degree in 2010, and now works at the aerospace company SpaceX in Hawthorne as a lead manufacturing engineer. While at the university, she founded the Science and Engineering Association.
This commencement was the first for interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom since accepting the role.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be a part of this university, and it is because of students like you,” Brostrom said in the release. “Many of you arrived here with doubts to overcome, personal or financial challenges that drained your time and energy and competing priorities in your lives. But you did not lose faith in your abilities, or the belief that you had something extremely important to accomplish.”
A total of 1,415 bachelor’s degrees were awarded during the 2018-19 academic year. Fifty-five master’s and 63 doctorate degrees were received as well. A majority of graduates — more than 1,300 students — walked during spring commencement.
Since opening in 2005, the university has consistently exceeded its previous year’s graduation numbers.
UC Merced was recently recognized as the number one college in the country for exceeding expected graduation rates, according to US News & World Report. The ranking was judged off the university’s student profile, combined with actual graduation numbers.
