Commencement marks one of life’s most memorable
milestones. It honors a significant accomplishment: the successful
completion of the requirements for your degree. It also marks the
end of an important formative period and the beginning of the
promising future for which you have prepared at UCLA.
UCLA’s foremost role is preparing leaders to guide our
communities, state, nation and world into the future. We do this by
admitting only the most promising students ““ students like
you ““ and offering them extensive opportunities for
intellectual and personal growth and discovery. We prepare you to
excel in your chosen professions (and then take credit for the many
wonderful things you do as Bruin alumni).
It has been said that commencement is the springboard into life
in the “real world.” But the “real world”
took on a different meaning on a day when many of you stood at the
threshold of your college careers: Sept. 11, 2001. The horrific
terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., forever
changed our nation and its role in the world. Sept. 11 and its
aftermath brought us unprecedented challenges, including the
ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
To prepare you for the hurdles ahead, UCLA has incorporated much
of the real world into your education. The Fiat Lux program, for
example, grew out of a series of post-Sept. 11 seminars called
“Perspectives on September 11.”
For several years, I have taught a Fiat Lux seminar,
“Rethinking National Security.” My participation in
that course enables me to share with undergraduates my experience
in this area. In turn, my students’ insightful contributions
substantially add to my ability to “rethink” national
security.
While you have had many wonderful opportunities for growth at
UCLA, access to world-class arts offerings, interdisciplinary study
and a renowned library system, you also have been able to interact
with residents of the L.A. region. You have been encouraged to be
innovators, problem solvers, explorers and leaders, in the
classroom and in the laboratory, and to engage in extracurricular
activities and service to the campus and the broader community.
I hope these experiences have taught you how to learn and have
helped you to acquire both depth and breadth of knowledge. Now,
make lifelong learning a priority as you continue to discover and
to grow.
Whatever you choose to do next, proceed with confidence, knowing
your UCLA education provides you with a strong foundation. Face
life’s challenges; reap its rich rewards. As UCLA students,
you have learned that there are no limits to what you can imagine
or achieve. As UCLA graduates, don’t ever lose sight of that
knowledge.
For your next steps, I share my simple theory of career
planning: When faced with a choice of alternate paths, choose the
one for which you have passion. If something excites you, you will
do it well, and that will lead to success and fulfillment.
We are immensely proud of all you have accomplished at UCLA, and
we look forward to what you will achieve in the future. Embrace the
spirit of service that is a hallmark of this great university and
help ensure that the many benefits you have enjoyed will be
available to those who follow you.
Continue to nurture your friendships and the many connections
you have made on this campus. Your extended Bruin family can be one
of your most valuable resources, an ongoing source of support for
you.
As you begin a new chapter in your lives, your Bruin family
wishes you the very best.
Congratulations, Class of 2005!
Carnesale is the chancellor of UCLA.