Commencement 2020 - Geography

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Home / Gallery / Commencement 2020

Commencement 2020

Virtual due to COVID-19. Brochure (PDF). Congratulations, class of 2020!

Dear Class of 2020, You are graduating at a watershed moment in American history when we are forced to confront two viruses, the one causing the Covid-19 pandemic and another--even more entrenched--that perpetuates systemic racism and injustice. I commend your generation for the steps you took last week in the face of the coronavirus to stand up for justice. Our democracy vitally depends on each of our individual actions and collective responsibility to vote. From interacting with you in the classroom and in office hours, I have great confidence that your generation will build upon the efforts of previous ones to make our society a more just and equitable one and the world a better place for all. Congratulations on all the work you’ve done to earn a prestigious degree as a UCLA grad. Go forward with hope and convictions, dear Geography graduates! — Professor Carney

Congratulation to the historic class of 2020! Hope you come back for Graduation next year. — Professor Gillespie

Congratulations 2020 UCLA geography graduates! Always remember to explore, inquire, and engage! — Professor Shin

These is an extraordinary time, virtually graduating from UCLA Geography with social distancing: A story to tell future generations. Yet these are extraordinary in times other ways also: Black Lives Matter; challenging white supremacy and heteronormativity; rising authoritarianism around the world; capitalist Globalization in question, with socio-economic inequality unseen within the US for 100 years and unprecedented, widening geographical inequality at scales from the neighborhood to the globe; anthropogenic global heating, posing an existential challenge for our species; a global public health crisis as nature bites back; the privatization and digitization of public education, and more. As geographers, you are prepared to address these issues, all of which fall within the scope of our extraordinarily inter-disciplinary discipline. It saddens all of us not to be able to personally launch you into this next stage of your lives but we look forward to accompanying you, as you and your generation pioneer the extraordinary changes that Earth now so urgently needs. — Professor Sheppard

Let there be light, and wish you a bright future. — Professor Sheng

Dear Graduates: Wow, what a year – what a way to finish your studies at UCLA. First, a big congratulations to you all. Completing your degree requirements in the midst of a pandemic shows that you really do have what it takes. And now we so clearly need you and the skills that you have developed more than ever. From building spatial models of epidemic diffusion to confronting the injustice that is so apparent within our world, we need clear thinkers with a strong moral compass to shape our future. I am so proud of your accomplishments. I look forward to hearing about your future endeavors. Go Bruins! — Professor Rigby

Congratulations! You should feel proud of yourselves for persevering and achieving your degree under such unexpected and difficult conditions. Our world looks uncertain, chaotic and unhappy but because of this you have the opportunity to make a difference. You can envision a better world and your degree in geography has equipped you to make that vision a reality. Be Creative, Be Bold, Be an engine of positive social change. — Professor Raphael

Dear Class of 2020 – you truly are amongst the finest and most resolute students to graduate from UCLA. Your achievements and graduation this year are not only making history, but give me confidence that you will go forward from UCLA and create a better future for all. The motto of the University of California is “Let There Be Light” and you, Class of 2020, are that light. — Professort MacDonald

My heart is filled with sadness that we cannot celebrate your accomplishments in person and send you off to the next phase in your life. However, I want to share with you three lessons that I learned during the past 40 years that have brought success and happiness to my work and life, in the hope that they might also work also for you. 1. STRIVE to be and do your best. This involves everything from working like hell to make things happen, fueling your curiosity and dreams, and empowering your life. I was the first female in my family to go to high school and university– and if it would have been up to my family I would have attended neither of these. My stepfather, if he had had his way, would have sent me to the home-economics school: investment in girls education was considered a waste of money. Then again, when I graduated from high school, I would not have been able to predict the journey I have taken. From studying geography and regional planning at the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Karlsruhe, after being told that women cannot be architects, I moved to teach geography: first at the University of Vienna, then the University of Minnesota, and for the past 7 years at UCLA, with visiting appointments in different European and Asian universities, while doing research in different parts of the globe. It all has been an exhilarating ride, one fueled by my curiosity, passion for learning about different places and cultures, and last, but not least, hard work. I would not have changed it for anything. Striving of course could and should not only be about self-improvement, but also improving the world around us, as I have always at least tried to do. 2. Learn to be SATISFIED While it is important to strive, to be ambitious and make things happen, what I did not fully appreciate when I was your age is the importance of learning to be satisfied. I recall that for many years I interpreted striving, as wanting to be and achieve the absolute best, rather than the best you can. Recognizing what you can do and be, where your limits lie, and learning when to be satisfied - for me this has been crucial in bringing happiness and peace to my life. To give you a recent example where I had a chance to practice being satisfied. I applied for 3 grants to support my research, but only received 2 out of the 3. Rather than being frustrated that I did not score 100 percent, I can be satisfied with what I was able to achieve. Learn to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty! 3. Never, ever SETTLE Learning to be satisfied, should never mean to settle, however. For me, settling means to give up, to become fixed, closed, to stagnate, to end all uncertainty. But the point is never to give up, to move forward, to stay open, to continue to embrace uncertainty and the unfamiliar throughout your life. For example, I am currently working on a research project in Jakarta where I am constantly confronted with the unfamiliar – language, culture, climate etc. This is often very hard to cope with, but at the same time is enormously exhilarating and exciting, which then keeps me going. A big hug and all the best for the future! Helga Leitner — Professor Leitner

These are at once terrifying and invigorating times to be graduating. Wherever there are grave challenges, there are also awesome possibilities. The work that you have accomplished for your geography degree will provide you with the essential tools for our times. Remember, when the world feels like it is on a precipice, we are also poised for flight. — Professor Faier

Graduates of the Department of Geography: Congratulations! We’re so proud of you and your accomplishments. Wishing you every success in your next endeavors! — Professor Fan

Congratulations class of 2020! The strength and resilience that you have demonstrated over the past four months makes this accomplishment all the more impressive. The fact that you will be leading future efforts to address social and environmental injustice is a powerful argument for hope and optimism. Good luck! — Professor Cavanaugh

This quarter has reinforced for me ever more the force of Alexander von Humboldt’s perspective that geography, literally earth description, revolves around a single word, Zusammenhang, or the interrelationships of phenomena of every kind, both physical and human. My personal and heartfelt congratulations to all of you! Go on from UCLA to embrace this world in all of its diversity. Stay curious. And keep in touch with us at UCLA. — Professor Bell

Congratulations to the UCLA Department of Geography's 2020 graduating class! Although your graduation coincides with an uncertain and challenging moment, your education in geography gives you a unique ability to understand the relationships that exist between society, the environment, technology and beyond. With that unique perspective you are equipped to solve problems and emerge as leaders in science and society. Stay curious, lead with kindness, and very best wishes for success going forward. — Dr. Burkhart

Daniel Jensen

Jon Ocon

Thank you to all the wonderful Geography staff for a meaningful and impactful UCLA experience. Stay well, happy and healthy. Class of 2020, against all COVID-19 odds, we made it! — Xue DiMaggio

Geography has made me more aware of the world around me and how we can engage with and learn from it. I am grateful to have had the privilege to learn from the UCLA community and the faculty from the Geography department who will continue to inspire and empower me. — Victor Tran

Vanessa Padilla

To my village -- Mom, Dad, Basti, Lucca, and my family near and far; to all my schools, the stars, and the sea, and especially the Class of 2020 -- thank you. Attending UCLA has been the dream of a lifetime, it will be in my heart always. — Sienna Rohrer

This was all possible because of my mother, Guadalupe Munoz. Time and time again you have sacrificed your time and labor to make sure I could have access to opportunities that were never made for people like us. Your strength has always guided me and I will forever be grateful. Thank you mom. — Sergio Corona-Munoz

‘Brave girl, you were made for far more beautiful things’ (anonymous) — Selena Sanchez

"""The Frog Does Not Drink Up The Pond In Which He Lives."" Thank you to everyone who helped me learn to understand and appreciate this amazingly complicated planet. Also, Obama had it right. ""The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map."" " — Schuler Small

I will always cherish my time at UCLA, as I have made lasting friends and memories! Thank you to my family for supporting me for the past four years! — Rhea Singh

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