Graduation festivities, already underway, crescendo June 10–12
By Alison Hewitt/UCLA Newsroom
One of UCLA’s largest-ever graduating classes will celebrate commencement on Friday, June 10, as the campus’s main ceremony returns to storied Pauley Pavilion for the first time since 2019.
An estimated 9,300 undergraduates will receive their degrees, and more than 6,100 of them — plus more than 26,000 guests — plan to attend the festivities in person. The UCLA College will host three separate celebrations for the class of 2022 to ensure space for every graduate who wants to attend.
This year’s graduates range in age from 18 to 79. Approximately one-third will be in the first generation from their families to graduate from a four-year university, more than 35% come from low-income families and 36% entered UCLA as transfer students.
From the class of 2022 alone, more than 13,800 students are expected to receive bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. In addition, 1,300 students from the classes of 2020 and 2021 will return to campus for the in-person ceremonies many of them missed out on due to the pandemic, and dozens of other graduate school, professional school, departmental and affinity ceremonies are planned.
Award-winning gymnast, activist and UCLA alumna Katelyn Ohashi will speak at all three of the main undergraduate ceremonies in Pauley Pavilion.
Among those delivering keynote addresses at other ceremonies across campus are activist and UCLA alumnus George Takei, best known as Sulu from the original “Star Trek;” Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives;Troy Kotsur, Academy Award-winning actor for his role in “CODA;” Maria Rosario Jackson, the first African American and Mexican American chair of the National Endowment for the Arts; Indigenous artist and UCLA alumna Mercedes Dorame; and U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu.
Graduation season began May 13 at UCLA School of Law, whose ceremony featured an address by Janai Nelson, a UCLA alumna and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Ceremonies will continue through June 25, with celebrations including Lavender Graduation, Parenting Students Graduation and ROTC commissioning ceremonies.
Face coverings will be required for all indoor events on campus through at least June 15, regardless of vaccination status. Speakers may remove their masks to deliver their addresses, and graduates may briefly remove their masks as they cross the stage to receive their degrees, and for photos on or near the stage.
Highlights of the upcoming ceremonies:
Sunday, May 29
10 a.m. Dr. Sharon R. Bannister, a U.S. Air Force major general and dentist serving as director of medical operations of the Air Force’s Office of the Surgeon General, will deliver the keynote address at the UCLA School of Dentistry graduation ceremony at Royce Hall.
Friday, June 3
4 p.m. Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson will deliver the keynote address at the graduation ceremony for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Dickson Court North. The ceremony will be will be livestreamed.
Thursday, June 9
3 p.m. Susan Ettner, dean of the UCLA Graduate Division, will deliver the keynote address at the doctoral hooding ceremony in Royce Hall.
Friday, June 10
9 a.m. George Takei, a social justice activist, bestselling author and actor best known for his role as Sulu on the original “Star Trek,” will deliver the keynote address at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs commencement for graduate students in Royce Hall.
11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. UCLA alumna Katelyn Ohashi, an award-winning gymnast and activist, will deliver the keynote address at the three UCLA College graduation ceremonies in Pauley Pavilion.
2 p.m. Troy Kotsur, the first deaf male actor to win an Academy Award — for his role in the 2021 film “CODA” — will deliver the keynote address at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television ceremony in Royce Hall.
3 p.m. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will deliver the keynote at the Luskin School of Public Affairs commencement ceremony for undergraduate students on the patio outside of Kerckhoff Hall.
4 p.m. Angela F. Williams, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, will deliver the keynote at the UCLA Anderson School of Management ceremony in Wilson Plaza.
4 p.m. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, will deliver the keynote at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music graduation in Dickson Court North.
5:30 p.m. Dr. Muntu Davis, county health officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, will speak at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health graduation in Royce Hall.
Saturday, June 11
8:30 a.m. Dr. Deborah Trautman, president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, will deliver the keynote at the UCLA School of Nursing graduation ceremony in Royce Hall.
12:30 p.m. Ronald Sugar, former chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman, will deliver the keynote address at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering’s undergraduate commencement in Pauley Pavilion.
4 p.m. Mercedes Dorame, an Indigenous artist and UCLA alumna, will deliver the keynote at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture graduation in Dickson Court North.
5 p.m. Christina Christie, Wasserman Dean of the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, will deliver the keynote address at that school’s graduation in Wilson Plaza.
6:30 p.m. Ted Lieu, congressman for California’s 33rd district, will deliver the keynote at the UCLA International Institute’s graduation in Royce Hall.
Sunday, June 12
1:30 p.m. Jon Arenberg, chief engineer for space science missions at Northrop Grumman, will deliver the keynote address at UCLA Engineering’s graduate student commencement in Pauley Pavilion.
1:30 p.m. Dean of Undergraduate Education Adriana Galván will address an in-person ceremony for the class of 2020 in the Court of Sciences.
5 p.m. Dean of Social Sciences Darnell Hunt will address an in-person ceremony for the class of 2020 in the Court of Sciences.
5 p.m. Associate Dean of Life Sciences Megan McEvoy will address an in-person ceremony for the class of 2021 in Dickson Court North.
5 p.m. Former Dean of Undergraduate Education Pat Turner will address an in-person ceremony for the class of 2021 in the Ackerman Union grand ballroom.
UCLA also will hold in-person ceremonies for 2020 and 2021 graduates who missed out on their commencements during the pandemic. The events will take place in Royce Hall, with Galván delivering keynote addresses. The events are scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, at 2 p.m. for 2020 graduates and 7 p.m. for 2021 graduates; and Saturday, June 25, at 10 a.m. for 2020 graduates and 3 p.m. for 2021 graduates.
