A fond send off to the remarkable class of 2021

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2021! We are so proud of all they have accomplished to reach this important milestone. We salute their resilience, creativity and perseverance. The skills that helped them reach this moment will be the skills that will help them succeed throughout their lives in whatever they choose to do.

All of our graduating seniors work hard at UC Davis, but this class will forever be distinguished by a resolve to keep focused and committed to their goals as we navigated a life-changing global pandemic. They made it through one of the most challenging years we have ever experienced. That deserves a special acknowledgement.

We held our commencement ceremony June 11-13, and while it was scaled back in size, it was no less an exciting time for our graduates, their families and faculty and staff on campus.

We have created a special commencement webpage with video well wishes from myself and departmental faculty. We acknowledge some exceptional graduates who have earned distinctions for their academic achievements and service. These include Claire Chapman for the College Medal for scholastic excellence; Radhika Marwaha and Kelsee Tran for the Mary Regan Meyer Award for serving humanity; Audin Leung and Sergio Maravilla for the Charles Hess Community Service Award for public service; and Elizabeth Anderson, Yuting Fan, and Landin Thunder Noland for the Dean’s Circle Award for outstanding academics and community service. We also call out and congratulate other outstanding students recognized by their departments for their academic achievements.

A degree from the University of California is more than a certification of knowledge acquired. It symbolizes a certain strength of character necessary to excel in life. A degree from UC Davis connects our graduates with the extended Aggie family working hard to embrace the many challenges and opportunities that await.

We wish our graduates all the best as they unleash their enthusiasm in pursuit of their dreams. We encourage our graduates to stay in touch with us and we expect they will boldly go wherever life calls them. Go Ags!