Commencement speeches celebrate standing up to injustice, making world better

Thousands of graduates, decked out in black caps, gowns and colorful variations thereof, marched onto the sun-drenched field at the California Memorial Stadium to “Pomp and Circumstance” to celebrate UC Berkeley’s May commencement on Saturday.

“It feels great,” said Sumana Al Gharbi, who graduated with a degree in bioengineering and biomedical engineering. “Berkeley was a place where I had to test myself a lot — it was a very competitive place — but I definitely grew up a lot here. I wouldn’t have grown so much if it weren’t for Berkeley.”

Read more, see photos and watch the commencements speeches