The Class of 2026 Embraces a Future of Discovery

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• Sara Bock - [email protected]
• Catherine Poland - [email protected]

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As graduates streamed onto RIMAC Field for All Campus Commencement on June 13, cheers echoed across the crowd, cameras flashed and proud families settled into their seats. For members of UC San Diego's Class of 2026, the moment marked the culmination of years spent pursuing answers - and the beginning of new questions still to come.

It was a message that resonated throughout an evening filled with celebration, reflection and anticipation for the journeys ahead.

During the ceremony, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla; Nobel Prize-winning immunologist and UC San Diego alumnus Fred Ramsdell '83; and six student speakers encouraged graduates to embrace curiosity, pursue new possibilities and move forward with confidence, even when the answers aren't immediately clear.

"You leave this campus with something very powerful," Khosla said. "You have the courage to turn curiosity into discovery, and you have the knowledge to turn ideas into action."

That message was embodied by Ramsdell - the evening's keynote speaker - who transformed a question that was sparked at UC San Diego into a discovery that changed the field of immunology.

A community college transfer student who graduated from UC San Diego in 1983 with a degree in biochemistry and cell biology, Ramsdell returned to campus just months after receiving the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Speaking to graduates, he reflected on a journey that began in classrooms like theirs and ultimately led to Stockholm - a future he never could have imagined when he was a student at UC San Diego.

Rather than presenting success as the result of a carefully mapped plan, Ramsdell described a career shaped by curiosity, risk-taking, tenacity, adaptability and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. Scientific progress, he noted, often comes from being wrong, learning from failure and remaining open to unexpected opportunities.

"My path was definitely not linear. There were lots of things that were out of my control," Ramsdell said. "But my intention throughout my scientific and professional life has always been to try to do something that was interesting and potentially useful."

Throughout his remarks, Ramsdell encouraged graduates to pursue what intrigues them, remain resilient when plans change and focus less on achieving a predetermined destination than on how they respond to life's inevitable twists and turns.

The ceremony also featured the presentation of the UC San Diego Medal, one of the campus's highest honors, to Ramsdell. Awarded just 17 times since its creation in 1987, the medal recognizes individuals whose accomplishments reflect extraordinary service and achievement.

"You don't have to be an extraordinary person to have an extraordinary life," he said.

"Discovery isn't just about research," said Ghevondyan. "It's about identity. It's about community. It's about courage."

Vo offered a similar message, encouraging graduates to remain open to uncertainty and lifelong learning.

"Being a Triton isn't about having the answers," he said. "It's about being willing to ask better questions."

The evening began with a performance of the national anthem by graduating student Fiore B. Madrid Georgianna, who earned degrees in music and anthropology. A professional musician who performs regularly throughout San Diego, she balanced coursework, work and family responsibilities as a parent while pursuing her education.

Reflecting on the milestone ahead of All Campus Commencement, she described the achievement in simple terms.

"Oh my gosh, I did it. I did it," she said. "I'm just so happy that it's actually here."

Serving as the centerpiece of a weekend filled with commencement ceremonies and celebrations across campus, All Campus Commencement brought together the newest Triton alumni for a collective moment of reflection and achievement. While the evening's speakers encouraged graduates to embrace discovery and the questions that lie ahead, the night was also a celebration of how far they had already come. Degrees were conferred, tassels were turned and the newest Triton alumni stepped into their next chapter surrounded by mentors and loved ones who helped them get there.

For many graduates, that next chapter is already taking shape.

Bryant Yanase, who earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Revelle College, is excited about ultimately working in aerospace engineering and is currently looking for a job.

For him, UC San Diego "definitely taught me some very valuable life lessons," he said. "I learned through my failures and success, and it taught me how to reach out if I needed help."