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Home > News > Berkeley Engineering celebrates class of 2023 graduates
An engineering Ph.D. graduate celebrates with loved ones outside Zellerbach Hall following the Class of 2023 Doctoral Commencement .An engineering Ph.D. graduate celebrates with loved ones outside Zellerbach Hall following the Class of 2023 Doctoral Commencement on Thursday, May 18. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)

Berkeley Engineering celebrates class of 2023 graduates

Newest grads aim to ‘serve the greater good’
May 23, 2023 by Marni Ellery

The ranks of 73,000 Berkeley Engineering alumni worldwide are now larger following the college’s 2023 commencement. Berkeley Engineering celebrated graduates over the course of three ceremonies, honoring nearly 2,000 bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degree recipients. Graduates were greeted by cheers — and a few tears — as family and friends celebrated this milestone achievement and capstone to their time at Berkeley.

The baccalaureate and master’s degree ceremonies were held on May 17 at the Hearst Greek Theatre, while the Ph.D. degree recipients were hooded on May 18 at Zellerbach Hall.

Engineering dean Tsu-Jae King Liu commended graduates for navigating rigorous engineering programs while enduring a global pandemic, natural disasters and societal and political upheavals. These experiences, she said, have helped prepare them to tackle “some of the most complex problems of our time” while also instilling the importance of community and compassion.

A bachelor's graduate leaps across stage in the Greek Theatre
A bachelor’s graduate leaps across stage. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Bachelor's graduates wave inside the Greek Theatre.
Bachelor’s graduates wave inside the Greek Theatre. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Bachelor's graduates gather on Maxwell Field.
Bachelor’s graduates gather on Maxwell Field. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
PREP graduates and staff pose for a selfie on Maxwell Field.
PREP graduates and staff pose for a selfie on Maxwell Field. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
Bachelor's graduates process into the Greek Theatre.
Bachelor’s graduates process into the Greek Theatre. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
Family members hold face cutouts of their favorite graduate.
Family members hold face cutouts of their favorite graduate. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
A bachelor's graduate whips a magic wand and stars across the stage.
A bachelor’s graduate whips a magic wand and stars across the stage. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A baccalaureate graduate's mortarboard evokes pop culture nostalgia.
A graduate’s mortarboard evokes pop culture nostalgia. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A bachelor's graduate unfurls a Mexican national flag on stage.
A bachelor’s graduate unfurls a Mexican national flag on stage. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A bachelor's graduate celebrates on stage.
A bachelor’s graduate celebrates on stage. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A graduate barely contains her excitement.
A graduate barely contains her excitement. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A graduate sports blue and yellow footwear.
A graduate sports blue and yellow footwear. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A bachelor's graduate grins walking off stage.
A bachelor’s graduate grins walking off stage. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
Graduates wave to family members in the stands.
Graduates wave to family members in the stands. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Sharicka Zutshi, student speaker for the Class of 2023 Baccalaureate Commencement hugs a classmate on stage.
“Today we are engineers. But we are also the product of the love of our families and friends, the support of our communities and the struggles of our predecessors,” said Sharicka Zutshi, baccalaureate student speaker. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, gives the keynote address during the 2023 Baccalaureate Commencement
“Not only did you persevere through a once-in-a-century pandemic, but you also will forever be known as the last students who actually did their own work before ChatGPT launched,” said keynote speaker Dave Gilboa (B.S.’03 BioE), co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, during the 2023 Baccalaureate Commencement. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
DeCadence A Cappella sings the national anthem
DeCadence A Cappella sings the national anthem to open the baccalaureate commencement. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
The Class of 2023 cheers in the Greek Theatre.
The Class of 2023 cheers in the Greek Theatre. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A graduate's gown doubles as a protest sign reading "Free Palestine".
A graduate’s gown doubles as a protest sign. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A bachelor's graduate bellows on stage.
A bachelor’s graduate bellows on stage. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Graduates gather on Maxwell Field.
Graduates gather on Maxwell Field. (Photo by Noah Berger)
A master's graduate lines up at Maxwell Field.
A master’s graduate lines up at Maxwell Field. (Photo by Noah Berger)
A master's graduate dresses to the occasion.
A master’s graduate dresses to the occasion. (Photo by Noah Berger)
A graduate waves a teddy bear in the Greek Theatre.
A graduate waves a teddy bear in the Greek Theatre. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Master's graduates process into the Greek Theatre.
Master’s graduates process into the Greek Theatre. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A master's graduate's mortarboard references the Britney Spears hit song, "Oops, I Did It Again."
A master’s graduate’s mortarboard references a Britney Spears song. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Barbara Humpton, president and CEO of Siemens Corporation, delivers the keynote address during the Class of 2023 Master's Commencement.
“What I’m here to tell you is that, yes, technology can be cool. It can drive profit and productivity. But its greatest measure will be whether we’re wielding it to do good. Let’s see positively changing the world as our key metric,” said Barbara Humpton, president and CEO of Siemens Corporation, and keynote speaker for the Class of 2023 Master’s Commencement. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A master's graduate waves to the crowd.
A master’s graduate waves to the crowd. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Master's graduates jump for joy on stage.
Master’s graduates jump for joy on stage. (Photo by Noah Berger)
Colby Lim, student speaker, delivers an address for the Class of 2023 Master's Commencement.
“As we venture out of Berkeley and begin to engineer the future, we may face an ethical dilemma and be tempted to take the easy route — keep our heads down, just do the work and stay quiet. Don’t. We built computers to do that. But us? We stand up. We speak out. We fight. Because Berkeley built us better,” said Colby Lim, student speaker for the Class of 2023 Master’s Commencement. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A graduate points to the stands.
A graduate points to the stands. (Photo by Noah Berger)
A master's graduate naps on a friend's shoulder.
A master’s graduate naps on a friend’s shoulder. (Photo by Noah Berger)
Mortarboards are sail through the air following the Master's commencement.
Mortarboards are sail through the air following the Master’s commencement. (Photo by Noah Berger)
Ph.D. graduates and faculty gather outside Zellerbach Hall.
Ph.D. graduates and faculty gather outside Zellerbach Hall. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A Ph.D. graduate sports festive eyewear.
A Ph.D. graduate sports festive eyewear. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Ph.D. graduates and faculty file into Zellerbach Hall.
Ph.D. graduates and faculty file into Zellerbach Hall. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
Alex Moreno Belmares, doctoral student speaker, gets dressed backstage before doctoral commencement.
“At those low points in your life, it is extremely difficult to see a way out of the darkness, but those lifelines are there. Keep your eyes open to them and be ready to grab on tight when offered,” said Alex Moreno Belmares, doctoral student speaker. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A Ph.D. graduate is hooded by a faculty advisor.
A Ph.D. graduate is hooded by a faculty advisor. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
A Ph.D. graduate, left, shoots a selfie while being hooded by civil and environmental engineering professor Scott Moura, right.
A Ph.D. graduate, left, shoots a selfie while being hooded by civil and environmental engineering professor Scott Moura, right. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Materials science and engineering professor Ahmad Omar, left, fist bumps a new Ph.D. graduate.
Materials science and engineering professor Ahmad Omar, left, fist bumps a new Ph.D. graduate. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A Ph.D. graduate is inadvertently blindfolded while being hooded.
A Ph.D. graduate is inadvertently blindfolded while being hooded. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
Collin Parris, senior VP and CTO at GE Digital, delivers the keynote address for doctoral commencement.
“I have this program here with all of your names in it. I’m going to keep it because I cannot wait to see what journeys of change you each take and how you affect history,” said Collin Parris, senior VP and CTO at GE Digital, and keynote speaker for doctoral commencement. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
Ph.D. graduates receive a standing ovation the audience inside Zellerbach Hall.
Ph.D. graduates receive a standing ovation the audience inside Zellerbach Hall. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A Ph.D. graduate poses for a selfie.
A Ph.D. graduate poses for a selfie. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)
A child clings to her father's graduation tassel.
A child clings to her father’s graduation tassel. (Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
A faculty member zips away from commencement on a unicycle.
A faculty member zips away from commencement on a unicycle. (Photo by Adam Lau/Berkeley Engineering)

“Engineers are known as doers; we are regularly called upon to use our knowledge and skills to solve problems and innovate new solutions,” said Liu. “As Berkeley engineers, you also carry with you the ethos of our public university, to serve the greater good.”

Keynote speakers were Dave Gilboa (B.S.’03 BioE), co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, for the baccalaureate ceremony; Barbara Humpton, president and CEO of Siemens Corporation, for the master’s ceremony; and Colin Parris (M.S.’87, Ph.D.’94 EECS), senior vice president and chief technology officer at GE Digital, for the doctoral ceremony. They shared with graduates some hard-earned wisdom and a key piece of advice: measure your success by the positive impact you have on an ever-changing world.

Parris shared his belief in the promise that these Berkeley engineers have to direct this change they see in the world into a force for good. “I have this program here with all of your names in it,” he said. “I’m going to keep it because I cannot wait to see what journeys of change you each take and how you affect history.”

The keynote speakers also touched on the opportunities as well as the challenges that AI, including ChatGPT, presents to today’s engineers. This was a sentiment echoed by student speaker Coby Lim (MEng ’23 CEE) at the master’s commencement.

Lim spoke to the ways AI is shaping our world and the importance of developing engineers who will fight to ensure that technology is used responsibly. He pointed to the recent presidential election in the Philippines, his home country, as an example of how AI-driven misinformation campaigns can be used to corrupt systems and minds.

“If you want to build ethical technology that benefits mankind, you must first build ethical engineers,” said Lim. “And engineering is about more than just answering, or programming or solving — like a computer. It’s also about questioning, challenging and reimagining — things AI could never do. This is why we went to Berkeley.”

Other student speakers were Alex Moreno Belmares (Ph.D.’23 EECS) and Sharicka Zutshi (B.S.’23 BioE). Belmares emphasized the importance of not letting our past failures define us, while Zutshi focused on Berkeley engineers’ sense of deeper purpose.

While reflecting on her undergraduate years at Berkeley, Zutshi pointed out the ways that constant change has proved to be a positive force, opening the door to possibilities and challenging this new crop of engineers to become innovators, pioneers and disruptors. “What makes a Berkeley graduate unique is doing all of that with a passion for public service,” she said.

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