[Music] University of Washington is one of
the most beautiful college campuses in the country. More than 45,000 students attend classes and more than 120
majors today some 6,700+ graduates will graduate with bachelor's master's and doctoral degrees
and they will do it like never before hello everyone I'm Erin Mayovski and I'm Gaard Swanson
we want to welcome viewers here in the United States and get this across the globe because
the UW has students from literally just about everywhere except maybe Antarctica that's
pretty cool and that's why today's commencement ceremony is unlike any other Gaard because
today is the first ever virtual graduation at the UW students spent their final quarter
this year completing their degrees with online classes due to the corona virus pandemic yeah
it's been such a crazy year but as you will learn over the next hour there will be many
UW traditions including caps and gowns and a full processional for the graduates we'll
give you a sneak peak in a preview of how that will happen a little bit later in the
show but first we need all of your help today to make this ceremony as special as possible
for our graduates we have a full team of social media experts who are ready and already working
to bring you into our program are you having a graduation event today we're calling them
watch parties and if you're celebrating we want to see it we want to hear your shout
out your congratulations and of course all the cheering take a look at some of the watch
parties already in full swing all right there will be a lot of husky grad parties around
the world today around the world that's so cool and speaking of Husky graduates right
here yep that's me I know you went to San Diego State but it's fun being here on campus I've
had such a great time look at me there Oh a young Erin that's with my brother he graduated
shorecrest high school the same year I graduated and there are some of my friends that day
was so special you can see they've circled me to find me edged a little bit shorter hair
I think I just got in the TV business and I cut it for that anchor bob and we went around
campus all day long and we just hung out took pictures enjoyed the scenery walk the campus
not realizing that this is really gonna be the last time we were on the campus as students
so we finally celebrated finishing school it felt so great but I didn't realize Gaard
how much I would really miss this campus life so well you know what fun - because we've
been rehearsing the last couple of days for the show and when we walk on campus you're
always showing me oh that's where I had a class oh that's where I met some friends over
here so there's there's so many memories even when you come back and between the communications
department pushes my major the athletic department I played soccer and working back for University
of Washington here at UWTV it's been great to be connected and I know so many people
feel that way and I love telling you about all the new places and things and all the
great buildings that popped up on campus I wish I could have graduated here I'm just
not that smart to get in well in the 159 year history of the University of Washington there
has never been a graduation like this one today and there probably was no graduation
ceremony back then like this one because graduating classes consisted of just one woman back in
1867 her name was Clara Antonneter McCarty Wilt and she graduated with a bachelor's degree
in science yeah McCarty Hall on the UW campus up the road here is named after Clara and
you can imagine that student life was much different back then of course than what it
is now with so many people on campus yeah but again nothing like what's happening now
in 2020 the UW administrator who knows a lot about that as vice president for a student
life Denzil Suite and welcome aboard Mr. Suite how's everything going happy to be here oh
me too I'm, we're glad you're here so tell us a little bit about I would imagine
that you never ever dreamed of that the UW students would have to graduate like this
I I never did and you know we we know the graduation is by far our favorite time of
the year and it represents the culmination of the hard work of our of our students but
it also represents the collective effort of all of us the faculty and staff who have helped
students are achieved this dream and so the decision to go online certainly was a difficult
one but we think it was the right one given the continued presence of covid 19 and the
lack of a vaccine and you know graduation attracts 50 or 60,000 people in close proximity
including parents grandparents time's great-grandparents so there really wasn't a way for us to to
do this safety but our commitment is for the this class next year if they want to walk
in person they'll have the opportunity to do so that's pretty cool and now I know you'll
go see a ton like the housing food services activities recreational sports has it been
tough for those students have you talked to them had conversations about what it really
means what happened right now and what's going on yeah you know the best part of my job is
that I speak to students everyday and what they tell us actually is that they have appreciated
the fact that we've continued to offer these multiple ways of them being engaged with the
University because it recognizes the multi-dimensional nature of the of their lives the alums similarly
tell us frequently as they reflect on their college experience they really appreciated
the excellent in classroom education but they also feel they learned as much as maybe at
times more from the experiences outside the classrooms like becoming involved in clubs
and organizations interacting with individual write with different backgrounds and and just
developing leadership skills that's so cool well thank you Denzil Suite so much for being
here with us today and to help us make this ceremony and tradition very special for everyone
my pleasure indeed thank you for having yeah thank you so much for proud of everybody here
thank you alright today's graduates are facing the same challenges to get their diplomas
as they did finishing up their classes yeah the question was how to hold a traditional
UW commencement ceremony during a time of social distancing seems a bit strange won't
let you go we are married so that's what we're doing maths so we hope that today's commencement
ceremony will not only give everyone a feeling of kind of togetherness and being there but
push the boundaries of Technology for this first-of-a-kind virtual graduation so
here's a quick peek at the making of the little some of the parts of how this program got
put together yeah it really is amazing the amount of people that is taken to put this on and all these programmers and these social media gurus that we have here at that you
double it's amazing I can't wait to see the program that one is about an hour away the
procession yeah it's gonna be really neat and different and cool to see everyone in
the same cap and gown actually so it's virtual commencement day so for all those who are
graduating I want to know are you wearing your cap and gown yeah and did you decorate
your mortarboard and most importantly did you enter the cap decorating contest presented
by the UW daily I hope you did it's too late to enter now but it's not too late to vote
for your favorite cap take a look at some of the caps that many grads decorated for
today's ceremony it is just a great tradition here and there are always some super creative
designs I mean look at all the look at how it takes time to do this these are just absolutely
beautiful so all you have to do to vote is just go to the DailyUW on Instagram and pick
your favorite cap may the best cap win and I hear there are prizes again all you have
to do is go to the @DailyUW on instagram to vote cool I love the one that said and
this is where it starts 2020 all right we have much more to bring you this afternoon
before our UW commencement starts that's right we told you this is the first time all three
UW campuses will participate in commencement together we'll talk with chancellors from
both UW Bothell and Tacoma we'll also go behind the scenes to show you how some super-secret
parts of today's ceremony were created we'll hear from you dubs student-athlete who not
only had their senior year turned upside down in the classroom but also missed their entire
sports season and for all those graduating today will go back four years ago to your
very first day as a UW student and hear what words of wisdom you received as a bright-eyed
teenager when the purple carpet continues [Music] I give my shout out to my family and
to my family here and to my husband yeah shout out UW grads that's 2020 shout out UWT PC16 let's have a great future [Music] [ Cheering ] [Music] now message specifically is especially for today's graduates today we will remember you
wherever you are do you remember where you were though back on September 25th 2016 yeah
few years ago most Seattle students were at an Alaska Airlines Arena for freshman convocation
and what's become a husky tradition let's go back to that first day of college and a
warm welcome from Ed Taylor the vice provost and Dean of undergraduate academic affair you have done well parents grandparents brothers sisters and loved ones here are a few things
about this incoming class that make you kind of distinct over 43,000 applicants to the
University of Washington six thousand six hundred and twenty eight or in your class
fifty-three percent of you are female 47 percent of you are male that I don't know what that
means but that's just a fact your average GPA like last year's incoming class three
point seven eight but that's not what got you into the University of Washington it may
well have been how you treated your grandmother how you treated your neighbor how you treated
your auntie or your teachers for that matter like professor Janes you have some things
in common there are 68 Emily's in your class but only one Emily right there in the corner
with that lovely pink hair from Charles Wright Academy wave to him Emily there you are there
are 50 Sarah's there are 37 Emma's there are 35 Rachel's and one Elizabeth hacker camp
Elizabeth raise your hand yesterday I happen to see you when the cleaners cleaning your
ROTC uniform because you're going to serve Elizabeth thank you for serving and keep dancing
if you do say keep dancing proud parents at least six Brooks but only one brookie from
Kirkland daughter of Keith and Monica is one Xiao Qiang there's one Amira ray there was
one Noah in this group parents right behind you welcome Noah fifty-eight Michael's 57
Andrews but only one Andrew who goes by Tiger forty-one Ryan's 41 Daniels one Rodrigo and
one Yao in this class there are over 4,000 students from the state of Washington many
of you are close to home as I mentioned your school feel free to applaud if I miss you
school feel free to frown at me and talk to me afterwards 106 students from Newport 98
from Bothell 89 from Skyline 87 from Bellevue 73 from Issaquah 71 for inner lake one student
comes to us all clean from Soap Lake one from zillow one from forks one from Neah Bay ten
Port Angeles kids join us 57 students from Franklin joined 55 from Garfield you're no
longer rivals you are your brother and sisters keepers now 57 from Davis High School in
Yakima Valley 46 and Federal Way high school 3 from Naches Valley High School three kids
from mossy Rock I met two of you through the weekend I can't wait to meet the third 132
seven students from Spokane High School's one from Chief Leschi and Puyallup 28 juanita
high school 28 chief self international 28 from Bainbridge High School four of you four
of you for home schools let's hear it for the home schoolers you are from Seattle Central
College you've transferred you are from Bellevue college you're from Green River Community
College let's hear it for our transfers yes over over 700 of you and a whole bunch in
here from my home state of California one piece of advice dude get an umbrella soon
get an umbrella so this one quacks me up over 100 students waddled across the Oregon border
and are now University of Washington Huskies it's a special applause for the 15 bold and
brave who came in search of gold and purple came from Pullman high school followed their
heart follow the beloved lights left Pullman and are now Huskies one student from Sudan
run from Bangkok China over 500 students from China 78 students from India one from Cameroon
from South Korea you're from Taiwan you're from Malaysia 31 students said goodbye to
mom and dad at the koala Lumpur Airport and made their way to Seattle 23 from Canada from
Thailand from Indonesia Singapore Saudi Arabia 11 students from Japan said goodbye to Grandma
on the Tokyo Airport and you're here all right well we want to thank Ed Taylor vice provost
and Dean of academics he's always so cool Gaard isn't he well you know what I like the
best about him because sometimes when you think of college professors you might think
they're a little little sorry up a little too much not all of them but he has so much
energy and he's exactly what he fits perfectly with the UW yeah he's someone who you definitely
want to see when you first step on the campus to campus to kind of calm your nerves because
it is a bit nerve-wracking it keeps everything a little bit loose especially at graduation
yeah for sure well earlier we gave you a behind-the-scenes look at how today's virtual graduation will
feature all three UW campuses this is the first time ever that will have everyone combined
into one commencement ceremony yeah this is pretty cool and in 1990 was a big year for
the UW because that's when both UW Bothell and UW Tacoma were founded this is really cool stuff
we're excited to have the chancellor of UW Tacoma with us today and we are so happy
here and this is Chancellor Mark Pagano thank you for joining us on the purple carpet
thank you for having me so I have to ask you this right out of the gate when you look back
at winter and you look back at spring did you ever think we'd be going through this
kind of pandemic it's you know especially with college students and now we're graduating
oh not not ever could you think this I was thinking through that and if you sit down
for exercise to try to design the most Awkward strange way to have the quarters I don't think
you could have dreamed this up yeah just crazy and just such a huge impact though on everyone
and not only the UW Tacoma tell us about that yes it was a really a big impact and I would
be lying if I didn't say it threw us for a loop we weren't prepared for this obviously
so it happened very quickly and one of the things we tried to do is just look to our
values what we were about in Tacoma and then respond based on that we learn to do things
online very quickly and I asked our campus we learned how to do a YouTube live streaming
video Town Hall and it did that and I asked for campus don't worry about the things you
can't control yeah worry about the things you can control and one thing I used to tell
my son when he was freaking out going to kindergarten is just think about the next few minutes and
then the next hour right today we'll take care of one thing at a time if you think through
the whole thing you'll drive yourself nuts and when you think how nutty and crazy and
all the weirdness with the pandemic and especially now here at the University of Washington in
Tacoma and Bothell it's still it's still special don't you think for all three campuses oh
it is special it's and it's because of the people you know our campus was founded I like
to say our campus was founded by the community it's of the community and for the community
of the South Puget Sound were there for them so it's been special to be able to help our
community and to see how the community stepped up and helped our students get through this
we're all in this together like the president says together we will yeah yeah for sure and
this is a really fun day for you not only because we're bringing everyone together we
can hear some of the cheers around now and as the rain comes down but what makes this
extremely special for you well I think I know we're referring to but my stepson is graduating
today - oh no no ever since we moved to Tacoma in 2015 my wife and I have really been looking
forward to him finishing at UW Tacoma and me personally handing him his diploma and
you know that's not happening today on the ceremony there listening and Kelly and Roman
are there so family Roman for listening in but we're gonna do it in our front yard I'm
actually going to keep my stuff on and we're gonna go home and we're gonna have a another
commencement in our front yard even if it's rain your whole family for yeah no problem
there is so many watch parties so you're saying hi to everyone around the world you'll hear more r from the Chancellor a little bit later during the ceremony so if you want to see
him just stay tuned and so although this will be the first combined ceremonies and the first
virtual commencement one thing still remains consistent Gaard and that is how proud the
Husky tradition is take a look graduation Graduation history runs deep back in 1861 the UW was
known then as the territorial university of washington graduation was the goal recruiting
students was a bigger challenge there were no students no no really no college level
students the first president of the university asa mercer hired a couple of Indians got
in a canoe and canoed up and down Puget Sound from Bellingham to Olympia visiting logging
camps to get students it's sort of symbolic of that idea of you of setting a star high
goal you know for the graduates I think we have a university here and the most unlikely
of circumstances six month into the civil war that here it is the school struggled at
first closing three times but 15 years later with the courage and strength of founding
members the UW had its first graduate Clara Antoinette McCarty wilt earning a bachelor's
degree in science we don't know what the ratings are and the UW has graduated a myriad of celebrities
in 1995 Joel McHale star of NBC's community and the host of the soup on the e network
earned a bachelor's degree in history and later a master's in acting and let's not forget
about Tom Foley former Speaker of the House or what about musician Kenny G [Music] well
there's a lot of tradition packed in tonight a hundred and fifty nine years of this great
institution in Seattle and that next year marks the 20th anniversary of the UW campus
on the east side of Lake Washington so well you know did you know there are announced
some 6,000 students attending college at UW Bothell Gaard I did not know that all right
well the man who oversees this growing campus and it's 55 degree programs as Chancellor
Wolf Yeigh and we'd like to welcome you today for being here with us we're in a tent it's
it's nice for social distancing if you like to talk to you so thanks Erin yeah so
let's talk a little bit about you being the Chancellor how difficult was it for you and
your campus this year with this pandemic that's going on continually well you know this has
been a really really difficult year for everyone especially our graduating seniors and but
through it all they you know they they persevered and they made things happen they got through
a very difficult Spring Quarter when and also they work to bring the celebration out rather
than you be hampered by the pandemic and now we are students but our faculty and staff
we made this happen also I know they're exhausted but this is a moment of celebration and we're
really grateful for that that's why you've been thinking about what what's the message
that you kind of relayed to them first when they're starting and then is there a silver
lining throughout all this at the end well you know we are going to have our in-person
walk graduation next year for our class of 2020 but you know let's take a moment to recognize
our achievements of our students and those who help them get to where they are now and
so taking a moment to enjoy and we'll have our pomp and circumstance in a formal pretty
person way next year and that's what we would get to wait for yeah we have about 20 seconds
I know you're you are proud of everybody down at your University and I think it's just incredible
tell me why in a nutshell why you're so proud of everyone you know we Gaard we have a very
diverse class and we have students who have overcome so much in their in their four years
at UW Bothell and just being able to get through mm-hmm and especially when you have this pandemic
monkey wrench thrown at it at you know in your last quarter last year right and overcoming
that it's a tremendous achievement so to UW Bothell students to our faculty our staff
congratulations this is your day and thank you for what you have accomplished and we're
really really proud of you Thank You Chancellor and everyone is proud of you because you said
a monkey wrench and you've handled it like a true professional and I'm sure everyone
is proud of you as well thank you we appreciate you being here today thanks so much yeah well
I had today well hear from the UW Alumni Association they have a very special gift
for today's graduates plus what happens to your graduation gown after today we'll tell
you how to go green and recycle it yeah it's a pretty cool story so stay tuned for that
the Husky band will join us for a virtual you dope fight song that's pretty cool it's something
you don't want to miss and we'll be right back with more purple carpet after we take
a look at some of the watch parties and celebrations around the world [Music] I just want to say thank you too all of my friends and family especially ones who weren't able to come out but I wanted to say that i feel all your love and support all the same thank you so much for everything you've been able to give me thank you i'd like to give a shout out to my wonderful wife Deborah and my advisor Patrick Tobin and staff and leadership at the UW botanic gardens [ Music ] oh hi everybody welcome back to commencement 2020 and our purple carpet program yeah it's
been a fun day so far here virtually and if you can remember Gaard the first purple
carpet was way back we say way back in 2014 we named it because we wanted to kind of be
that kind of special red carpet show but of course we're all purple here at the UW yeah
in fact normally we have a purple carpet on our set just to make us all feel like we're
at home but that purple carpet is now over at the virtual side over here about a hundred
yards from us all right let's switch it up a little bit now today's students have called
the UW home for at least four years and many of you watching today are still calling home
because the UW has one of the top alumni associations in the country we had the opportunity to talk
with the head of the UWAA and hear about a special surprise for today's grads UWAA
executive director Paul Rucker thank you so much for being here with us today so thank
you it's a pleasure yeah for sure what is your message today to all the UW graduates
who had a senior year that's been like no other it's been somewhat lost but we're still
here we are still here just like the university's been here for over 150 years just a warm welcome
to the tremendous graduates of the class of 2020 we couldn't be more proud to welcome
them into the Alumni family hey let me ask you this the UWAA numbers are big I did
read somewhere that seventy-five percent of graduates here at the UW actually stay in
state and that certainly has to help your membership right it is this extraordinary
we've got a half a million graduates of the University and about 75% of right here in
the state of Washington and beyond that we've just got such a vibrant membership community
about 60,000 members in this class of 2020 over 6,000 of them to join the Association
and we're just thrilled and you know what I like about a time like this is even though
it is tough times out there difficult situations people are still pulling together and that's
kind of what the University of Washington does to be purple and gold but we understand
that you also have a gift from the Union waa to all the grad it's today that's right for
every graduating student of the class of 2020 we've got a complimentary gift membership
in the Alumni Association students just need to go online and opt in we're seeing thousands
of students do it and we're just so excited to welcome them into the family hey before
we go let me ask you this question what are you most proud about when you look at your
members they're all they're all Huskies they're all doing greatest anxiety and in the community
what what are you most proud about you know I think what I'm most proud about is the impact
that our graduates make not just locally but across the world it's really the local roots
and global reach the values the skills the ways that our graduates contribute to society
it's just remarkable to see the impact at the University of Washington well it's just
such a cool thing I know I'm an alumni and I love the connection and right when you get
out you feel like it's not a hard stop you're still a husky for life but we appreciate you
being the executive director of the UWAA and joining us today because it's just a thrill
to kind of have the purple and gold still run through my thank you so much for joining
us Paul you bet take care of go Huskies go Dawgs I love that guys so much energy rocking
it good as husky colors the purple on him and he's just such a good person any museum
I says go Huskies right oh yeah for sure all right moving on for all of you graduates watching
today one thing is certain by the end of today you'll all become UW alumni well which
is true it's a true testament to all the hard work and dedication long hours that you lived
through during your career as a college student it's tough but so what's next yeah for all
of you for that we spent some time earlier with a group of UW graduates who are all ready
to share some of their wisdom joining us now are two alumni of the Year winners from UW Bothell
and a former alumni of the year from UW Tacoma who was joined by her son who just so happens
to be graduating today what a cool thing Philma Marie Fontanella if we can start with you
when did you graduate from UW Tacoma 2007 okay so not too long ago but just enough time
so why don't you tell us what made you to decide to attend UW Tacoma and with a son
graduating you're still involved with him aren't you I would hope so I I attended UW
Tacoma because at that time you'd have Tacoma was a upperclassman campus I was transferring
from Pierce College and looking to enter the field I did I was split between entering in
the sciences or education but I also liked the location have you have Tacoma being in
the middle of a city yeah and an opportunity to learn more about where I live because I've
lived here most of my life but never really got to explore what downtown Tacoma was like
and it was um I appreciated like a lot of the architecture of the buildings in the history
that came in there so it was a great experience yeah it really is a cool campus all right
let's go to Jaylin now you're gonna graduate today did have him as an alumnus help with
your school choice I'm sure she was prodding a little bit right oh absolutely she was mentioning
earlier she used to work for the College Success foundation so I grew up around high school
and college students all the time it was an environment I was pretty well accustomed to
so kind of following her footsteps didn't seem seem too crazy it's kind of a no-brainer
for me what does it feel like just to be a husky you are a husky for life my friend man
it's pretty awesome it's crazy because a lot of my friends are actually cougs but okay
you know I gotta represent still no that's great oh that's good and Philma you're the current
alumni of the year congratulations I'm shocked it's really hard for me there I don't know
um I guess that's great because it's a legacy for my family I'm obviously to have my son
there but it keeps me connected to my local roots so yeah thank you it's a special bond
all around that's real cool so let's turn to Priya and David from UW Bothell you both
graduated in 2011 and are now alumni of the year for this year so start with you Frank
let's tell us about the connection between you and David Priya yes so David and I went
we're in the cohort together which was awesome and actually afterwards we did a couple of
different projects in the community together I curated art at a lounge in the University
District called lucid and David was the first artist that I worked with a some time and
we did a pop-up art show with his photography which to this day is still so near and dear
to my heart so that's so cool I call you three or Frank I got two names in there oh yeah
absolutely well David what does it mean to you to be chosen for this alumni of the year
oh it's a huge honour and though it was just a big surprise and it you know UW Bothell is like a nice welcoming family and so it's just sort of a nice recognition to know that I'm
still connected and they still know that I exist and I'm part of the family oh yeah that
is so sweet all right as alumni what message do each of you want to send to the graduates
today and Philma let's start with you one once your husky you're always a husky and
second I think it's always important to stand up for others and represent the hardships
that others sacrificed for us to get here so the legacy of being a husky is important
and we gotta keep going yeah for sure how about you Priya um I would say that being
able to carry on in the footsteps of those that came before us and to really honor incredible
leaders in the community around equity and social justice and I think that you know Bothell
really centers those values as well and so to be able to hold on to those no matter what
your path takes you I think being able to center yourself and to continue fighting for
equity and social justice from whatever you know place you're at is essential to the work
and essential to what it means to be a husky all right let's go to you David what are your
thoughts my message would just be to find your passion and stick with it and you might
not know what it is right now or you might not know next year but take your time and
stick with that and I would also say black lives matter absolutely especially right now
no question about it well how about you Jalen yeah well it was a great question I just wanted
to it remind me of a Black Student Union event where I introduced a theme of juxtaposition
and all that really means is just to be something else than what people would assume you are
what you look like so just like what David said that black lives matter any people of
color just try to redefine what people want to put these titles on you just try to redefine
yourself don't let people judge you and put these ramifications on you that end up dictating
your life and where you want to go so me myself I just try to read redefine myself every day
there is no definition for being black anybody who's black can make that definition themselves
yeah I just keep pushing forward and make a better future for all of us yes such great
points we're also proud of you for and the rest of the graduates today thank you yeah
make it better I think that hits everybody doesn't it it for sure does and it was great
to talk to them and hear their stories and the connection oh yeah a great group of people
well it is no secret that the University of Washington is the leader in sustainability
but did you know that going green is a big part of today's commencement I didn't know
that until we did a story on this this is a really cool ceremony gown which everyone
will be wearing but yes it's for the graduates and they'll have it on it will be really cool
but you don't know what makes it green what makes it green yes they're all made from plastic
bottles collected from right here at the UW the plastic is shredded washed and converted
into fibers and then those fibers they become material that the UW commencement gowns are
created from it's a pretty cool experience to see how these are made it's the best news
is that the graduation is over the gowns you know you don't have to hang them up in your
closet you can drop them into a recycling container and they can be recycled all over
again to start the process yeah and when you actually feel this if it's comfortable it
feels like it's breathable it's soft it's like a plastic bottle yeah I feel like I still
might have mine mine's not recyclable but who knows we'll see well Washington's governor
has a message and congratulations for all it today's graduates that's still ahead and
coming our way plus Gaard will go behind the scenes for an inside look at how Dubs will
be included in this commencement there's Dubs right there and what's this are you kidding
me sports highlights on grad day we're gonna meet two husky student athletes who represent
a ton of athletes who never got to play this year more purple carpet is just ahead on commencement
day 2020 [Music] just thank you to all my family my mom for being one of my biggest
supporters all the faculty at UWT all the friends that I made a long my journey at UWT I appreciate them all and we're all a part of my family thank you so much for being there
for me I appreciate it [Music] [ Cheering ] [ Music ] Governor Jay Inslee here hey here's a big
congratulations to everyone in the class of 2020 I know a virtual ceremony probably isn't
how you pictured this day but you're the first class to do this in Washington State history
and I'd like to say how proud I am of you as are your families and your teachers and
your principles and your professors you've displayed incredible flexibility and dedication
and you've shown rock-solid resilience that's going to come in real handy for you in the
years to come because you've shown you've got what it takes you've also helped save
lives across our state so enjoy this day and always remember what your mom told you wash
your hands By the way a husky grad I might add yeah yeah all right with graduates watching
from six continents the Office of Ceremonies wanted to remind us we're all part of this
and we're all part of the community and that's just what happened so when commencement begins
you'll be treated to a magical open thanks to our very own Dubs and a team of animators here's a sneak peek for you [Music] we would not be able to make this piece we're making probably
15 years ago 20 years ago you know it could only be done nowadays I mean this kind of
an unprecedented amazing situation graduation is a big deal so we came up with a concept
that will show connection and unity even all these people are spread out all over the world
so we knew that we had access to Dubs and we could film him yeah a little shout out
to Dubs' lead trainer Annalise it was a really fun process once we get boarded it
out and we kind of had a basic idea of what some of those actions are gonna be we sort
of knew what we're kind of going for try some the actions let's see what happens there we'll
just watch then we work with Annalise and we have these sort of zoom training sessions
where just like this on zoom we'll watch Annalise kind of try some of the different things out
with Dubs amazing and so we would kind of work out which kind of motions Dubs actually can
do and then sort of adjust our storytelling based on what we learned from that and then
we did a shoot the end of the day it will just bring a smile to everyone's face and
then we have yes CGI animation so our CG animators bring it to life in a 3D space we see how
the entire community is still connected even though everyone's spread throughout the globe
we really want that feeling of unity and connectivity community to come through that a community
is bigger than just a physical plant that everybody said and Dubs is amazing and can do
probably better trained than any dog down here in Hollywood that we've ever worked with
I was just say that [ Music ] you gotta love Dubs so what is Dubs doing today he's actually
having his own commencement watch party this afternoon yeah we had a chance to talk with
Team Dubs a little earlier today so let's get right into that and take a look Thank you so much for being with us today this is so cool to have Dubs on not only Dubs but you guys
and Annalise what kind of want to start with you since you're the trainer absolutely so
my name is Annalise Nelson I'm a UW grad of 2014 and I am the trainer and organizer
of the student handlers yeah and then Sonya hi I'm Sonya and I am graduating today with
my bachelor's degree in education I'm Riley I'm also graduating today with my bachelor's
in business and I'm Kristen and I'm graduating today with my master's in architecture Wow
so nice to have you guys on board so tell me a little bit about this dog his personality
he is so cute he is so much fun to be around he always just lights up a room everyone loves
him one of my favorite things about Dub's is how how many smiles he brings so anywhere
on the field everyone's like following us and loves to take pictures with him and say
hi and it's just just always fun to bring joy to everybody you know speaking of making
everyone smile he's making a smile and I can only assume that it helps get you through
your college days during the hard times can he talk to us today do you think Dubs knows when it's like when
it's game time it's crunch time he's got to start performing especially like at an Apple
Cup anytime we go down the tunnel towards the field he just picks up the pace and we
are he's pulling us and we're going especially when we get ready to run the football team
out of the tunnel he is Heights he knows that that's his spot and that's his moment so that
is so nice so cool and Dubs is the 14th live mascot and he's Dubs number two right
correct all right thank you so much for joining us ladies and a he's having its own party
his own watch party I guess we could call it a watchdog party right here at the University
of Washington yeah the UW would not be the same if Dubs wasn't a part of it right this
mascot across the world yeah all right we're just a few minutes away from the start of
the 2020 UW commencement ceremony and as we have been telling you today is the first ever
virtual graduation but not everyone will be coming to you from a computer screen Gaard
we're joined now by UW President Ana Mari Cauce say live with us here in person you've
been here every year with us and absolutely this is just a great experience I would not
have missed it that's right first year well first tell us you know you already have a
lot to deal with as being the president of a big university system how about this whole
pandemic what's going on in the world right now and managing all this to make this happen
today well it's been a year like no other that is unquestionable but we have not only
the very best mascot we have we have the very best faculty staff and students in the country
we have faculty staff and students that are leading the fight against covid it is hard
to turn on the TV set and not see a UW expert on the TV we also have faculty staff and students
that are on the front line of working on the racial pandemic and the racial strife that
we've had in this country for much too long and the university absolutely has a commitment
to be a leader in fighting both you know I'm glad you said that president because I watch
a lot of CNN MSNBC I'll switch it over to Fox News and it doesn't matter what side you
are on this pandemic UW is always right in the middle of it and I love when I turn on
the television I see a you do professor explaining very difficult topics in layman's terms and
that is very difficult to do and that certainly has to make you proud knowing that the UW
is front and center for the globe on this thing well it's interesting about five years
ago everyone was calling on me to have a vision statement and you know a lot of them are about
that long and I came up with a very simple vision I want us to be the very top public
university in the world in terms of impact and what that means is taking these this very
basic research it's very hard to understand that sometimes seems very far away like how
could this possibly be useful we all sat in calculus class and wondered and now we're
reading exponential curves you know how could you take this knowledge across this university
across so many disciplines put it together and make a difference in the world and right
now you're seeing how we have impact well you are making a difference in the world with
the UW and the technology and everything that's gone on here was there ever question your
mind with this technology now we're going virtual that commencement may not happen did
that run across your mind sure I mean I'll be honest from day to day I don't know whether
tomorrow's gonna happen everybody feels that way we go forward and we plan and when it's
there we keep on going you are doing a terrific job here at the UW the Huskies are lucky to
have you I'm lucky this is my home and I love every part of my job Ana Mari Cauce president
thank you so much for being with your each and every year and making this the coolest
experience to be virtually live first time ever yeah thank you definitely six feet apart
right you that it's not too late to vote for the most creative graduation cap design I
love this part of it the contest is presented by the UW Daily and it is one of the greatest
traditions to decorate your cap look at all what they say Gaard it has some great little
quotes and sayings and thank you to mom and dad these are just some of the designs that
have been submitted and you can vote you can just go to the DailyUW on Instagram and pick
your favorite cap the winner just might be you oh man that's that's a tough one there's
too many great ones out there I think so much time and effort they're all winners to me
you all right all right coming up there are the students who also managed bean NCAA athletes
today is graduation day for dozens of UW team members we're going to meet two of those coming
up in just a and what would athletes view without the Husky band right a zoom video
performance like no other is coming up as we countdown to commencement here on the purple
carpet [Music] shoutout to my mom, my dad, my brother I wanna thank you my family especially for my husband he gave me
a lot of support to finish up these degrees and I'm really proud to be UW husky [Music] [ Cheering ] [ Music ] [ Husky Band Music } we have
talked about what a strange and stressful spring it has been for UW students they
had no in person classes and in most cases they haven't even been on campus in three
months and I can't even imagine that if you're a husky as student athlete it may be even
a little worse every winter and spring sport had it season canceled and for many athletes
that meant never playing another college game again and two of those athletes are UW
baseball player Nick Roberts and UW softball player Kaia Gibson and thanks to
both of you for joining us today you're both wearing your commencement cap and gowns gotta
love that kind of let's start with you and tell us about your major in your career in
your plans so I'm an education major it's education communities and organizations and
I'm actually going to spend another here another year here at the University of Washington
I'm getting my masters and playing another softball season that's cool I got a love to
hear that especially under coach R so that's a really cool thing for you yeah all right
let's switch it over to Nick what is your degree Nick and what's gonna be next for you
hey guys thank you for having me but my degree at the University of Washington is in communications
unfortunately thought about it with my family talked about it with friends and family I've
decided to end my career at UW and kind of move on to the working world I'm excited I've
learned so many life skills tools that our coaches taught us and I'm gonna try to apply
them as much as I can to the real world I'm excited well I know you're being as positive
as possible man losing your senior year of baseball on top of it and of course all that
uncertainty about missing class and what you're gonna what's happening in your life I feel
really bad for you Nick so I can't imagine what's going through your mind you play baseball
your entire life and then all of a sudden the big year your big senior year and you
don't get to play that's really got to hurt a little bit I mean everybody everybody's
waiting for that time in their life or they they call it quits and I think it's a right
time for me I got I've built so many relationships over the past four years that I better unbeaten
I would not trade any of them in for anything so I'm happy I'm positive and I'm I'm ready
I think just being a student-athlete Nick and landing out of the UW you'll do okay especially
with all those connections it seems like athletes always seem to find their way back in and
now kaya your situation is just a little bit different because you're actually graduating
you have the whole cap and gown and everything but you get to play another season at UW so
tell us about that yeah I'm super excited a little bit with Coach Tarr and my family
and we just decided like it was pretty easy I mean I love my team and I love everything
about Husky softball and about the University and this education that I get to get so it's
a wonderful opportunity and I yeah for sure well what do you think you learned though
in the past few months because you may not have ever thought about what times like these
could be that we're living through it's so different and new for everyone talk to us
about that well I've been learning how to do some things that I haven't really had time to learn one of those is cooking it sucks overall but i'm learning how to do so many things that i need to learn how to do after softballs over so I learned how to cook some pasta dishes some meat dishes so I'm really excited to continue to learn how to cook i have to ask you, you said possible what's your favorite
recipe I really like making linguine with sausage and mushrooms in it like a balsamic sauce over it that's really cool we haven't we have a 13
year old son we're married and he's in a teen cooking classes they do every week
so we get cooking from our little kids so that's kind of a cool thing it seems everybody's
doing that alright let's get back to you for a second what would you tell your teammates
or what are you going to tell your teammates now that your you made the decision to retire
from UW all I could say is just thank you to them they they've made my time that you
dug so so happy and so many great memories I can remember and it's I all I could say
just thank you to them and everything they given me well we are so proud of you Erin
and I and our whole crew here and all the UW people we love you guys and man you
get through a lot and we proud of you I just want to say one thing I want to say bleed
purple and be gold when you're out there in the workforce you guys got this in your
husky's for life thank you thank you sure congratulations again guys on your degrees
and you know being a husky is man it just feels good don't ya for sure good luck thank
you wow those two are the epitome of what it's like to be a student athlete and you
face adversity and you just get through it they did a great job yeah there'll be better
people once they get on the other side they're right for sure all right well we want to remind
you that we are gonna be part of the commencement celebration that's going to be coming up the
processional in just a few minutes so stay with us here we will be doing kind of the
play-by-play of UWs graduation virtually for the first time ever in the history of
Husky that is a live shot of the incredible columns here at the University of Washington
thank you so much for joining us here on the 145th annual ceremony the purple carpet show
but more of husky nation coming up next [Music] graduates and guests welcome to the University
of Washington's one hundred and forty fifth commencement ceremony honoring the graduating
class of 2020 [Music] now entering are candidates for the various doctoral and professional
degrees carrying the gonfalons for the graduate school are Tim Brown and Dantzel Cenatiempo
Tim is receiving a Doctor of Philosophy in philosophy Dantzel is receiving a Doctor
of Philosophy in French studies carrying the gonfalon for the School of Pharmacy is Marissa
Robin Craig Marissa is receiving a doctor of pharmacy degree carrying the gonfalon for
the School of Dentistry is Tiffany Do Tiffany is graduating today with a Doctor of Dental
Surgery [Music] it was the only place to find so we wanted
to ask about what exists it only makes sense of it he says he chose the University of Washington
because of the adventurous folks in the philosophy philosophy department and took a few philosophy
classes and they were so amazing to kind of talk through what's out there and what's going
on we also hearing from Dantzel and he's from Lake Stevens so he is homegrown from right
here in the backyard of the University of Washington he's getting this master's degree
and said he's continued and completed a PhD in French studies focused on fashion and gender
sexuality so interesting folks moving through here today and when you think of the University
of Washington Erin you know you of course you have engineering and you have the nursing
school which really comes to light because when you think of all the doctors and the
nurses and all the the the care providers that have graduated from the University of
Washington many of those folks are on the frontlines of fighting this this horrible
virus this covid 19 virus and I'm just so proud of them and I'm sure so many Huskies
are proud of them as well yeah for sure and they announced Marissa Craig and she's she's
from here too in the backyard Redmond she's a doctor of pharmacy so when you talk about
being in the medical field the University of Washington is producing so much content
and information especially during this time of the corona virus and covid 19 kind of taking
over our whole world and making it different for graduations like this to be online candidates
for the various master's degrees are now entering carrying the gonfalon for the Graduate School
our Brian J Evans and Tasha Lin Brian is receiving a Master of Fine Arts in dance Tasha is receiving
a Master of Science in information management [Music] well Brian Evans is from Gaylord Minnesota
and he said the dance MFA program was exactly what he was looking for the program that supported
mid-career artists transformational to the transformation to the professor and that's
the one of the reasons he came here and why he picked the UW to go to school and Tasha Lin
she's the graduate master's degree in information management and she was born and raised in
Toronto Canada she wanted to pursue a masters and information management to learn how technology
can create unintended consequences so she chose this school because of those reasons
and knew that the University of Washington would be a good fit for her she's able to
take courses and many other schools including in sociology urban planning and law mm-hmm
and how about Zola Wallacea from Seattle Washington she says quote I was born and raised in Johannesburg
South Africa I wanted to align my intellectual curiosity with passion UW offered an
LLM that was that could bring me together with my passion for development and empowers
me with professional skills and inspires me to do better and we're taking a look at those
columns right there as we mentioned earlier in purple carpet show that we had leading
up to this Gaard you made kind of a comment about those columns and and how we are running
through and how the university president Matthew Lyle Spencer banned kissing on campus back
in 1929 because he we're seeing a couple spooning and kind of congregating together and hanging
out so he decided to ban that that's an interesting time back then and and not so much flying
now but yes these students have first come in through these columns when they came in
as freshmen they heard from vice provost and Dean Dean Taylor there who talked to him when
they first came in we heard some of that earlier today and those columns mean so much to the
graduation and the heritage of this rich University who carries such a spirit through this we're
going to continue of course to hear more about what's going on with this virtual graduation
and some of the leaders that are going through the gonfalonierres today yeah how about Lila
Fall Hebert from Seattle Washington College of Arts and Sciences she is a neuroscience
major she says the quote I grew up in Vietnam but went to high school in a small Washington town carrying the gonfalon for the School of Law is Zola Valashiya Zola's receiving a Master
of Laws in sustainable international development [ Music ] all right like we said that she was born in
South Africa and she wanted a line her intellectual curiosity with passion so UW offered
that for her and the LLM the sustainable inter International Development Program she was
passionate about it and she wanted to empower herself and others with the professional skills
and and what UW had to offer to become a better speaker a better leader a better
person [Music] Tayler Victoria Halverson College of Arts and Sciences she says though I am
originally from West Seattle I spent most of my formative pre-college years in Oak Harbor
up on Whidbey Island I feel very much like UW picked me once I stepped foot on campus
for the first time I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else and Taylor I think a lot of
people feel that way and we want to remind you that this is the hundred and forty fifth
annual commencement ceremony at the University of Washington it's a little different this
year if you're just tuning in welcome in from wherever you are whether it's South Africa
Australia around the world we are seeing folks join in online from all over and it's been
a very unique experience Gaard we've talked to so many people in this world today it's
just such a different time and at one time we thought maybe we weren't gonna have this
ceremony happen but we are oh yeah and I think we even heard the president of the university
president Cauce say when were you asked her hey did you ever think that this may not happen
this commencement and she said yes absolutely and then she looks at all the professionals
from UW television and the production staff here I mean I counted ten tents when we did
our show before the procession but it is just incredible how many people just pick up the
ball and start to run with it at the University of Washington especially with all the department
can you think of all the different kinds of graduations in the curriculum here it's so
diverse it really is a special place to go to school well it's just so unique and folks
all around the country talk about the University of Washington just not only for how cool it
is right purple and gold from the Athletics programs to the science programs to the medical
program in the field and what they're doing today with this pandemic and what's going
on with the coronavirus around the world in covid 19 a lot of organizations a lot of health
industry professionals leaning towards the University of Washington to really look into
what these scientists here are looking at they're manipulating numbers trying to see
where everything fits checking the curves trying to keep us safe in a time carrying the
gonfalon for the Evans School of Public Policy and governments as Jenny Six Jenny
is receiving a Master of Public Administration well Gaard you know Jenny's she's from Chicago
and she chose Evans school to study public finance and policy administration which is
cool she had the opportunity to work with some amazing colleagues through her curriculum
advocacy team which is cool Evans people of color that's called EPOC she's a student ambassador
and her teaching aspires a lot of people out there and she's with the city of Seattle's
Department of Finance and administrative services [Music] this is such a special ceremony
Gaard you know graduating virtually is so much different everyone's used to packing
in the Husky Stadium and and now we're making it happen this way and I think almost selfishly
some parents are happy about this because they get to see their kids if they're you
know out of South Africa or a different country right no I know it is super special but there
is something and I don't mean to be negative on this but that there is something special
about walking into the stadium because forty to fifty thousand people will show up friends
and family members and the graduates thousands of them just filling the the football field
and it really is something special but this one as you mentioned there and this one is
also super special because I think in 50 years from 50 years from now people are gonna go
oh I remember that boy they did a great job with that procession virtually yeah they did [Music] ladies and gentlemen candidates for bachelor's degrees in the College of Arts
and Sciences including Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Design Bachelor of
Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music are now entering carrying the first of six gonfalons for the
College of Arts and Sciences is Lila Faulhaber who is receiving a Bachelor of Science
in neuroscience Lila grew up in Vietnam but she went to a high school in a small Western
Washington town up north right near the Canadian border called Blaine she chose UW because
it was offered the growth and opportunities that she wanted coming out of a small town
and she found her passion at neuroscience and educational outreach hse's on the annual
Dean's list great Matters journals the dream project she was she a very how should I say
this a woman who knows exactly what she wants to do and it shows because she is doing a
lot oh yeah she's the hall health student health navigator super involved in not only
her academics but being connected to these students and totally motivated to I mean I'm
looking at what she has accomplished here at the UW it it's a myriad of things
so Lila you're doing a terrific job at congratulations for today yeah and we do want to mention that
you know there are so many graduates and right now we have I think over 6700 participating
virtually every year so many approximately 40% of all bachelor's degrees 60 percent 4%
or master's degree we continue to see these numbers among Washington College public institutions
that represent so there is so much to think about and as you mentioned earlier Gaard there
are 75 percent of UW graduates remain in this state after graduation I know that I had a
couple husky soccer players with me they were out of California and they took jobs here
and they stayed here maybe their parents weren't so it's they don't come back home to the Bay
Area or Southern California but it's a great place to live and grow up and have a family
and really stay connected to your roots and when you look at all the undergrads and the
upper grads they are 70% are from the state right here in Washington so all of them wanted
to stay home carrying the second gonfalon for the College of Arts and Sciences is Taylor
Halverson was receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Scandinavian area studies and communication
yeah Erin this is I read her little bio and what she said and I loved it at the end when
she said once I stepped foot on campus for the first time I could not imagine myself
anywhere else and I think a lot of people feel that way the second you're on campus you
don't need to be recruited if you can get it it's a little bit difficult to get in but
if you have the grace to get in they don't even have to sell you on the campus because
it's absolutely stunning here Oh Taylor says she's done so many things but she's had the
opportunity to do many things during her time at UW but she's most proud of her work of
the programming intern with the ASUW queer student commission a performer in the 2018
playwright for check this sh.. out I'm sure her family is very proud of her today
along with so many other family members and friends and one thing I think that happens
across probably the nation the world is people really connect through these graduations and
brings you back to times where we may have graduated quite a bit ago but just hearing
some of these students and athletes and the president and deans and chancellors talking
about what it means and how influential these kids are to the future of what we have here
in America and the world and where they're gonna go become scientists doctors technicians
programmers and and I think sometimes when you graduate at least for me I've thought
well what is this UW or what is this San Diego State thing gonna really have an impact on
me because sometimes you don't think it does until you get a little bit older down the
line you think oh my gosh I learned so much at that UW now it's all starting to make sense
so sometimes for a lot of students and graduates it takes a little bit of time but man the
UW sets you up for life and you don't realize the tools until you're out for a while that
you've received candidates from the College of Arts and Sciences
continue to enter led by gonfalonierre Kathalina Rose Hoffman who's receiving a Bachelor of
Arts in American Indian studies well that's pretty cool she grew up in Olympia Washington
and she picked UW because it was all it always had been her dream school like a
lot of people her dad went there before her and she grew up going to all the football
games boy it wasn't oh for sure my dad had season tickets for almost 41 years and he
would go with his grandfather it was a traditional day where they dropped me up off from 25th
right up the road from you village and I would stay with my grandmother while my dad and
my grandfather went to the games and I just thought if I could get to one of those games
with him when I get old enough it would be the coolest thing that I've ever seen and
when I finally did go and the noise came out of that stadium it was immeasurable it was
so loud it's like one of the loudest stadiums in the country yeah back in 1992 a hundred
and thirty episodes against Nebraska actually Erin this is how old I am I was at that game
I was at that game too and I remember how loud that was when I should actually say I
covered that game as a waitress at a bar on the University Avenue and I remember all the
Nebraska fans came up because we set up a buffet not one husky fan came in and those
Nebraska fans were actually great and they surely gave super tips I think I was there
for 15 hours serving those guys and it was a fun thing thinking was Nebraska coming back
to play again yeah for sure they did put some money in my pocket and I didn't want to mention
that back in 1981 did you know the wave was invented and conceived at the University of
Washington I did not know that's a cool thing throughout the stadium and everybody uses
it around the country around the world the UW is so diverse right for sure they're on
on the world spectrum [Music] all right well we want to thank everyone for joining us today
we know some of you are just tuning in while others have been with us for a while we had
a purple carpet show before that's kind of the red carpet leading up to the graduation
and we've just really enjoyed speaking with everyone today and really connecting it with
a lot of people wish we had time to kind of put in more more interviews and an audio from
other people but we're gonna continue to listen hear as everyone gets announced and hear the
gonfalon of their programs and degrees carrying the 4th gonfalon for the College of Arts and
Sciences is Feiyang Liu who is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in applied and
computational mathematics science data science and statistics and a Bachelor of Arts in land
here's what Liu said he says quote I am from China I decided to study at UW primary because
of my great impression of Chief Seattle speech that I learned in primary school I majored
in a CMS and Latin which both reflect my interest in mathematics and antique matters I can already
tell that Liu is a lot smarter than I but you know as we look at all these names and
where they're from of course a lot from Washington as we've mentioned about 70% but as we saw
earlier the show about an hour ago on where all these students come from we just heard
from China from Liu you know from Puerto Rico Africa Africa Australia Russia just everyone
Japan every work I mean the UW is connected globally you could throw a dart at a globe
you can hit it you can know there was a few double graduate there yeah and one thing I
really enjoy about the UW thinking back to my time I had some really interesting classes
class sizes that could be anywhere from 500 to 600 and some could be 20 to 30 and the
classes that were 500 to 600 you think how am I gonna get recognized how am I gonna get
one-on-one contact with the teachers but somehow you find a way we did it and some of those
professors and teachers I still remember to this day I've seen him grocery stores and said hey Dan Turnakov geology 101 do you remember me mean Erin hey how's it going you see him
in the grocery store and that's the kind of thing that I liked and I know that happens
a lot at different universities you make these connections but it is really something that
you don't think about while you're in that time of your college degree you know you think
I'm just here I gotta get through that time I got to get to bed I got a study in the morning
and I have a huge test and then you get through that day and it's a new day and you and you're
either fired up or you're a little bit down because you're not sure how you did on the
test but one thing to know is that you get through it you graduate and in the end it's
not going to matter if you got two wrong on that test or four wrong you got your degree
right and you've been educated and you've learned from what you know [Music] carrying
v gonfalon for the College of Arts and Sciences is DiShawnn Newell was graduating with a Bachelor
of Science in neuroscience so here's what DiShawnn says a quote I chose UW for its prestigious
academic standing within the research and medical community you know has also offered
me the opportunity to gain a holistic education focusing on the brain I learned a human I
learned of human biology through neuroscience and consequent behavior through psychology
well DiShawnn is also a member of Phi Beta Phi Sigma fraternity member of a student veteran
life also the National pan-hellenic Council he's a husky rugby player number 14 on
the wing and project rise research is what he's involved in along with the Husky bowling
league wow that's pretty cool so he he's a bowler and a brawler with rugby oh you must
be pretty strong though those rugby players yeah big strength [Music] he must analyze
a lot of folks in the rugby and bowling industry with his psychology behavior you know what
he has learned and looking at different folks and kind of analyzing them and seeing how
their mechanics work and what goes through the process there of their heads and their
minds [Music] we want to remind people too that we've seen a lot on social media
the UW grad 20 hashtag on Instagram people are voting for the best cap decorations and
so forth through through this so don't forget if you haven't voted to get online and vote
for that at the UW daily there's so many great ones to look for I don't know how they could
just pick one but I guess by voting that will help and tally up the numbers to get to get
through and as we talked about before I love the fact that those cap and gowns are made
out of recycled water bottles yeah they just take them you toss them in a garbage can they
get picked up they get shredded and somebody else is wearing them the next year [Music] carrying the final gonfalon for the College of Arts and Sciences is Calvin Paulson who
is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in history Empire and colonialism
well Calvin is from Bonney Lake so right here in western Washington and a quote I chose
history as my field of studies because this field is uniquely positioned to empower marginalize
people and heal the wounds caused by past violence he's on the Dean's List each quarter
he's attended he was a Mary gates scholar for 2018 you know when you look at these these
students who are graduating and you look at everything they've done all of them are so
diverse I mean going back just a couple of minutes one guy's a rugby player right it's
just it's just incredible that's what makes up a meeting like this across the nation the
world it brings everyone together and when you're really deep dive into the purple and
gold of these people you find out so many things they're so interesting and intricate
and how they got here you know a scholarship non-scholarship working all the way through
high school to pay for their college to get them a leg up and that's what I think the
University of Washington folks have learned once they graduate through in either walk
or virtually walk and hear their name called they have so much going for them already and
they don't even know it that's one thing that I think I wish maybe I could go back I had
some great time some fun I studied I got decent grades but I'd love to go back on campus again
of the students you would ladies and gentlemen please welcome bachelors candidates from the
College of Education led by gonfalonierre Dalya Perez Dalya is receiving a Doctor
of Philosophy and education leadership and policy studies she says quote Seattle is my
hometown as a longtime educator I know that institutions of education have the power to
transform people's lives and communities UW College of Education helped me launch into
a meaningful doctoral journey of equitable leadership research and action [Music] entering
now are the bachelors candidates from the College of Engineering let bygones Lanier's
Tushar Khurana and Kimberly Ruth Tushar is receiving a Bachelor of Science in engineering
Kimberly is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and a Bachelor
of Arts in mathematics [Music] Tushar says well growing up my family moved back
and forth between different cities in India and the United States I wanted to study at
a public university in a large city the UW had a good financial aid and scholarships
package plus Seattle had just passed the $15 minimum wage he's also published a sign or
they vote she's also published a scientific paper with the geophysical Institute in Fairbanks
Alaska developed machinery learning hydrology forecasting with a startup and research water
policy with King County volunteered at Beacon food forest the University District Food Bank
a lot going on home and Kimberly she says my hometown is Bellevue I love the field of
computing since I enjoy using logical structures to build technologies that help people I chose
to attend UW dude due to its abundant opportunities for growth and world-class academic strength
especially in my field undergraduate research has been a major endeavor of hers as she says
I've been involved in work that's led to four academic publications oh that's exciting including
one project I ran is the lead author I've also engaged in mentorship teaching and outreach
activities both inside and outside of the Allen yeah when you listen to Kimberly Ruth
and everything she's done it kind of makes me feel better because I'm a lot older but
at least for our children the future seems a little bit brighter than it does today but
man it is so nice to see these smart kids these smart graduates knowing that they're
gonna pretty much pick up the ball and run run with it forever and I appreciate that
about that they have for sure well I'm just glad the weather held out a little bit Gaard
it could have been a bit so near some folks are outside where they're doing part of the
ceremony and announced you know while others are just virtually on your computer's watching
for barrier so welcome in from all over the country all over the world wherever you are
thanks for joining us and being purple and gold today and celebrating your graduates
and checking out some of the others who are walking through this kind of virtual ceremony
for the first time ever here on the University of Washington campus you're watching the 145th
annual [Music] please welcome the candidates from the College of the environment carrying
the gonfalon is Andrew Thomas Chin who is receiving a Bachelor of Science in aquatic
and fishery sciences and marine biology Andrew says my pursuit of fishery science
is everything that a five-year-old in me would have dreamed of I initially attended school
out of state but the research and teaching community at the school of aquatic and fishery
sciences made a transfer back home to Seattle a very easy decision Oh II was science communication
fellow at Washington Sea Grant and editor-in-chief of the undergraduate environmental research
journal field notes I don't remember having all these credentials while I was going through
although I didn't work for the daily in the newspaper of things like that [Music] bachelor
candidates from the information school are now entering the information school gonfalon
is carried by gonfalonierres Autumn Derr and Hayley Younghusband Autumn is receiving a
Bachelor of Science in informatics data science and human-computer interaction Hayley is receiving
a Bachelor of Science in informatics Autumn says I chose UW for its mix of academic rigor
and rich college experience from my life to this science and the scenic Pacific Northwest
bachelor candidates from the Michael G Foster School of Business are now entering led by
gonfalon ear Danny P Bui Danny is receiving a Bachelor of Arts in business administration
marketing well Danny was born and raised in San Jose California just down the i-5 quarter
to the south and he says the idea of comfort attending college in my home state was dull
so he wanted to explore the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest not too far away a short
plane ride while pursuing his passion for Business and Technology yeah he's also the
president of Husky veterans and the secretary for Vietnamese Student Association [Music] he also is part of Alpha Kappa Phi fraternity and he definitely mentors people around just
to let you know today this is also a unique experience not only because it's virtually
online with this commencement Gaard but they're celebrating and were virtually walking students
from UW Tacoma and Bothell we're all here today and that's the first time ever as well
along with being online yeah first time ever and it's really nice because everybody feels
so included and it's when you have Bothell which is an incredible campus and then way
south of Bothell you down in Tacoma another incredible campus now if I live down in Tacoma
but all the traffic that we've had not in the last couple times but I would probably
pick Tacoma or if I was close to Bothell I'd probably pick close to Bothell so I wouldn't
have to fight traffic but even fighting traffic to get here and look at these beautiful scenes
we have here of the columns and the beautiful set that was erected for the gonfalonierres
and the rest of the gang here at the UW is just been incredible it has an either you
want to mention that some of the points and recognitions that UW you know the you
know of nursing schools ranked number one among schools offering a Doctor of Nursing
Practice that was just two months ago Wow B problem this gets better and better here
at the University of Washington yeah you dubs Foster School ranked number one in the u.s.
for MBA jobs and now that was four months ago so they've been ranked for many careers
and bachelor candidates from the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine are now
entering the School of Nursing is led by gonfalonierre Kristen Trivelli who is receiving a Doctor
of Nursing Practice carrying the gonfalon for the School of Medicine Faridah Abdullah
who is receiving a master of occupational therapy
welcome now the bachelor candidates from the College of built environments they are led
by gonfaloniere Andres Flores was receiving a Master of Architecture boy could be the
school of metal Medicine it could be architecture the Arts and Sciences it could be music they
have it all here at the UW dentistry oceanography just a huge program with so much to offer
not only for their medical professional what they're doing now obviously with these tough
times in the pandemic in covid 19 but they've really made strides across the board in all
degrees [Music] the final groups of bachelor candidates entering are from the School of
Public Health and the School of Social Work carrying the gonfalon for the School of Public
Health is Esther My Nguyen was receiving a Bachelor of Arts in food systems nutrition and health
the School of Social Work candidates are led by gonfalonierre Amber Barcel was receiving
a master of Social Work well well she's from Forks he feels right at home right now say
this rain is starting to come down luckily it's a virtual ceremony but yeah she just
wanted to get out and get new opportunities push herself academically and defined all
of her passions and she's happy to say that she fell in love with the field of nutritional
sciences and cannot wait to continue down this road in his path yeah she said she lived
in India for a while interning in a nutrition and lactation program for a nonprofit and
also volunteered in the Dominican Republic for the past three years so this young lady
has been all over the world helping people and educating people just like she got educated
here at the UW and she's just spreading the love now and will Amber talking about all
over the world born in South Korea and raised in rural Nebraska that's quite the change
she chose to study social work at the U dub because of its policy concentration and and
and lenses there yeah [Music] just an incredible scene here at the University
of Washington a virtual graduation for over 6700 students and it has just been a terrific
day that started hours ago and every single one of these young ladies these young men
these these people who have graduated here at the UW it really is incredible to see
all the backgrounds all the diversity and everything they have done to get themselves
a diploma as they move forward into the future and of their life yeah one of the times that's
just very unique but I think that everybody's come together as President Ana Mari Cauce
has said that they were not sure she just was not sure if this was going to happen due
to covid 19 and I think many people across the globe thought this isn't going to happen
and it did everything just systematically shut down but we've managed to get back up
and try to find a new life in the world of technology and information science and UW
is a major player and what is going on in the world pandemic why yeah and even if put
on a virtual event like this is not an easy task I've been involved in a lot of television
in my life and through that we have here and I was told that it was up to a hundred people
over the last 30 days to get this thing going and get it off the ground and not only do
we social distance you and I don't cuz we're married but have all the guests we've had
have been at least six feet apart everybody here wears masks there's 10 to 12 10 set are
set up inside the tents there are plastic shields between each cubicle people are working
on computers people are working on editors it's just been an incredible scene to see
how many professionals here at the UW can adapt to such a horrific thing that we're
in the middle this coronaviruses covid 19 but it just isn't as a true example of what
happens here at the University of Washington and how people have to adapt because one you
don't have a choice you can stick your tail between your legs and just forget about this
and go into hibernation but the UW is front and center and fighting this behind the scenes
and in front of the scenes yeah they've always been a leader in the university eyes of several
universities major universities hundreds of universities thousands of universities across
the world and the country and they continue to do it during times like these not only
at the University of Washington but other programs and other organizations around our
area Seattle you place it like that they've all come together and develop new forms of
a way of life and to invent and and deal with technology and what they can have moving forward
I know we talked about earlier what the University of Washington invented bubblegum yeah Recycling's
things like that vinyl the wave know it that just shows how diverse it is so many things
have come out of here so many incredible businesses recession of the Graduate is now concluded
under the University of Washington and continues and I think with this pandemic that's happening
I think it's I think it's gonna push us to greater limits [Music] now
entering Sylvan Grove are the members of the president's party led by University marshal
Associate Professor Joseph Janes of the information school [Music] we'd like
to begin the ceremony by acknowledging the land on which the university rests the land
of the Coast Salish peoples which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands
within the Suquamish Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations today we celebrate together the commencement
exercises of the University of Washington will be opened with the presentation of the
colors by the Navy ROTC color guard and the singing of the star-spangled banner by a choir
composed of students from the School of Music please rise [Music] please be seated and welcome to the 145th commencement exercises
of the University of Washington my name is Joseph Janes and I'm an associate professor
in the information school on ceremonial occasions such as this however I am honored to serve
as the university marshal and welcome you all officially to this ceremony as you can
see we're here in a somewhat damp Sylvan Grove behind me are the four iconic columns
that form the grand entrance to the first territorial University of Washington building
which was constructed on a rise in what is now downtown Seattle in 1861 these columns
resonate with the dreams and visions of the people who raised them in a village of only
300 people over a century and a half ago they symbolize the never-ending pursuit of knowledge
truth and artistic expression always enduring and always new our first graduates celebrated
in front of these columns and when the downtown building came down only these cedar columns
were saved they were erected on what is now the quad and there they played a prominent
role in early and graduations ceremonies were held here in the Sylvan Grove when the columns
were moved to this location in 1921 but for nearly 100 years no class has graduated in
front of these original columns until today this day the class of 2020 makes history all
our graduating classes are unique including this one in so many ways we wanted this ceremony
to be special for you and that's why we chose this place what happens here today will likely
never be repeated today's ceremony is also history for another reason graduates from
across the United States and from 40 countries and 6 continents are tuning in to participate
in today's ceremony and we see you all we see you in Brazil in Mexico in Panama and
Peru we see you in Bangladesh Cambodia China Hong Kong in India Japan Korea Malaysia in
Vietnam we see you in Australia in Guam in New Zealand we see you in Oman in South Africa
and the United Arab Emirates we see you in Belgium Denmark the Netherlands the United
Kingdom and our neighbors in Canada when these columns were salvaged professor of history
and UW alumnus Edmond Meany and his colleague Herbert Condon gave them names loyalty industry
faith and efficiency l ife life so we celebrate life here today the lives of our students
their journeys to us and with us and now from us we celebrate the lives and sacrifices and
gifts of the families and friends who helped bring you to this time and place and we celebrate
the life of this great public university in so many ways a beacon which is also appropriate
as our University's motto is looks sit somewhat imperfect Latin for let there be light for
where there is life there is light and where there is life and light there is hope we send
our graduates out with hope into a world that desperately needs it and desperately needs
you to all the graduates who are joining us from all three campuses and across the United
States and around the world it is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to commencement
2020 celebrating worldwide as you can see today we are observing the physical distancing
guidelines that have been put into place to combat covid 19 and as a result our stage
party is limited with us today is the leadership of the University and I'd like to introduce
them at this time first the chair of the University's Board of Regents Joel Benoliel the president
of the university of washington professor Ana Mari Cauce a University Provost Mark A
Richards the Chancellor of the University of Washington Bothell Dr. Wolf Yeigh and the
Chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma Dr. Mark A Pagano we sincerely appreciate
everyone's presence here today thank you be seated commencement is a memorable day not
only for our graduates but also for our faculty who truly enjoy celebrating the accomplishments
of their students a commencement we traditionally highlight faculty who have been recognized
for their outstanding teaching here to do that today is the person who works most closely
with the deans and the faculty to shape our students academic experience our Provost Dr. Mark Richards thank you Dr. Janes each year the university presents what are known as
the Awards of Excellence to individuals whose mentorship and service have had a profound
impact on the lives of students and the broader university community I want to take a moment
to honor several of those Award winners now this year five faculty have received the distinguished
Teaching Award they are Xiaosong Li the Harry and Katherine Jane Boland endowed professor
of chemistry Ali Rowhani-Rahbar associate professor of epidemiology Karin D Martin assistant
professor in public policy and governance Ian Schnee senior lecturer in philosophy and
Alyssa Taylor senior lecturer in bioengineering the recipient of the Marsha L Lando distinguished
graduate mentor award is Manka Varghese professor of education finally two graduate students
with teaching responsibilities have received the excellence in Teaching Award for 2020
they are Charles C Lanfear graduate staff assistant in sociology and Vern Harner doctoral
candidate in Social Welfare these faculty inspires students to discover their passion
for learning create opportunities for them to make a real difference and change the way
the students see the world I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our faculty
and teaching assistants for putting their students first in this unprecedented year
they swiftly adjusted the ways in which they teach to ensure that UW students and the graduates
we are honoring today received the best possible education to the graduates I would say you
have learned from the best and now I can't wait to see how you will change the world
since 1932 the university has presented medals to the graduating seniors with the most distinguished
academic records at the University on the Seattle campus one medal is awarded to a student
who has completed at least 3/4 of his or her degree requirements at the University and
one is awarded to a student who entered the university with at least 60 transfer credits
from a Washington Community College each year a president's medal is also awarded to an
outstanding graduate at each of the Tacoma and Bothell campuses to present the medals
to this year's winners whose welcome the president of the University of Washington Ana Mari Cauce thank you Dr. Janes I'm so happy to see all of you here today I can see you on
I'm on the monitors and it's almost as if we were together again we miss you I'll have
more to say later but now I want to present our president's medalist this year they are
truly remarkable the recipient of president's medals at the University of Washington Fa'auma Kaimana of Seattle Washington and Savannah Claire Casas of Tacoma Washington who entered
the UW from Tacoma Community College by OMA who was a member of this year Huskie 100 studied
abroad in Samoa and focused their studies on the importance of inclusive families in
the academics ascent and the academic success and social support amongst students of color
Paloma is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and
in anthropology medical anthropology and global health they plan to pursue a PhD in Indigenous
Studies or a related field and become an academic researcher investigating the relationship
between language and community resilience in Seattle area amongst urban Native American
communities savannah is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology
she's been working with the university's cognition and cortical dynamics laboratory as part of
her honors research project she also studies Japanese and will take a year off to teach
English in Japan she plans on entering the Asian and comparative law LLM program at the
UW School of Law and ultimately she plans to work to facilitate cross-cultural interactions
between the United States and Asia the president's medalists for the University of Washington
Tacoma is Brooke Nicole Carlaw during her time at UW Tacoma Brooke worked at the Center for
Applied cognitive research with dr. Steven Ross on researching eyewitness misidentification
Brooke is graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology she
plans to continue her education in the fall at Colorado State University where she will
begin work on a PhD and cognitive psychology this year's medalist for the University of
Washington Bothell is Casey Cummins Casey is graduating with a 3.9 6 GPA Faculty honors
and a Bachelor of Arts degree in health studies from the School of Nursing and Health Studies
during the academic year Kate conducted research using a drug discovery technique that uses
mathematical modeling to predict the biological activity or potency of new compounds Casey plans
to work as a nurse assistant for two years before continuing his education in medical
school please join me in recognizing our extraordinary president's medalists and I would also like
to recognize those students who are graduating today with the university's highest baccalaureate
honors summa cum laude magna cum laude and cum laude the names of the Seattle campus
honorees are listed in the commencement program each year the chancellors at our Bothell and
Tacoma campuses recognize students who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement the
Chancellor's medal recognizes individuals who have been a consistent source of inspiration
for faculty and fellow students alike and to have overcome significant obstacles in
order to complete a degree I would like to invite Chancellor Yeigh and Chancellor Pagano
to present the Chancellor's medalists from their campuses Thank You president Cauce
I am proud to present two medals today our first medal goes to Yasmin Guzman Yasmin is
an undergraduate majoring in Health Studies she has been a passion for supporting health
and wellness of vulnerable individuals and families propelling her to achieve some remarkable
achievements our second medal winner is Midia De Souza Midia is an undergraduate student
double majoring in media and communications and law economics and public policy Midia
has done remarkable working work with translating her obstacles into inspiration for other students
not only has she excelled academically she has been extremely involved in advocating
for students and others to overcome their own obstacles whether they face similar or
different challenges please join me in recognizing our Chancellor's medalists from the University
of Washington Bothell [ Applause ] the 2020 Chancellor's medal for the University of Washington Tacoma is awarded to Leticia Romo Bueno Leticia is the first person in her family to attend
and graduate from college Leticia came to the United States at the age of 13 once here
she endured homelessness and abuse by her then-boyfriend Leticia overcame these hardships
and found stability inside the classroom while raising two small children Leticia graduates
today with a degree in criminal justice I know she and her family including her mother
are streaming in right now so please join me in saying hello to them and in recognizing
latisha for this award [ Applause ] an important component of the governance of this institution and its leadership is called on regularly to represent student views on a wide range of issues at
the University I'm pleased to introduce to you now the president of the graduate and
professional Student Senate Juliana Conti and the president of the Associated Students
of the University of Washington Keltey Pierce to the graduate professional students at Bothell
Tacoma and Seattle campuses I'll be honest I don't know how much pomp and circumstance
I can give you considering the state of the world especially since nothing I say will
get you a job lessen your anxiety or pay your rent but given my experience with grad students
over the years there's a few things which I'd like to at least remind you because ultimately
what you take away from your time here at UW want have anything to do with what we say
today it's going to come in pieces as you unpack what you've accomplished and as you
head into something new moving forward you'll be confronted with choices and maybe even
hardships and so in those moments I encourage you to think about the following first when
you came here you would already pour hours of work into researching programs applying
exercising self confidence and optimism in your ability to succeed you believed that
you needed this degree for your life and happiness that understanding of what you need to get
where you want to go has not left continue to trust those instincts second in order for
you to finish this degree especially those of you completing upwards of four eight or
even 10 years in your program you must have had an incalculable patience and stubbornness
hold that in your back pocket because I have a feeling you're gonna need it a lot moving
forward so lastly for those of you who are motivated by community and justice this is
who you are keep being that person we've become instruments who take what we've learned here
at UW and apply it to wherever we see injustice and wherever we can get our hands on so continue
to step in and stand up when those choices confront you I don't have anything to offer
other than what you already possess every quality of success that you've needed to envision
and achieve getting yourself here today now keep doing these things plan boldly be self-reliant
but recognize when you need to ask for help continue to care about things bigger than
yourself and be there for others and of course exercise optimism and be stubborn especially
with your intuition so congratulations grad students today you should celebrate and be
incredibly proud of yourself and what you've accomplished moving into tomorrow what's next
you've got everything you need you tell us hello Bothell Tacoma and Seattle Huskies my name is Keltey Pierce and I had the honor
of serving as your ASUW alongside a phenomenal team as a second-generation husky who grew
up cheering for the dog's tail meeting with my family in my full-on chair uniform and
eating dippin dots and Husky Stadium I was looking forward to the day that I would get
to graduate there today well I watch this on my parents couch I can admit this is not
how I expected our graduation to go yet here we are as Huskies celebrating our time at
UW and all that we have accomplished and regardless of where in the world you are celebrating
today know the loved ones surrounding you your peers friends and roommates mentors and
faculty who supported your journey and myself we are right here cheering you on just as
we have the past few years throughout your academic journey now the past few months we
have faced many unprecedented challenges including a global pandemic that has changed the way
we live and learn to nationwide protests demanding change and justice for black lives you have
shown your resilience your care for one another and your desire for bold action I am so proud
of our students for holding each other our administration and our elected officials accountable
for speaking out and making a change in this year's convocation speech two new Huskies
I told them that you will learn these next four years don't always go as planned embrace
it embrace the challenges embrace the changes embrace the adventures little did I know I
would need to be hearing these words myself as our senior year did not go as planned as
graduates this school applies to us more than ever as we enter the real world unsure of
what is to come what challenges we will face we need to continue to fight for change listen
and learn from one another and use our education to better the world as I have reflected on
my own experiences in purple and gold I can admit that I will miss this place once I leave
I will miss walking through the quad with a couple thousand of my close friends during
Spring Quarter my daily coffee runs to cafe solstice lobbying with fellow students and
filming a golf cart karaoke video on campus but what I will miss the most is the community
that I have got to be a part of I want to remind you all that no matter where you are
you will always be a member of the class of 2020 a University of Washington graduate and
a part of a community of young adults ready to be catalysts for change and as always go
Dawgs now I would like to introduce this year's featured commencement speaker a leader who
knows firsthand about the challenges and obstacles our classes had to overcome to reach this
milestone president Ana Mari Cauce has served as the university of washington president
since 2015 but her husky roots go much deeper than that since joining the faculty 34 years
ago she has been a pioneer for women in academia throughout her time as a researcher professor
mentor and administrator she and her leadership team took the bold first steps to lead higher
education institutions across the nation in response to covid additionally she has launched
the population health initiative a multi-decade effort to improve the health and well-being
of all people and communities she is the recipient of the distinguished Teaching Award and has
worked to ensure that all people have opportunities in stem please help me welcome president Ana Mari Cauce Thank You Keltey hello class of 2020 in times this extraordinary it takes
an extraordinary class to succeed as you have and it is my great honor to say to all of
you congratulations on a truly historic achievement it's no doubt bittersweet that we're physically
so far apart on this special day I promise you that you will have the opportunity to
walk across the stage and the cheers will be deafening but today while we can't be together
in person the connections that unite us close that distance to all of you across the US
and more than 40 countries in this moment we are together as Huskies we're connected
by the shared experience of enduring this pandemic together almost overnight all of
us became experts at learning teaching entertaining and being there for each other through the
magic of the Internet we're also connected by anxiety uncertainty and yes grief that
grief that covid 19 has brought to our nation and to our world and if you're mourning a
loved one lost to the virus we mourn with you if you are anxious know that we are in
this together we're connected by the pride in your accomplishments and our belief that
not only despite but because of the hardships you've overcome your future is bright and
by the way as hard as this last quarter has been it's not the only chapter in your academic
career it took you years to get here and long before anyone had ever heard of covid 19 you
showed the world what strength and determination look like I speak for all your faculty instructors
coaches and advisers when I say how proud we are to see you cross this threshold knowing
that you will take a piece of the University of Washington with you wherever you go you
are a historic class graduating at one of the most significant inflection points in
our nation almost a century ago as the world was still climbing out of the Great Depression
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt reflected on the ebb and flow of history as he put it
there's a mysterious cycle and human events to some generations much is given of other
generations much is expected this generation has a rendezvous with destiny I've been reflecting
on that ebb and flow as well these we these recent weeks have revealed not for the first
time but with terrible clarity the pervasive and systemic inequities in our society from
who has to go into work during a pandemic so who has adequate health care or sick leave
inequality permeates the system for low-income or people of color the most brutal expression
of that inequality manifests itself in the killing in the murder of black men and women
and I join you in mourning their lives and I join you in the conviction to make sure
that their lives matter that black lives matter today you collect your hard earned degrees and take them into a world that's facing challenges unlike any that we've seen in generations you are
one of those generations of who much is expected I know it's hard I know it's not fair but
you've made it anyways and as a UW graduate in one of the most difficult years in modern
history you've proven that you have what it takes to deal with any challenge that life
can throw at you and the lessons you've learned here will serve you well throughout your lives
I experienced family tragedy in my early 20s but going through life knowing early on that
I could survive and learn and grow from one of the hardest things that life will ever
throw to any one of my privileged and I know I'm privileged it only stiffens my resolve
to get things done to be part of creating change through actions and strategies that
balance the very real urgency of the moment with the knowledge that we've had enough shows
of burning treetops we've got to dig up roots that go down to the very inception of this
country a country that I love and that took me and my family in as political refugees
when I was just a taught but it's a country that's hurting it's the country that's flawed
it's a country that needs to change and that we can help to heal and to make better and
those of you that can don't forget to vote yes you're graduating and an extremely difficult
but also fortuitous time as a clinical community psychologist I studied crisis theory which
tells us that the opportunity for greatest change arises precisely during periods of
turmoil when all equilibrium is thrown off kilter and as hard as that moment is it can
also serve a purpose let it give you the focus and courage to demand and create a change
in our society let it strengthen your resolve into something so unshakable so undeniable
that the world will be forced to reckon with it you have the power to build a future that
honors the values of equity that we strive for at our University and that addresses the
systemic issues of our society among your future teachers intrapreneur scientists engineers
artists policymakers health care providers journalists and leaders and careers that haven't
even been invented yet as you enter into the next phase of your life perhaps more education
a job marriage Parenthood or all of those you will make mistakes you will experience
setbacks but through it all you will have that little extra steel in your spine because
of what you've endured this year and I have full confidence that you will use that strength
for immense good when you hit a speed bump in the years ahead remember what you did here
you equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to succeed you solve problems and recovered
from disappointment you worked hard and you learned the value of being kind to others
and to yourself you served your community and helped your families you've learned how
to ask questions and seek out answers when it was hard when it was frustrating when it
was painful you persevered today we celebrate the culmination of everything that you and
those that supported you invested in yourself because of course you had some help moms and
dads grandparents aunts uncles siblings friends spouses or children and all of you who offer
support along the way you helped make this day possible and we're counting on you to
give your graduate the hugs and high-fives that we would like to be giving them today
you've been there for your students in so many ways long before they became Huskies
in the last few months you've been there for them in ways that you never expected thank
you for making it possible for our students to keep up with their coursework thank you
for helping many of them make the difficult transition from life on campus to life at
home many families have faced financial hardship or had to juggle childcare while working from
home others have kept us healthy safe and fed through their role as essential workers
almost no one has endured the last few months without challenges but whatever you were dealing
with you did what it took to make sure your graduate cross the finish line thank you graduates
we're grateful for all that you have brought to our University of Washington your resilience
in these final moments of your academic career will be an inspiring legacy at your University
and your achievements and aspirations fill me with hope in a moment when hope is one
of those things that we need the most whatever your journey holds please always lead with
your values the world is right for reshaping molded into a new and better world defined
by compassion service to others and equity for all the University of Washington is proud
to claim you as alumni we celebrate your achievements today and we look forward to the indelible
mark that you will make on the world tomorrow and for the rest of your lives congratulations
class of 2020 [Applause] ladies and gentlemen we are now ready to present the degrees to
all candidates candidates will be presented by the deans of the Seattle campus and the
Chancellor's of the Bothell and Tacoma campuses and witnessed by the various faculties degrees
will be conferred by the chair of the Board of Regents Joel Benoliel candidates for
doctoral degrees will be presented by the several Dean's for the School of Medicine
associate dean Sara Kim it is an honor to recommend the 262 candidates
for the degree of Doctor of medicines Faculty of the School of Medicine do you concur we
do congratulations graduates we wish you the best Dean Gary Chiodo School of Dentistry it
is my pleasure to present the candidates for Doctor of Dental Surgery Faculty of the School
of Dentistry do you concur congratulations graduates we wish you the very best and we
are so proud of you Tony Remy Dean Mario L Barnes School of Law
on behalf of the Faculty of Law I have the honor of presenting the 158 candidates for
the degree of Juris Doctor Faculty of the School of Law do you concur congratulations
graduates you have exhibited flexibility grace courage and determination under the most challenging
of circumstances this quarter you are going to make excellent members of the legal profession
and we could not be prouder in Dean Sean Sullivan School of Pharmacy
president Cauce it is my honor to present the 103 candidates for the degree of doctor
of pharmacy Faculty of the School of Pharmacy do you concur congratulations graduates the
faculty and I are confident that you will keep your communities healthy Dean Joy Williamson-Lott of the Graduate School joining us today are candidates who completed
all requirements for the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy musical arts education physical
therapy audiology and nursing practice on behalf of the deans of the schools and colleges
and the Graduate faculty I am pleased and honored to recommend these candidates for
the highest degrees awarded by the university graduate faculty do you concur yes well all
the doctoral degree candidates from all schools and colleges please rise [Applause] degree
candidates from the schools and colleges just presented
is to confer upon these candidates their respective doctoral degrees congratulations you have
achieved high academic distinction in this university salutes you the names degrees and
photos of this year's outstanding doctoral candidates can be found in the box marked
grad moments on your screen you got your candidates for master's degrees will be presented by
interim dean Allison Cullen of the Evans School of Public Policy and governance and Dean Williamson-Lott of the graduate school candidates for master's degrees in the Evans School of Public Policy and governance will please rise
Evans School faculty do you concur yes congratulations graduates we are so proud of you now please
remain standing candidates for the various master's degrees for all schools and colleges
from the University of Washington Seattle Bothell and Tacoma please rise on behalf of
the Dean to display the college's and the Graduate faculty I am honored to present all
of these candidates to receive their respective master's degrees it is my distinct honor to
present to you Regent Benoliel all of the master's degree candidates from the schools
and colleges of the universities three campuses on behalf of the Board of Regents and the
Graduate faculty I am pleased to confer upon each of you your master's degree congratulations
the name conveys degrees and photos of this year's outstanding master's degree candidates
can be found in the box marked grad moments on your screen candidates for bachelor's degrees in the various
colleges and schools of all three campuses will be presented by the several Dean's and
chancellors the candidates who have been accepted by the general faculty as a university for
their respective degrees are listed in the commencement program for the College of Arts
and Sciences Dean Robert Stacey candidates from the College of Arts and Sciences
will please rise it is my honor to present these candidates for the degrees of Bachelor
of Arts bachelor of fine arts Bachelor of design Bachelor of music and Bachelor of Science
and to recommend that they be awarded their respective degrees faculty of the College
of Arts and Sciences do you concur congratulations graduates we are proud of all of you
Dean Mia Tuan College of Education well candidates from the College of Education
please rise the faction of Arts degrees in early childhood
and Family Studies and education communities and organizations and to recommend that they
be awarded their degrees faculty of the College of Education do you concur Dean
Nancy Allbritton College of Engineering candidates from the College of Engineering
will please rise for the degrees of Bachelor of Science Bachelor
of Science and Engineering Bachelor of Science and aeronautical and astronautical engineering
bioengineering Chemical Engineering civil and environmental engineering Computer Engineering
computer science Electrical Engineering human centered design and engineering industrial
and systems engineering materials science and engineering and mechanical engineering
and to recommend that they be awarded their respective degrees faculty of the College
of Engineering do you concur Dean Lisa Grunlich college of the environment
the candidates from the College of the environment will please rise it is my pleasure and honor
to present these candidates of the College of the environment for the degrees of Bachelor
of Arts Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science and forest resources and Bachelor of Science
and Aquatic and fishery sciences and to recommend that they be awarded their respective degrees
faculty of the College of the environment do you concur we do congratulations graduates
we wish you all the very best Dean Anind Dey of the information school
candidates from the information school please rise
for the degree of Bachelor of Science and informatics and to recommend that they be
awarded their bachelor's degrees faculty of the information school do you concur
Dean Frank Hodge Michael G Foster School of Business
the candidates from the Michael G Foster School of Business will please rise
and recommend that they be awarded their respective bachelor's degrees faculty of the Foster School
do you concur Dean Azita Amami School of Nursing
degree candidates from the number one School of Nursing in the nation would you please
rise science in nursing and recommend that they be awarded a bachelor's degrees faculty
of School of Nursing would you concur Associate Dean Sara Kim School of Medicine
we'll the bachelor candidates from the School of Medicine please rise
from the School of Medicine in the specialized fields of medical technology and physician's
assistant and to recommend they be awarded their respective bachelor's degrees Faculty
of the School of Medicine do you concur we did congratulations graduates we're so proud
of you Dean Rene Chang college of built environments will the candidates
from the college of built environments please rise in architecture landscape architecture
construction management and the community environmental planning and to recommend that
they be awarded their respective bachelor's degrees Faculty of the College of built environments
do you concur Dean Edwina Euhara School of Social Work
distinguished candidates from the School of Social Work please rise on behalf of the socialist
faculty it is my great privilege to present these candidates for their bachelor's degrees
in Social Welfare and to recommend that they be awarded their respective bachelor's degrees
Faculty of the School of Social Work do you concur Dean Hilary Godwin School of Public Health
the candidates from the School of Public Health will please rise
for bachelor's degrees in the School of Public Health and recommend that they be awarded
their respective degrees faculty of the school of public health do you concur
presenting bachelor's degree candidates from the University of Washington Bothell Chancellor
Wolf Yeigh will all the bachelors degree candidates from the University of Washington Bothell
please rise I am honored to present these candidates for
their respective bachelor's degrees and recommend that all who have fulfilled the requirements
prescribed by the Faculty of the University of Washington Bothell be awarded their degrees
faculty of University Washington Bothell do you concur congratulations graduates you are
now proud graduates of University of Washington Bothell presenting bachelor's degree candidates
from the University of Washington Tacoma Chancellor Mark A Pagano will all of the bachelors degree
candidates from the University of Washington Tacoma no matter where you are in the world
please rise these candidates for the respective bachelor's degrees and recommend
that all who have fulfilled the requirements prescribed by the Faculty of the UW tacoma
be awarded their degrees Dean's representing the Faculty of the University of Washington
Tacoma do you concur will all bachelors degree candidates from
all three campuses please rise graduates you have already begun to work your magic you've
made the Sun come out and it is my distinct honor to present you Regent Benoliel all
of the bachelors degree candidates from the various schools and colleges of all three
University of Washington campuses on behalf of the Board of Regents and the Faculty of
the University I am pleased to confer upon each of you your respective bachelor
degrees congratulations the names degrees and photos of this year's outstanding bachelor
degree candidates can be found in the box marked grad moments on your screen and now
graduates turn your tassels from the from the right to the left congratulations [ Siren ] congratulations to all of our graduates all of today's participants will receive a
copy of the block w photograph that you just saw on your screen in addition a memento of
this day will be mailed to you soon the School of Music choir will now lead us in the singing
of rise up with pride for Washington the words to the song are printed on the inside of the
back cover of the commencement program please rise [ Music ] [ Applause ] congratulations once again to all of our graduates we so enjoy being able to
come together today to celebrate your accomplishments we send you all of our best wishes for your
health and safety and that of your family and friends before we end we want you to know
that you can view all the Grad moments slides for your school or college at the conclusion
of the ceremony and stay tuned until the end of the recessional for a surprise appearance
by everybody's favorite husky the 145th commencement exercises of the University of Washington
are now closed [ Music ]
