On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, the UC Berkeley College of Engineering hosted the 153rd College of Engineering Commencement, in-person at the Hearst Greek Theater for the first time in two years.

Louis Bemberg, MEng ‘22 (IEOR), delivered the student remarks for the ceremony. Louis has just accepted a new role as product reliability engineer at Palantir Technologies, a software company. He firmly believes that our world can be a better place if we manage its data and resources more optimally. An excerpt from his keynote is below: “Let me tell you a little story. A man notices an adult elephant tied to a tree with a tiny string. Confused, the man asks the local guide why the elephant doesn’t run away because the small string would never be enough to detain an animal with so much strength. The guide explains that when elephants are tied up at a very young age, the string is actually enough to hold them. But as they grow bigger, the elephant is still convinced that the string is enough to contain them and don’t even attempt to escape. How many times in our lives did we fail to attempt something just because we thought we couldn’t succeed? How many times did we miss out just because we didn’t have courage to say ‘yes?’ The best experiences of your life lie just outside of your comfort zone. Be bold… Apply for one more job no matter how many rejections you’ve already received. It won’t always be easy. Life is full of ups and downs. But I am a firm believer that the sun always shines even after the worst storms. If you ever find yourself at rock bottom, don’t be an elephant. Be a bear!”

Tara Bunch (B.S.’85 ME, Head of Global Operations, Airbnb) delivered the keynote address for the master’s commencement. As global head of operations for Airbnb, Tara is responsible for supporting hosts and guests in more than 220 countries and regions, and payments in 63 currencies. She previously spent eight years at Apple as vice president of AppleCare. An excerpt from her keynote is below: “The past few years have taught me a whole new appreciation for human connection. To be here, in person celebrating — it’s magical! What a special day. I feel so excited and lucky to be part of this special day and the incredible accomplishment it represents…Every day, I am learning and being pushed to do better. One thing I’ve learned is that you have to accept the risk of failure if you are truly going to be the best you can possibly be. Failures are just bumps. They are not permanent, any more than success is permanent. It must be worked for every single day. And if you’ve never failed, you are either really, really lucky or you might be playing it a little safe…One important lesson I learned is: Enjoy the ride. Don’t assume the destination you had in mind is actually the one and only great outcome for you. Don’t make your choices too small out of fear.”

Berkeley MEng Class of 2022 accomplishments

There were 670 MEng graduates this year, comprised of 572 full-time, 6 part-time, 10 MBA/MEng graduates; several MEng students who requested third semester extensions

• Graduates represent 43 countries and regions, including China, India, France, Taiwan, Kenya, and more. Among the cohort, 257 undergraduate schools are represented.
• 43 students completing the inaugural Tech+PLUS Certificate program
• Career programming highlights from the past year included hosting a cross-disciplinary iHackHealth appathon, welcoming 9 industry speakers in the engineering leadership speaking series, many MEng affinity group-led events, a new industry mentorship program, and much more!
• MEng graduates will move on to work at top companies like Accenture, Amazon, Apple, Applied Materials, Bloomberg, Energport, Fehr & Peers, Google, Huawei, Intuitive Surgical, Intel, Illumia, Lockheed Martin, Meta, McKinsey & Company, Penumbra, Pixar, Rivian, Ripple, and Tesla.
• The Class of 2022 had 172 capstone teams, 109 faculty-led projects, 63 partner-advised. Among this cohort, capstone accomplishments range from enhancements in healthcare to mitigating the impacts of natural disasters.
• In May, we hosted the annual end of year showcase with over 800 registrants at Mudd Hall. The 2022 End of Year Showcase web page features presenting teams and award winners.

Pledge of Ethical Conduct for Engineers

We, the graduating engineering Class of 2021, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members and the communities we serve, pledge to commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct. Throughout our careers, we will consider the ethical implications and the impact on safety, health and welfare of the public and the environment of the work we do before we take action. While the demands placed upon us may be great, we make this declaration because we recognize that individual responsibility is the first step on the path to a better world for all.

— Adopted by the Student Relations Committee, Engineering Student Council and some 85 student societies of the UC Berkeley College of Engineering

Learn more about the Fung Institute at funginstitute.berkeley.edu. Edited by Ashley Villanueva

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