The Berkeley Master of Engineering (MEng) students and alumni gathered over great food and views at the California Memorial Stadium.

Last week, the Fung Institute held our annual alumni brunch, where we had a record number of over 400 attendees. With our growing network, this was our first year hosting the brunch in the University Club at the California Memorial Stadium. Our alumni and students were able to enjoy the delicious food alongside a spectacular view, aided by unusually clear skies.

Of the attendants, 131 alumni returned to catch up with old friends, meet new students, and recruit potential colleagues. With a diverse network of leading engineers at companies like Facebook, Apple, Tesla, and a handful of startup founders across the world, the morning was filled with curious minds and exciting conversations. Many of our alumni are motivated to come back and help others, especially the new alumni who remember the challenges they faced not long ago. Yang Ding, MEng ’18 (EECS), explains why he comes every year:

“I always like to come back and chat with current students. I know I was in their shoes before, so I think it’s good to come back and let them know to try different things throughout the year. When it comes to recruiting season, I try to tell them to maintain a peaceful mindset and to not panic, but also not settle for the first thing you see.”

Students and alumni were able to mingle with MEng staff and faculty at the brunch as well. Many graduates have credited their post-grad success to strong connections with their professors and Capstone advisors who they’re not only still in touch with, but have given them guidance all along the way. For their part, our MEng faculty and staff are always excited to see familiar faces.

We had a wonderful time hosting yet another successful alumni brunch. Thank you to all of our wonderful alumni and students for coming out, and to our hardworking staff for putting on a flawless event. We’re always excited about creating meaningful connections — make sure to be on the lookout for our other networking events throughout the year on Fung Institute Connect! Stay up to date with us by following us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram!

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Past and present students connect at 8th annual alumni brunch was originally published in Berkeley Master of Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.