Golden Bear Orientation - New Student Convocation 2026

Ever since you got your acceptance letter, you've probably been trying to imagine yourself here. You are Berkeley [music] now. >> I'm Berkeley, too. But what does that mean? >> Our campus is massive. Its community is complex and diverse. How will you go about finding your way to belonging here? >> Now, it's time for you [music] to take your first step. My first step at Cal was into this [music] dance studio. It was here that I found my community. It was also here that I learned about how broad, diverse, and exciting the world of dance could be, much more than I had been exposed to as a high school student. This was the space that launched my career as a dancer and a dance scholar. And now I get to spend every day in this gorgeous space [music] teaching and working, doing research and creating, making dances. My first steps at UC Berkeley as a transfer student were full of anxiety and overwhelming uncertainty. And with the campus that feels and is obviously so large, it's [music] important to find spaces that are small because they'll help you validate some of your emotions, some of your anxieties. And thankfully, the transfer student center is one of the places that gave me the tools and the resources that were necessary for me to feel like I was going to be a success at Berkeley. >> Well, I I'm an undergrad alum at Berkeley. What was my first step in finding a community? Well, we know that Berkeley's large. So, finding your community, finding finding your place at Berkeley is so fundamental. For me, it was joining an organization. I you know, we have so many clubs and organizations and ways that you can plug in and I'd recommend, you know, you put a little extra effort in to make sure that happens right at the beginning. >> My first step at Berkeley was the UC Valley Committee and the Philippine X academic student orientation. There, I was able to find my communities while also being fulfilled culturally and socially. My first step at Berkeley was with the Chico and Latino [music] Student Development Office. There I found my community. We are all Berkeley and we all had to start somewhere. Welcome to your first step. Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Alfred Day. I use he him his pronouns and I have the privilege of serving as your interim dean of students. Most importantly, congratulations and welcome to UC Berkeley. [cheering] >> [applause] >> Before we go any further, I want you to take a moment and look around the pavilion. You're surrounded by people who have traveled different roads to get here. Some from just a few miles away. Others from other states, countries, across oceans, cultures, and languages. Some of you have dreamed about Berkeley for years. Others may still be trying to figure out how you got here. But today, all of those roads have converged. You are here and you belong here. I want you to think about someone who helped you reach this day. It might be a parent, grandparent, sibling, teacher, counselor, coach, partner, friend, or someone else who believed in you maybe before you fully believed in yourself. Think about what that person gave you. Encouragement, patience, or simply the reassurance that you did not have to make the journey alone. Hold that person in your mind for a moment. One of the lessons I've learned through my life is that human beings are remarkably skilled at making meaningful connections. My research examines parasocial relationships, the emotional relationships we develop with people and characters we encounter through media. They might be artists, athletes, fictional characters, social media personalities, or public figures we've never actually met. These relationships are sometimes dismissed as imaginary or insignificant, but they can be powerful. They can help us understand ourselves, cope during difficult periods, and feel less alone. A character in a book may give us a language for something we have never been able to express. A musician might help us understand an emotion we thought belonged only to us. A person we follow online may inspire us to pursue a path we had never considered possible. Those connections matter. And different kinds of relationships can give us different things. The people we encounter through our screens can inspire us, comfort us, and help us make meaning. But there are things that require people who are actually present in our lives. People who notice when we've stopped coming to class, people who sit beside us when we get difficult news. people who bring us food when we are sick, challenge us when we're making a bad decision, or celebrate with us when we do the thing that we thought was impossible. For that, we need each other. And that is my invitation to you as you begin your Berkeley journey. Do not simply observe this community, be in this community. It's tempting to experience college as though you're watching someone else's journey. You may scroll through photographs of other students appearing to make lifelong friends, get perfect grades, and somehow know exactly what they are doing. Remember that you're only seeing a part of their story, and it's only the part they decide to share. You are not behind. You're not the only person who feels uncertain. And you are not a spectator in your own life. You're in the story. You are the story. Say hello to someone. Go to the meeting. Ask the question. Visit office hours. Join a club that interests you, even if you don't know anyone there. Ask someone to have lunch. Let people know when you need help. And be willing to notice when someone else may need it, too. At some point, Berkeley will push you. You might receive a grade that surprises you. You might feel homesick or lonely. You might question whether you're as good as the people around you. When that happens, please remember asking for help isn't evidence that you don't belong at Berkeley. Asking for help is one of the ways you build a life at Berkeley. There are people throughout this university whose purpose is to support your learning, well-being, and success. Let us be a part of your community. You don't have to wait for a situation to become a crisis before reaching out. You earned your place here. But earning your place doesn't mean you have to prove that you can do everything alone. Over the coming years, you will encounter ideas, stories, and people who change the way you understand the world. I hope that you will also allow yourself to be known. Not merely viewed, followed, or liked, but genuinely known. Build relationships where people see your whole humanity and you see theirs. This is how a campus becomes a community. This is how community becomes belonging. And that is how Berkeley becomes not simply a university you attended, but a place you helped shape. I am so glad that you are here and cannot wait to see the stories we will create together. Welcome to UC Berkeley. Go Bears. >> [applause] >> And now, please rise if you are able for the national anthem. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> We [singing] all [music] and see [music] through the night. I was still [music] there. [music] Hey, [music] thank you. You may be seated. And now it is my pleasure to introduce Chancellor Rich Lions. Rich, in his own words, is all about Berkeley and getting more so. His first introductions were around the age of 11 when his older brother was an undergraduate at Berkeley, attending football games and other events. Like many of us, his undergraduate experience at Berkeley changed his life. Six years after getting his PhD elsewhere, Rich got the opportunity to return to Berkeley on the faculty over 30 years ago and appreciates every minute of his return home. He will talk about looking ahead 10 years and reflecting back at that time about what we'll mo be most proud of having achieved together. And now please join me in welcoming Chancellor Lions. [applause] Oh, thank you all. This is uh as exciting as it gets. Good afternoon. welcome to this university that is unlike any other and thanks to you Alfred as well for those remarks. uh among many of the things he said be in this community right you will feel that embrace it's an important part of what what Berkeley is do you know where I was it was the fall of 1979 that's a few years ago I was right where you sit today that is an incoming firstear student here at Berkeley taking those first steps on a journey that unquestionably changed my life it launched launched a love affair with this incomparable institution. It's hard to describe what it means to stand here 47 years later as Berkeley's chancellor. Just knowing what awaits you gives me a an incredible vicarious thrill. And you you have spared no effort to earn and to deserve, as Alfred said, to deserve fully your seat at this table. Thank you for the hard work and dedication that made that possible. You surely had other enrollment options. Thanks for your belief in what this university, our university, will provide. We're humbled by your vote of confidence and thank you for the new ideas, the interests, and the energy that you will bring to our Cal community. Enrolling at Berkeley means now that you contribute to and of course you will benefit from one of society's greatest assets. Berkeley is unquestionably that. Led by our peerless faculty, we not only impart knowledge naturally in a in a world-class way, but also on a daily basis. Knowledge is created here. New knowledge and understanding across a breathtaking range of academic disciplines and interests and you will tap into that we hope as much as you can. What Berkeley is able to achieve at scale is stunning and truly singular. And at the heart of all of this is a fundamental mission. As the country's premier public university, we are animated by a shared dedication, a devotion even to making this world a better place. You will soon discover the Berkeley way, as we call it, the heart of which is our incessant questioning of the status quo. An unshakable belief that there's got to be a better way to do things. So, we ensure our faculty and you, our students, have the freedom and the agency, that feeling inside you that I can have an impact on the world. That's part of what we're delivering here. You will emerge from this place a stronger thinker. I promise you. But we also need you to be a stronger doer. Somebody with a sense of agency that I am going to have a mark on this world. And you will explore, you will imagine, you will envision unfettered by the past in hot pursuit of what the future holds and in hot pursuit of creating that future. You're now members of an extraordinary community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The people who individually and collectively make Berkeley Berkeley. A strong, supportive campus community allows each of us to take more intellectual risks, express more intellectual creativity. It's really an important phrase. Somebody said to me just the other day, now that's what AI can't do. And I think that's actually a really important idea and we [applause] we are doing that together. I think if somebody said what's the essence of why you feel so connected to this institution and what it represents it is the thrill of seeing the kind of intellectual creativity around us. You will thrive in this environment and the ongoing sharing and creation of knowledge. You will have a sense of how that ongoing creation and sharing leads to emancipation. We learn from one another to thrive amidst our amazing diversity of origins and attributes. This connects our university's deep commitment to diversity of thought and perspective, both of which represent or result from rather and are profoundly enhanced by our campus's demographic diversity. And so we are today more committed than ever to continuing our efforts to ensure that each and every one of you can thrive here, can feel a true sense of belonging regardless of who you are, regardless of what you believe in. And it is important that you participate. This is a community that awaits you, that needs your participation and perspective, and that has so much to offer all who dive in and deeply engage. Pursuing meaningful engagement throughout our daily return routines during those precious real life moments creates invaluable opportunities for the thrilling discoveries and the serendipitous interactions you will experience here. In these moments, lifelong relationships are launched. The ties that bind us together are formed. And naturally, to participate, you need to show up. I urge all of you, show up in your way. Somebody said to me recently, this was an alum, you know, Berkeley is the place for people who want to chart their own course. I love that phrase. And not every university could say that publicly and have everybody realize, yeah, it really is. And at the same time, this is a university that is devoted to serving the common good. Those two things might seem like they're in opposition, but the degree to which they are both true and both part of Berkeley is magical. Come to class, engage deeply with your reading material in your way. Engage with the assignments, the projects, and each other. Wrestle wrestle with the complex ideas. True transformative learning happens when we're all fully present and deeply engaged. While you are here, as Alfred mentioned, get the support you need. There is a lot of support here, and we all need it. No matter, it makes no difference who you are, which state, which country, or which county you come from, which community you belong to, lean on these support systems. Our counseling services, our dedicated staff are here for you to thrive. Check out Cal's awesome array of some 100,000, more than 100,000, sorry, not 100,000, but 1,000 student organizations. And please do that early because things are going to start coming at you pretty fast. We live in an era of unprecedented convenience where shortcuts, quick answers, and AI summaries are a click away. But the Berkeley experience is not meant [sighs] to be consumed passively. It is meant to be actively, intensely explored, enjoyed, and engaged however and whenever you can. And when you do, please be prepared for passionate debate and sharp differences of view. That's part of what engaging here is about. Clark Kerr, who served to head Berkeley many, many years ago, he had a wonderful phrase. We are not engaged as a university in making ideas safe for students. We are engaged in making students, you safe for ideas. The world of ideas is complicated and it's going to be complicated here as well. So those differences of view are really important. Bring yours to the table. With that in mind, we're fortunate to have a set of principles that we call our principles of community designed for the coexistence of strong supporting campus community and strongly held beliefs developed through collaboration among students, faculty, and staff. These principles of community enshrine essential values such as free speech, also respect for differences, honesty, and civility that enable each of us to feel heard and accepted, to explore new ideas, advocate for our beliefs, to feel safe, and to thrive. Do read and benefit from those seven principles of community. They're easily accessed online. In closing, not too long ago, a student shared with me what stood out most to her about her Berkeley experience. She said, quote, "It's the way we illuminate each other." That's a beautiful observation. It captures so much of what our culture here is all about. We illuminate each other. We illuminate each other when we step out of our comfort zones. We illuminate each other when we engage in constructive discourse across divides. We illuminate each other when we listen to opposing points of view with genuine curiosity. We illuminate each other when we interact and connect with people with different interests, identities and the areas and different areas of expertise and interest. The magic of Berkeley cannot be experienced from the sidelines. You have to participate. Trust me, the water is great. It is time for you to jump in. Berkeley is not just a place. Berkeley is a promise. It is the idea that no matter where you come from, you can and will shape what comes next. And this is a promise that it takes all of us together to keep. I am very glad you are here. Fiat lux and go Bears. [applause] Thank you. [applause] Thank you. And now it is my pleasure and honor to welcome with you your and our ASU president Margaret Solomon. [cheering] [applause] Hello, welcome class of 2030. [applause] First, I want you all to give yourself another round of applause for making a year. [applause] Honestly, you did that. First, I want to congratulate you all for getting here. And just in case no one has told you this yet, I am really proud of you. This is a huge accomplishment and the start to a new journey in your life that will shape you into the person that you need to be. It's an even greater accomplishment to do this year at UC Berkeley. We have record numbers of Olympic medals. We've pioneered new inventions and discoveries, and we're the home to the free speech movement, which all makes us the number one public university in the nation, [cheering] look, [applause] look, I could probably say more about UC Berkeley, but first, I want to introduce myself. My name is Margaret Solomon. I am going to be serving as your ASU student body president for this year. >> [cheering] >> Thank you guys. [applause] And honestly, it's crazy because four years ago, I was sitting where you guys are are at right now. And I remember I was so nervous. I watched probably hundreds of Tik Tok videos trying to figure out what to buy for my dorm. I watched day in the life at Berkeley videos. So, it's really full circle moment to be able to speak to you all today. But today, I want to focus our conversation on responsibility. This is probably something you've heard from your parents already, but I want to make sure that we look at a different kind of responsibility. There are three kinds of responsibility I want to talk about here. Personal responsibility, relational responsibility, and social responsibility. I want to start with personal responsibility. This is what you owe yourself. And for me, that story started off with saying yes. I remember my first time walking through Spout Hall. I got bombarded by so many different organizations and honestly I try to join every single one of them and I do not regret it to this day because I was able to meet new people and learn new things. Through that I was able to meet some of my closest friends and saying yes changed my experience and it's how I found the people I loved and the and learned more about myself. But, and this is a huge butt, it is also okay to say no. I actually didn't learn that until last year when two of my mentors sat me down and they told me it was okay to say no if I didn't have the capacity. It was like a switch flipped all of a sudden. I started saying no to things when I needed a mental health break or when I was juggling finals and meetings and work projects and I just needed to breathe. I started to learn that saying no didn't mean I was missing out on things. It meant I was able to give 100% to the commitments I already made. Understanding that balance is your responsibility and what you owe yourself. Number two, relational responsibility. One of my favorite sayings is it takes a village. And I'm sure you guys have all heard this. And trust me, it's going to take a village while you're here at UC Berkeley. Relational responsibility is what you owe that village. For me, that village was my mom. My mom immigrated from Nigeria and she instilled in me the importance of doing what meant the most to you. And my brothers, they took their time to help me out with my college applications even when they had other things going on. And my friends, they pushed me to do my best and they told me not to give up. I'm standing here right now as a first generation college students like probably many of you guys because of these people that poured into me. As you're listening to me, I want you to think about that person who made those sacrifice for you to be sitting here today. It could be your mom or your dad, your siblings, or even your fifth grade teacher who decided to take some more time with you. They invested in you because they they they didn't think it was easy, but they saw that you could do a change that nobody else could do. They they knew you were going to make a difference in this world. So, you owe them your best while you're here. Not just your presence here, but your effort, [clears throat] your growth, and your integrity. You owe them all of it. Because every late night you push through, every class you show up for, every opportunity you chase down, that's not just for you. That's the fruit of their labor and their efforts finally paying off. And finally, social responsibility. This is about your obligation to understand that the world does not stop at the boundaries of this campus. Somewhere in your dorm room, there's a student who's worried about affording the next semester. or in your lecture all there's someone whose family is affected by things about happening around the world as many of you transition into the age of voting I wanted to remind you that it is your responsibility to be civically engaged it is your responsibility to care about your peers it is your responsibility to care about what's happening in the next city over make it your job to stay informed and then use that information when it's time to be civically engaged I'm going to go ahead and wrap this up because I know you know Osci wants to get some dancing done. But I'll leave you all with this. A wise woman named Olivia Dean once said, "You only have a couple minutes." And that's really what college is going to feel like. So don't waste a single minute of it. Say yes when it scares you a little bit. Say no when you need to breed. Lean on your village. and stay curious about the world outside of these gates. Thank you and go Bears. [applause] >> And now I am very pleased to welcome and I want you guys to help me welcome the cow band. [cheering] >> [applause] >> Heat up here. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [applause] [cheering] Sam. [cheering] >> I should 2 minutes. Heat. Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat >> [music] >> up [music] here. >> [applause] [applause] >> Hallelujah. Anthony for victory. I'll sing a for us as we are Good morning. [singing] Hey Hey, [cheering] [applause]