 Welcome, loved ones, guests, and the class of 2022. We want to say also welcome to our guests who are watching us through the live stream. Thank you for joining us. We're here, we're excited to celebrate the fifth annual UndocuGrad celebration. Let's give another round of applause to our graduates. My name is Kiana Harris, and I'm a current undergraduate majoring in chemical engineering. And my name is Ratu Arisi-Lablavu. I go by Arisi for short. And I'm Arisi graduate having earned my bachelor's in both anthropology and social welfare. We are honored to be your hosts for today. To start us off, it's a pleasure to invite the Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, Carol Christ. Good afternoon, and welcome to the fifth annual UC Berkeley UndocuGrad ceremony celebrating the class of 2022. I'd like to start by welcoming everyone to University House and recognizing that the land on which we sit stand today is the territory of the Hutun, the ancestral home and traditional territory of the Chechechnya-speaking Ohlone people, an indigenous community that has thrived here for hundreds of years. This land was and continues to be of great importance to the Ohlone people, and it's important to reflect on how we benefit from the use of this land. Consistent with Berkeley's values of diversity and public service, we have a responsibility to acknowledge and make visible the university's history and relationship to native peoples, their ancestors, and their land. We're here today to celebrate the graduating class of 2022. And everything these students bring to our campus in class, in the research lab, in the office, and throughout our community. We know it isn't always easy. Berkeley's a place that demands a lot of those who study and work here. And our undocumented community faces additional burdens many of us can barely fathom. The specter of deportation, the turmoil that comes from a constantly changing political landscape, the search for belonging in a country that doesn't always accept you. We are also here today to proclaim this institution's commitment to our undocumented community in both word and deed, you belong here. And on behalf of our whole institution, we're so proud and so grateful for your presence and your contributions. As a university, we commit to standing up for you, supporting you, and fighting for your rights. Since it was established 10 years ago in 2012, the undocumented student program at Berkeley has been a beacon for undocumented students eager to pursue higher education. Today, we welcome another class forward and across the finish line to join the growing alumni community who continue paving paths forward. I'd like to share my immense gratitude to Bob Colleen and Elise Haas, as well as the Evelyn and Walter Haas Junior Fund for their contributions to the Undocumented Student Program and for their unwavering support for our undocumented community over so many years. Thank you also to everyone on campus involved in this effort and to the alumni who have paved the way for today's students. I hope that moments of celebration like this help us remember something that's so sorely needed in the United States today, our shared humanity, the love, joy and connection among people that should so easily transcend lines of citizenship. Thank you. And now let's move on to the next part of our program. Thank you so much for your remarks, Chancellor Chris. Can we give her another round of applause? To introduce our keynote speaker, Dr. Alfredo Quinoa-Nones Hinojosa. He unfortunately could not be with us today, but he's watching in person from the East Coast and he has sent a video to share with you all. So just a little introduction, Dr. Q graduated from UC Berkeley in 1994 with a BA in Psychology. Today he is the William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor and Chair of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. In his laboratory, his team is investigating the ability of stem cells to fight brain cancer. He received his undergraduate from UC Berkeley and earned his medical degree from Harvard with honors. He then completed his neurosurgical residency at the University of California, San Francisco, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology. Dr. Q has been featured in Netflix's Surgeons Cut, which has won an Emmy and BAFTA Award and the Peabody Award winning PBS special Hopkins. Dr. Q has shared his story as an undocumented immigrant through his writing and public speaking, advocating for human rights and dignity for all. In his free time, he enjoys mentoring, training for his health marathon fundraiser run and spending time with his wife and three kids. Shall we roll the clip? First and foremost, I want to thank Chancellor Carol Crest, Vice Chancellor Daniel Matus and the UC Berkeley Organizing Committee for inviting me to the fifth annual and docus grad graduation ceremony at UC Berkeley. My alma mater. Muchas gracias. I titled this opportunity, The Road We Have Trouble. El camino que hemos recorrido. Fiat locks, let there be light. I remember entering through the formal southern gate, entering to the campus the first time I was overwhelmed with emotions. I remember as if it was yesterday. My name is Alfredo Quiñones in Ojosa and I am the chair of neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. I hold the William and Charles Mayo professor and also the Monica, Flynn, Jacobi and Dow chair in neurosurgery. I attended UC Berkeley from 1991 to 1994. Was I born poor? Maybe in a small town outside of Mexicali, Mexico in the Baja California Peninsula. Close enough to the United States Mexican border. Close enough to be able to see through the fence that divided two countries, two cultures, but also close enough to allow me to dream, a dream that at times seems so far, far away. I wanna let you in a secret. When I received your invitation to speak, I thought no problem, I got this. They're asking me to talk about my life, about my work in the operating room, about my work in the laboratory, which by the way, hardly anything works. Also to talk about my work in our foundation Mission Brain which goes around the world helping poor people, but then I pause and fear, yes, fear invaded my thoughts. The fear of, what am I gonna tell them? What if I don't have anything profound or meaningful to say? As I was putting my ideas together, I also reflected on my path to UC Berkeley. It was full of turns, hills, mountains, and sometimes giant craters, dark moments. Dark moments when quitting was the only option I consider. I was ready to quit when I had the fence at age 19 in 1987 and I was caught by the border patrol. I was ready to quit when I landed in the fields of California and did bad breaking work in the cotton tomato and cantaloupe fields undocumented. I was ready to quit when I was homeless and I was living in my 1978 old decrepit beat up car. I was ready to quit when I was told to forget about going beyond the farm fields in Fresno. When I was told that my people, my ancestors, my family had come for generations to the United States to work as braceros and that I should never, ever aspire to go beyond that. I was ready to quit. In April 14th, 1989, I almost died. I found myself at the bottom of a railroad giant tanker carrying a liquefied petroleum gas 16 feet deep. I fell, I gasped for air and never made it out on my own volition. I have chronicled some of this experience in a book that has gotten recognition and awards by many of you, a UC Press book title becoming Dr. Q. Some of these experiences have also been chronicled in a 2009 Peabody Award winner documentary title, Hopkins. And some of these experiences were chronicled in the 2021 Emmy BAFTA award-winning Netflix show, The Surgeon's Cut. And yes, Brad Pitt and Disney announced a few years ago the making of a movie based on my life where, according to my son, Danny DeVito would play my role. I would be honored, of course, if Danny DeVito was to play my role. And I know I am bragging here and I apologize. I apologize unreservedly, but it is important to illustrate a point. See, the world may only see me as a five feet, seven inches short man, but I see myself as a seven feet, five inches tall giant. Reputation is what people think of you. Character is what you think of yourself. In that tanker, I fought until my last breath. My father and my brother-in-law risked their lives to save mine. How little did they know that through their sacrifices and risking their own lives, one day they were going to take the risk and one day they were going to touch thousands of lives. The path to UC Berkeley felt solitary at times. Sometimes it felt as if I was trying to drink water out of a fire hydrant. You can imagine my joy. One day I got the one letter. You have been accepted to UC Berkeley. Berkeley for me was a dream, a paradise, a place where differences are welcomed and opportunity to change the world was at your fingertips and it has remained a size throughout my life. A pivotal point upon my arrival to UC Berkeley was when I learned that there were theme programs that celebrated our differences and similarities for many different groups and cultures. Safe places like Caxa, Magdalena, Mora. This was important to me, since the seed was planted at UC Berkeley that our skin colors, religions, beliefs, social economic status may be different, but behind all these differences and beyond what we can see, we were all similar. See, I have opened over 5,000 brains and I have never ever been able to detect differences based on anything. No differences based on race, religion or skin color. In 1999, I had an experience that put me on my knees again. Another one of those life and death experiences that shakes your soul and I had to dig deep to find the still in my soul. I found myself as an intern at the University of California, San Francisco fighting to find terra firma. Trying to understand how I got stuck with a large bore needle deep into my soul, I had to dig deep. This needle went deep with lots of fluids and lots of blood from a dying patient with HIV and hepatitis C and then I had to go into triple therapy and I was monitored for a long time to make sure that I didn't still convert. I had to learn about patients. I was not good at it. Being great at something means that you are going to be bad at it for a while. Yes, I was bad at waiting and I had to learn during those times to be patient and accepting and accepting that no matter how hard I tried at the end, I do not control all the variables. These are lessons that life teaches you. I have been given a gift to care for patients. I have been charged with the responsibility to give them hope. Am I a leader? I do have a team. We all work together to find new therapies and cures for cancer. I have members from the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Panama, Italy, Portugal, Spain and many other countries around the world all working diligently day and night, never giving up with grit, with resilience. Am I a leader or am I a servant? A leader is nothing else but a servant and when you serve your team from within rather than from above, you transcend from being a good leader to becoming a great leader. I hope one day I can become a great leader. I wish I knew yesterday what I know today. I wish to know today what I will learn tomorrow. I took myself back to the day I was in your spot also graduating from UC Berkeley. I'll share some last thoughts with you. One, do not let the act of planning paralyze the act of doing. Two, you do not need to be amazing to start but you do need to start to be amazing. Three, maintain a curious spirit and choose your friends wisely. Four, find your strength and then learn how to use it. Five, life is like being in the boxing ring. In your corner you will have mentors and you will have trainers but ultimately you will face life inside of that ring. Under the lights you will throw and receive punches and down you may go, down on your knees and you will have to find the steel within your soul. So you can get up and continue dancing under those lights. Fiat lacks, let there be light. The road we have traveled, el camino que hemos recorrido. This road has been illuminated by light, knowledge and truth. Am I still overwhelmed with emotions today as I'm talking to you? Yes, I am and nervous too. I wish you the best on your future endeavors and please never forget that we all come from the same place and we are all going on the same direction. Fiat lacks, thank you. I don't know what to say, I'm lost for words. That was very powerful. Thank you Dr. Cue for the video, the work you do and yeah, for being an inspiration to all of us. Let's give him another round of applause. Next we have two graduates who will be sharing some words with us. I am happy to introduce my first femtor as a transfer undocumented student to UC Berkeley and the dear friend Erica Castiano. Erica is a first gen undocumented student, major in sociology and minor in anthropology. She's an active member of her community on and off the campus. As an undocumented scholar, Castiano was a Marco Antonio Firebarg, an undocumented research cohort, a sociology honor thesis member. Currently she focuses on the economic hardship during the COVID-19 faced by undocumented Yucatan, Mayan diaspora in the Bay Area. Erica received the Slobben Scholarship and the Chicana Latina Foundation Scholarship. She was also awarded the California Legislative Assembly Certificate in recognition and the State of California Senate Certificate of Recognition in 2013 and a Community Leadership Award in 2016 for involvement in the Undocumented Common Resource Center at Berkeley City College. Some of her non-academic interests are the Latte Award, Art and Salo Music. Her dream is to obtain her PhD in Sociology so she can work alongside her femtor, Dr. McAllister. Good afternoon Erica. Oh my God, well, this is really fun and at the same time kind of sad because I'm finishing my life here at Berkeley but I'm so looking forward to, okay, well, hello everyone, welcome students, my loved ones, friends, mentors, allies. I'm sorry for my voice but I was parting too hard and I lost my voice so I'm so sorry. I tried to think that I have a sexy voice but my brother just told me that my voice is like a, I don't know if you saw this Selma from The Imperators, I don't know, Imperators, that movie, you know that, right? She told me that, she told me that I sound like that so anyways, that's okay. I'm fine. Well, I didn't know that Berkeley exists. That was like, never heard about it. My husband Ignacio and I came to Berkeley one day because I was looking for a job. I honestly love the campus, it was so beautiful. All the students look so bright and they have the things together. Everybody wearing their beautiful like gold t-shirts and everything, like wow, this is awesome. Maybe I come, because I'm undocumented, like maybe I can find a job as a janitor, you know, like that's what I was aspiring to. But when we crossed the Saturday gate, my husband told me, Erika, you're gonna be a Cal student. I thank him dearly, but inside me like, ha, keep dreaming. I mean, I never felt like a college material. I believe for decades that that could be impossible, but my husband loved me and trust me, love you. Before migraine to the US, my life was a mess. I suffered trichotillomania and obsessive compulsive disorder that makes me pull out my hair until my head bleeds. And as a result, I still have scars and my hair hasn't grown yet. Unfortunately, my family didn't understand what was happening, so they responded according to their generational trauma. When I was 16, I had to drop out of school because there was no money to continue with my education. At the age of 18, I was confused all alone, so I started drinking. And honestly, my friends or my clients, they just talked to me because, you know, I was paying for the drinks, so it was fine. I knew I wanted a new life, but I didn't know what to do. And the only thing I thought about it was ending it. There was no opportunity for me in this world. Luckily, I was unsuccessful. And I told myself that maybe that was a sign that was a wake-up sign for me. But little I knew that my new chapter in life could be a stateless human as I'm undocumented. A couple months after that, some of my family acquiesces, I don't want to even call them family because family don't treat like that to your loved ones. They offered me to come to the US to work. They told me, I'm going to give you $1,000 if you come to work for six months. For me, $1,000 in that moment, I was like, I'm going to be rich, you know? Like, yes, let's take that money. But I had to take that opportunity. Maybe that was a change that I was looking for. So I came to the US, but before I had to leave my family in Mexico. I remember when my dad just passed away a year ago and he hugged me and told me, I'm not going to see you again, right? And I told him, maybe. Well, I didn't see him again, he died last year. And I couldn't hug him and I still remember when he hugged me and told me that I won't see him. It was like a premonition. Maybe he knew that what was happening. I crossed the border in July 2016 with $300 in my bag. I remember that the people who crossed me told me, you know what, I don't have any money. Can you please give me those $300? And I was so naive. I said, yeah, of course, give me the money if you need it, take it. But after that moment, I knew that I was in their hands. I knew that they had control over my life. But the worst thing is that when I got to their place is that they hid my papers and they also told me they started treating me as a peasant, as a servant to the point that one of my aunties told their friends, isn't good to have servants. And I just bowed my head. I said, what can I do? Like just continue living, continue surviving. However, life wasn't that bad because in that moment I met my husband Ignacio. And he gave me hope. And most importantly, he loved me beside my scars, beside everything that I was living. But I needed to move on. I needed to find a job and continue fighting. What we did is we moved together. But after that, the second step was finding a job. We were close to be homeless. And I don't remember those moments like a bad moment. It was an encouragement, like a new beginning for me. So finding a job was crucial. And not having a perfect English, having a heavy accent was really difficult. But I also wanted to study. I wanted to take English classes because I wanted to be a cashier. That was my goal when I started taking English classes. Because I work in the back of the house and I said, no, I want to be a cashier. That's gonna be my goal. I'm gonna be a cashier. Of course, I'm going to help people and everything. But little I knew that life could push me to study. So I was working in a off-scale restaurant in San Francisco when I didn't speak English, but I am not stupid. And sometimes people confuse that. They said, well, you don't speak English, but you're stupid, like that's not true. I'm a smart in two languages. And I noticed that my boss, and she's a Mexican woman was stealing my jobs, my tips. And the worst thing is that my coworkers are Mayan and undocumented Mayan migrants. And I noticed that she was stealing and I said, you know what, you're stealing the tips. And I tried to confront her and I told the supervisor and he was like, you know what, your English is so bad. Just talk to her and she can translate that to me. And I'm like, are you kidding? Like, well, this is on. I'm going to learn English. So I started taking English classes, like credit English classes. My proudest moment is when I report her and she was fired. That was my proudest moment. I said, it's worth it. What I'm doing is worth it. Thank you. So because of my lack of status, I had to continue working. So I worked from three to 11 and then I took classes from nine a.m. to noon. It was really difficult, but I love it. I mean, it was a dream come true. I continued study and even though I had back injuries, I returned to school, nothing good to stop me. And then in my career as an undergrad at Berkeley City College, I took a sociology class. And I said, this is my path, you know? I met an amazing professor, Dr. Linda McAllister. I love you. I know you're watching this, I love you so much. And she told, and I saw my friend, she graduated as a valedictorian. I'm like, wow, she's wearing a pointy hat on a fancy robe. I totally want to wear that. And I said, hey, Linda, do you think I'm going to be able to wear a fancy robe and a pointy hat? And she's like, the what? I'm like, you know, that fancy robe and that pointy hat? And she's like, oh, cap and gown. Like, yeah, that. I want to do that. And she's like, yeah, you're going to do it. So she started helping me with my application. She provided all the cultural capital that I didn't have. And also I was a member of the Style Hall. I met my best friends there. I met Pancho, Elizabeth, all the Fernando who's here. I met a lot of my friends. And I am so proud to be a Style Hall member. So one day when they gave the opening, they said, you know what, I got accepted. And I was like, yes, I'm going to be a student. But also I needed to continue working, right? But for me, it was such an amazing moment. Because even though that was part of the undocumented student life, there were more challenges than I thought. But I had to continue studying. But I'm not going to lie. When every time that I step into the campus, I was like, I'm a student. I'm a Berkeley student. You know, it's such an honor to be here. And I even don't remember seeing that result. This tree is beautiful. This tree is beautiful as well. Everything was beautiful for me. Like, this is a dream come true. Unfortunately, well, you know, life threw you balls. And for me, my husband got sick. And I had to drop out of school after the semester. I was lucky to request a USP grant. And that's why I was able to finish the semester. But I had to drop out. I was devastated because my worst dream came true. I had to drop out. And I felt like a failure, even though it wasn't my fault. And I remember I asked Liliana, I'm going to return to school, right? And she said, yes, and I'm here. And I also asked one sociology professor that I appreciate so much. He teaches theory. And I told him, am I going to return? And he's like, yeah, I'm looking forward to teaching 102 to you. And I said, well, I'm going to return. And my husband told me, yes, you are going to return one day. But what was weird about that is that there was a legislation that started that day, that year, that with all the community college classes and everything you had studied, you can qualify as an AB 540. But I had to study high school. So I had to return to high school to be able to qualify as an AB 540 student. What I did is I finished my high school in four months. And I returned in fall 2019. That was awesome for me. I saw my friends. They congratulated me. And they welcomed me. And I think that my time at Cal has been a dream. Because I remember I saw the professor. And he said, he's kind of snarky and has some, you know, he's British. And he's like, what are you doing here? And I told him, I'm going to ace your class. And I did. I ace his class. So I was like, why are you like, I'm going to ace it. So right now, I don't know what to tell you more than, you are amazing and I love you. All the efforts that you have done, it's lasted here. I love you so much. And I can't wait to see what your life comes. Besides all the problems, I work every day on campus. And I feel privileged. I feel like a Berkeley student. I'm fortunate to know wonderful community members. And I wouldn't be here without all the love and support of my husband, my family, my in-laws, my chosen family, and in particularly to Lily, to Meng, to Dr. Barrios, to Valeria, to all of you. I wouldn't be here without you. My effort is not only my effort, it's also yours. My dear fellow grad students, my best wishes to you. I invite you to use what you're learning in your classes to uplift the community. Don't let anyone to tell you that you cannot do it. Papers are not going to define you. And I know you are stronger than not a lot of people think. I invite you to use what you learn to change the world, speak up against racism, anti-indigenous sentiments, against anti-blackness, against white supremacy. That's what you need to use your knowledge. I'm incredibly proud of you. And I can't wait to see you shining. I know you are so badass, and I'm so proud to be here with all of you. I love you so much. Lastly, my name is Erika Castaño. I'm a 41-year-old woman, a high school dropout, a returning student, an undocumented and legally blind person who graduated as an honor student in sociology with a minor in anthropology. This also for my dad, who is in heaven, celebrating my graduation, for Sarayu's champion. Love you all. That was a phenomenal speech. Let's give another round of applause. Yeah, just thinking about it, mentors, pet loved ones, they do make our experience here at Berkeley, for sure, for sure. Living testament of it as well. And that's besides the point. All right, next we will invite Alexis Aguilar to the stage. Let me give a brief introduction for Alexis. Alexis is a first-generation undocumented student graduating from Berkeley with a degree in conservation and resource studies. At the age of seven, Alexis immigrated to the United States from Michoacan, Mexico in search of a better life. Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry. Let's give a warm welcome to Alexis Aguilar. Erika, you made all of us in here tear up. I know that your dad is in heaven right now and he is giving you the biggest smile. And I just want to let you all know that I love you so much. And there's one thing you should know about Erika is that she is a resource. She is always on Instagram reposting resources for undocumented students. So thank you for that. Throughout computer lab in grade school, while my classmates played cool math games or went on fun brain, I would use this time to go on to Google Earth. I recollect my stubby seven-year-old fingers typing on to Google Math, Google Maps, Paraguay, Michoacan. Staring at the screen set up on street view mode, I virtually strolled the streets of my hometown, attempting to memorize the entire geographic layout depicted by a pixelated screen. More often than not, I would close my eyes and envision myself right at that same plaza where I left my heart. Every night I prayed that I would dream of being back in that town I once called home, even if these dreams were testified in nightmares. As undocumented folks, we are often reminded of the tenacity bestowed in the core of our resilience. We're constantly told that our power is rooted in the death or silence, that we are not defined by whatever category society places us in, that we are worth more than the unfitting dehumanizing stereotypes, not indicative of our other intellectual and personal capabilities. We become emboldened in fighting and navigating a system built in the core of exclusion, racism and xenophobia. Learning to be resilient while persisting in the face of fear and exclusion have all become integral aspects in our daily reminder of what it constantly feels like being on survival mode. But no one ever talks about how exhausting it is to constantly keep being resilient. I still remember what it feels like to be a child who dreams so desperately and sees no physical manifestation of his dreams. And I know that this same narrative resonates with you. For a great portion of our lives, we were trained to remain complacent with a predisposed path for ourselves. We were forced to set limitations on our aspirations and accept that the life we've envisioned for ourselves would be one out of a realm. Despite it all, we still dared ourselves to dream. This ability to dream beyond the systems and barriers in place has come along with refusing. We've refused conforming to the status quo. We've neglected accepting that we too would become another statistic rooted in a system that prohibits the mobility of undocumented folks. Now here we are, graduating from the number one public university, but at what cost? Ironically, we're made to feel privileged for receiving a quality education as if access to a higher education shouldn't be afforded to every single human being regardless of their status. Even more ironically, we are somehow made to feel lucky for this milestone as if the disillusionment, exhaustion, isolation, and imposter syndrome didn't plague our existence throughout the course of our educational trajectory. What we should feel grateful for, however, is graduating from an institution that didn't just hand us a diploma, but a sword. How you decide to use the sword is completely up to you. You can choose to fight for your own personal objective or that of a higher cause. As products of the other, fighting for something bigger than oneself is a victory to breaking down every ceiling and every wall of injustice. We have formed part of an institution filled with unapologetic minds who have taught us the necessity of questioning structures of power, the cruciality of demanding more than simply mediocre resources for undocumented students. Most importantly, we form part of a community who teaches us that when one wins, we all win. In the midst of embarking onto new journeys in our lives, I ask you that you carry these learnings with you and that you valorize them in every community that you serve. Undoubtedly, we have gone through life being second-guest, questioned and overlooked simply because of our identities. Inevitably, even with a degree from Berkeley, this won't be the last time. As immigrants, someone will always find a way to delegitimize your aptitude and competence, relegating our livelihoods into a subclass of human existence. In such moments, let us reaffirm ourselves that tenacity bestowed in the depths of our voice. And should our voice be stifled, let us shout louder. And should we be suppressed, let us resist because still we rise. Thank you. Thank you, Alexis, for your powerful words. And now, the moment that we've all been waiting for, drum roll, please. Let me hear you make some noise. I need the noise to be louder, please. Let's go. It's the class of 2022 and their loved ones walking with them to line up by the stage. In a moment, each graduate will be walk across the stage with their loved ones, and they'll each get 30 seconds to share some words with us. Oh, I look forward to this. I really do. Let us give them another round of applause, y'all. While our graduates line up, we would like to invite a very dear staff member to the stage to read our graduates' names. USP psychologist Dr. Bianca Barrios. We will shortly begin our graduate procession. Griselda Vega-Martínez, Legal Studies and Public Policy. For this, I sent the link to my mom, so hopefully she's watching, but if she's not, it's okay. Um, but more, if you're watching this, I love you so much. My dad is not watching, but thank you very much for your efforts. I would be here if it weren't for you. And, of course, also for the friendship that you've made here. Although I just want to say, acquaintances, like, I really, really appreciate everyone here that I've gotten to meet throughout my journey here. So I really appreciate it. Stephanie Rodriguez, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. I just want to thank y'all so much that I've received throughout my undergraduate career. My friends, my family, my partner, my therapist Bianca has given me so many tools to survive this institution. So to my family who couldn't be here and my friends who couldn't be here, I love y'all so much and thank y'all. Lizzy Belinda Hernandez-Tiburcio, Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies and a minor in Spanish. We're watching, Hola Mami, Hola Papi. Les quiero dedicar esto y muchas gracias por amarme and all my homies and friends for showing me love and care y viva Oaxaca. Alexis Aguilar, Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Resource Studies. Undoc you baddies, make some noise. Mami, te quiero muchísimo gracias por todo tu apoyo, eres lo máximo. Fang Zhao, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. I just want to say thank you to all my friends who supported me and thank you for my amazing therapist Bianca. Okay, thank you. Ximena Ojeda, Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies and a History minor. No sé si mis papás están viendo pero le manda el link. Esto es para ustedes muchas gracias por todo su apoyo, su amor. All of my friends here and those who aren't here, thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without you guys. Yongbin Chan, your doctorate. Thank you all so much. There's so many people to thank but thank you to my best friends here, Thomas and Andris, my partner who couldn't make it, Stephanie, to my mom and dad who's watching Omapa and to everyone else into my therapist, of course. Thank you all so much for being here. Thali Avila, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. So I'm obviously walking the stage alone but not in spirit. I have great friends and a partner over there and my mom is watching back home and my friends also and I couldn't have done it without any of them, so thank you. Cristina Acosta Navarro, Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies and Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Resource Studies. Hi everyone. Gracias a mi mami. I think she's watching the live stream. Te quiero mucho. Este labor es para ti. Gracias por todo tu apoyo y todas las regañadas. Thank you to all my friends. I couldn't have done it without you. You guys are so awesome and I'm like the luckiest person in the world to have you in my life. Hilary Medell, Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science. Muchas gracias a todos mis amigos y a todas las personas que me han apoyado. This is for us. This is for everybody that's going to come after me. We did this. We got this. We're going to do great things. Thank you. Daniela Amador, Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies. Power to all this place, people who have paved the way for me and to all the folks that have helped me with so much tenderness and have allowed me to walk in my own feet. Thank you. Itzel Calvo Medina, Master's in Education. These are my parents, Lorena and Antonio Calvo and I would literally not be here because they made me cross the border over here. But thank you so much. Los quiero mucho a todos estos por ustedes and I just want to thank USP, All Your Emergency Grant, literally got me through Berkeley. My therapist as well, thank you. And my partner who's sitting in the crowd and all the homies watching out there. I love you all. Thank you so much. Fabián Zuniga Villa, Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies. I just want to thank my family, my mom, my therapist, my friends. And I want to thank myself for pushing myself forward and now giving up. Thank you. Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Quiero dar las gracias a mi familia, mis papás, a mis hermanos, a mis primos, a mis tíos, a todos mis amigos, to all my friends, to all the scholarship donors and to everyone who helped me be here and to everyone who paved the way and made it easier and possible for me to be here. Muchas gracias y este es nuestro logro y a felicitar y pues mucho gusto, gracias. Yendi Rebollo, Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies. This is my best friend Jackie and her mom. Unfortunately, I'm an independent student so my parents wouldn't be here but I'd like to thank all my homies that are watching it from the link in the east coast who couldn't be here. I'd like to thank Jackie, Bianca for being my therapist for a while and because I couldn't do it without her at one point and everybody in the USP as well as the Undocumented Community Council and Fireball, thank you. Alejandro Pelcastre Ramirez, Masters of Information and Data Science. Thank you everyone. I want to give a special thank you to Liliana and Diana Peña for being the love that I needed here in this institution for the past six, almost seven years. So thank you very much y a mis padres un gran gracias y ya se que no lo digo suficiente pero los quiero muchísimo un chingón y solo lo sé, sé aquí por ustedes, gracias. Fernando Vallejo, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with honors. Hoy es un día bien especial y le quiero dar todas las gracias a mi madre Mónica mi padre Santiago. Today is one of those days where everyone who's graduating everyone's going to tell you that they're proud of you but on the contrary I'm very proud of my parents for having done everything they needed to do to ensure that I got to this level and overcame the barriers that I did. Gracias a todos. Arla Herrera, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Linguistics and Bilingualism Minor in Education. This is my brother. He's always been there to support me so I wanted to bring him here with me on the stage. Hola mami, hola papi. Los quiero mucho and this is for South Central. Unice Elizabeth Paredes Samudio Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Portuguese. Five Beta Kappa, Haas Scholar, Fireball and Surf. Viva el Roble Mas Atlanzin Aloha, Mexico. I'm very grateful for being here. I'm very grateful because my mother is with me and also I'm very grateful because I have two dreamers. Two dreamers is here with me is my son Mario Abraham Figueroa Mechanic Engineer at San Francisco State and my son Mario Jonathan Figueroa. Figueroa Engineer, Aerospace Science Engineer for UC Davis. And also I have my daughter here. She's done at Meals College and the Bachelor of Degree for my daughter is Public Health. This is my time. This is my dream come true and I'm very grateful for this invitation and also, estoy muy agradecida por cada uno de los maestros. Este logro es por ustedes porque ustedes me dieron esta oportunidad. Gracias por abrir esta puerta. Mi sueño todas las veces que yo pasaba my dream all the time when I passed here I said, oh, one day, one day I'll be there. And thank you so much because this is the last day. And this is my last graduation. This is the last graduation. I had four graduations. Y para terminar, quiero darle las gracias al señor Bob Haas, a su esposa Kaleen por este dream, este dream because I'm part of Haas Scholar. Thank you, señora Lea, por estar aquí por acompañarnos, señora Lea. Muchas gracias and thank you every single one. Muchas gracias, profesor, doctora. Muchas gracias por estar aquí. Y mi hermano, mis hermanas que vienen y mi hijo de París y toda mi familia. Gracias. Viva México. Nan Soto Asavedo, Bachelor of Arts in Chicana, Chicano Studies. Hola a todos. Le quiero dar las gracias a todos mis primas, tíos, tías, abuelos, abuelas que dejen, que dejen México. Nomás tengo mi familia aquí inmediatamente y ellos no pudieron estar aquí hoy por otra graduación con mi hermana pero les agradezco cada día y si miran este livestream este título se los dedico a ustedes. No estaría aquí sin ustedes. Los mantengo en mi mente cada día y gracias a la colectiva de mujeres que gracias a su apoyo pude hacer mi research y me pudo hablar con honores gracias a ustedes y se los dedico a toda esa comunidad que es invisible y que hasta la fecha nos faltan muchas progresiones y mucha injusticia. Entonces, se los agradezco a todos a ustedes aquí que están aquí conmigo no los conozco pero se los agradezco y que tengan bonito día. María Duran, Master of Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering. Well, congratulations to each and every one of you. It is a true privilege to be with you guys today. It kind of makes the whole thing very real for me. I did forget my pointy hat today so I apologize. The person that I brought with me today is my sister. Thank you for being with me throughout my whole life and being my best friend. Thank you mommy, thank you papi, mis hermanos. Saludos a mi familia de Mexico. Los amo, los extraño. Un día volveré a abrazarlos y estar con ustedes. Thank you Jessica, shout out to her because without her I would not be able to go through this past year. So thank you, thank you everyone. Congratulations! Erika Castaño, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. What can I say just, I love you. I love my family and my friends who are witnessing this. Los amo mucho y a pesar de que no los hemos visto en 15 años los amo. Gracias a mis amigos que están viendo a todo mundo. Gracias por estar aquí por su apoyo. And thank you dad because you are in heaven and you are watching. Fuerzas rayos campeón. Besos! David Luna Cruz, Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare. Once again congratulations to all the graduates. I can't believe I'm up here. I feel extremely grateful. Gracias a mi papá. Gracias a mis dos canales y a ma. Aunque me regañas y me gritas. Eres la mujer que más quiero en este mundo. Si no fuera por ti, aquí no estuviera. Te quiero mucho. Y Rodríguez Fuentes, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences. I'd like to start off by thanking my mom, my brother and my sister who's hopefully watching on the live stream for all their support, all their love, all their sacrifices that allowed me to be here on the stage today. And I'd also like to thank all of my friends that are here today and that couldn't make it for all their love, all their care and my community that I made here today and my chosen family. I really couldn't have been here without y'all. I love you all so much and you guys have a very special place in my heart. And congrats to all the graduates. I really told you this was the part I was waiting for because I was in tears. Graduates, your speeches were so amazing. I lost words. And let us give another round for our graduates. Shit does fall down. Sorry, sorry. I didn't know I said that all along. Alright, we have come to the end of our ceremony. Thank you all for your support that you have provided for these graduates throughout their time at Berkeley. And today we celebrate the class of 2022. Congratulations to their loved ones and their community. Congratulations to all of you. I would also like to thank the Undock Grad Committee, RISE, USP, and the University Development and Alumni Relations for putting this celebration together. Can we get a round of applause for them all? Hard work brings true joy, everyone. Hard work brings true joy. In a few minutes, we will transition to the reception. Please join us for food, beverage, and good company. Like me? For the rest of the time together. I don't know about him, but yes. Congratulations again, graduates. And let's all celebrate.