Maria Rivera held the Mathematics degree she earned at UC Berkeley in one hand and her three-year-old daughter Valeria in the other as she walked the blue carpet in the university’s winter 2021 commencement ceremony.
Rivera was one of approximately 1,000 now-alumni to accept their undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees at the rare in-person ceremony on December 18 in the school’s Haas Pavilion.
Sahar Formoli, a graduate who earned degrees in political science and molecular biology, addressed the audience on behalf of her peers.
“The only limitations that exist are the ones you allow to,” Formoli said. “To the class of 2021, you made it here. Now go on and show the world what Berkeley students are truly made of.”
BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivers the keynote address at an in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol T. Christ later took a moment to appreciate that the ceremony unfolded without any Zoom screens being needed, even as case rates spike and new variants of the coronavirus spread and prolong the pandemic. The ceremony was, however, live-streamed on YouTube.
“Though the fates saw fit to place unprecedented and unforeseen challenges in your path, you kept your eye on the prize, you persevered and you have prevailed,” Christ said. “The successful completion of an undergraduate degree at Berkeley is challenging enough in the best of times. Given what you’ve overcome, your presence here today is testimony to a truly remarkable accomplishment. We could not be prouder.”
BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: UC Berkeley graduates wait for their names to be called during the UC Berkeley Class of 2021 winter commencement ceremony at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivered the keynote address at the in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: UC Berkeley graduate Brianna Rivera, president and senior class council, addresses fellow graduates during the UC Berkeley Class of 2021 winter commencement ceremony at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivered the keynote address at the in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: A UC Berkeley graduate walks past fellow graduates after receiving a degree during the UC Berkeley Class of 2021 winter commencement ceremony at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivered the keynote address at the in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: UC Berkeley graduate David Pack waves his hand after receiving a degree in Nutritional Science and Molecular Environmental Biology during the UC Berkeley Class of 2021 winter commencement ceremony at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivered the keynote address at the in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: UC Berkeley graduate Maria Rivera, third from left with her daughter Valeria Rivera, 3, and classmates waits for their names to be called during the UC Berkeley Class of 2021 winter commencement ceremony at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivered the keynote address at the in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: UC Berkeley graduate Shefaldi Das sings the national anthem during the UC Berkeley Class of 2021 winter commencement ceremony at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivered the keynote address at the in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) BERKELEY, CA – DECEMBER 18: UC Berkeley graduate Kerby Lynch raises her hand after receiving a Doctorate in Philosophy during the UC Berkeley Class of 2021 winter commencement ceremony at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ delivered the keynote address at the in-person celebration attended by approximately a thousand graduates along with their families and friends. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
