The floor of Pauley Pavilion filled with more than 1,150 graduates of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science on June 14, 2014, for the school’s 50th commencement ceremony.
Faiz Malik, who earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, served as the 2014 student speaker. He congratulated fellow graduates for their discipline and hard work, and encouraged them to take advantage of those uncommon moments in their lives when preparedness truly meets opportunity.
“Dive into difficulty head first every chance you get, and remember that it is not going to be easy,” Malik said. “Life is not easy. It is not supposed to be easy.”
W. James McNerney, Jr., chief executive of The Boeing Co., offered the commencement address. The leader of the world’s largest aerospace firm described company founder Bill Boeing’s entrepreneurial spirit and told graduates that their values and aspirations will help them meet high professional expectations and address the great engineering challenges of their lifetimes.
“All of you possess skills of technical discovery and scientific discipline that I hope will give you true fulfillment in the years ahead and that will take you far beyond the joys of differential equations or the all-nighters in the lab,” McNerney said. “It will be worth it.”
UCLA Engineering Dean Vijay K. Dhir offered welcoming and closing remarks, congratulating the graduates, their mothers, fathers and other family members on the big day. Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Scott Brandenberg served as faculty marshal.
Some 655 students received their bachelor’s degrees at the ceremony. Three hundred and seventy students earned their master of science degrees, and 129 students who have completed or will complete their Ph.D.s in 2014 received the ceremonial hoods marking their achievement.
UCLA Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. student David McCoul, who plans to release his first solo recording in 2014, sang the National Anthem. McCoul has performed the anthem at three UCLA Engineering commencement ceremonies. Videos of the ceremony, including separate clips featuring the processional, keynote address, student speaker address, and the conferring of Ph.D.s, master’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees, can be found here.