NASA Astronaut and UC San Diego Alumna Jessica Meir, PhD to Address Class of 2022

Commencement is one of the most exciting and momentous occasions in any student’s academic career. It marks the culmination of years of hard work, commitment and determination, and provides an opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments with friends, family, faculty and colleagues as you transition into a new chapter.

This year, our 2022 All Campus Commencement Ceremony for all undergraduate and graduate students will be held in person on Saturday, June 11, 2022. I am honored to announce that NASA astronaut and UC San Diego alumna Jessica Meir, PhD 09, will serve as our 2022 All Campus Commencement speaker.

During her first spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS), Meir earned international recognition and made history by participating in the first all-woman spacewalk with NASA crewmate Christina Koch. Meir and Koch spent a total of 21 hours and 44 minutes over three spacewalks to replace a bad battery charge unit on the ISS. During this history-making six-month journey, she spent a total of 205 days in space, made 3,280 orbits of the Earth and traveled a total of 86.9 million miles.

In 2021, Meir was selected as one of 18 astronauts to be part of NASA’s 2025 Artemis Program to return to the moon. This mission will position Meir to be one of the first women to set foot on the moon. In 2020, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People for her courage, intelligence and contributions to pushing boundaries in the pursuit of discovery.

Meir attended UC San Diego as a graduate student, where she studied marine biology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her research focused on the physiology of diving mammals and birds, and she has credited her time at UC San Diego as preparing her for a career focused on bold research and exploration.

Meir also will receive the UC San Diego Medal for her boundary-breaking work and fearless exploration in the name of changing our world for the better. Her remarks are certain to inspire the thousands of graduates and their guests who are expected to attend.

The 2022 in-person All Campus Ceremony will be held at RIMAC Field. Chancellor Khosla will officially confer degrees by academic division upon graduates gathered as one student body. The ceremony also will be livestreamed for graduates or their families who are unable to join in person. Visit UC San Diego’s Commencement website beginning at 9 a.m. on June 11 in Pacific Daylight Time to view the livestream.

Commencement Ceremony Activities

Registration is open. Graduates and their guests will have the opportunity to attend the All Campus Ceremony, and are encouraged to attend their undergraduate college, graduate school or graduate division ceremonies, where they will be individually recognized by name. Ceremonies will be held June 11-12 for each of the colleges as well as the Rady School of Management, School of Global Policy & Strategy and the Graduate Division. The Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences will hold a commencement celebration on May 14 at Price Center, and the School of Medicine will host a commencement ceremony on the Medical Education and Telemedicine (MET) Lawn on June 5.

All health and safety measures will be observed, based on current campus safety protocols at that time.

Student Speaker

Each year, we invite one graduating student (undergraduate or graduate) to deliver a keynote address during All Campus Commencement. This tradition is an opportunity to share your unique journey and offer an inspiring celebratory send-off to your peers. Applications are due by April 29 for students who would like to be considered as the 2022 All Commencement student speaker.

National Anthem Singer

UC San Diego is searching for an individual or group of students to perform The Star-Spangled Banner, our national anthem, live during UC San Diego’s All Campus Commencement. The position is open to all students (undergraduate or graduate) who graduated in Fall 2021 or are graduating this June 2022 and are in good standing. Applications are due by April 29, and auditions will be held on June 2, 2022. More information is available at the 2022 All Campus Commencement website.

Volunteers

Volunteers play an integral role in our commencement ceremonies by helping us ensure that our graduates and their guests have a meaningful experience on this important day. We are seeking volunteers to help guide graduates to their seats, answer family and visitor questions and more during the All Campus Commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 11. Indicate your interest by registering on the Commencement website, or contact Celest Avila at c3avila@ucsd.edu for more information.

Class of 2020 Celebration

We are pleased to host the Class of 2020 for a ceremonial graduation and alumni reception on Friday, June 10, 2022. More information is available on the Class of 2020 page.

I encourage you to join your fellow graduates to celebrate your accomplishments and experiences at UC San Diego by attending the 2022 All Campus Commencement ceremony. To register, and for more details, visit the Commencement 2022 website. I look forward to seeing you there.

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor