Dear University of California Merced Graduate: Congratulations upon your graduation from the University of California Merced. Commencement is a tribute to you and your hard work, and also to all the many who traveled with you along the way and helped shoulder your burdens — family, friends, classmates, faculty and staff. You and your community should be proud of this great accomplishment. You are the reason for all we do at UC Merced — your success is our success. And while in this extraordinary time we are conducting a virtual commencement ceremony, we look forward to the day when you and your loved ones can gather on campus for the celebration you deserve and have worked so hard for. “Graduation” comes to us from the Latin “gradus,” meaning “a step.” Your ceremony is a very important step, but it is only one of many that you will take as you climb ever higher, in education, career and life. I want to assure you that you are not alone on this journey. Just as we celebrate your graduation, we are all here to support you in your future endeavors — along with over 12,000 UC Merced alumni across California and the country. We hope that your journey will frequently bring you back to Merced and your Alma Mater to share the successes you will undoubtedly create throughout your life. Fiat Lux, Juan Sánchez Muñoz Chancellor