COMMENCEMENT PROGRAMS

Dear Golden Eagles,

Commencement is not an ending but a defining moment of transformation. Across Cal State LA, stories of resilience, sacrifice, discovery, and possibility come together in the Class of 2026.

Esteemed faculty, dedicated staff, proud families, and loved ones, thank you for your steadfast support of this graduating class. To our graduates, this moment reflects both the culmination of your academic journey and the beginning of the impact you will make in the world ahead. You now join generations of alumni whose lives, leadership, and service continue to shape Los Angeles and far beyond it.

Our university carries forward a legacy rooted in this city. For nearly 80 years, Cal State LA has served as an engine of social mobility, where diversity is essential and belonging is a lived commitment. You chose this university because you saw possibility here. In turn, you helped bring that possibility to life.

Just as meaningfully, many of you helped shape what comes next. Through your insight, participation, and lived experience, you contributed to the development of our emerging strategic plan. You did more than offer input. You helped shape direction and define priorities that will guide this university for years to come.

This year, you also experienced a campus marked by achievement and shared purpose. You were part of a university community that advanced the wellbeing of others through a historic $48M investment to strengthen mental health services and expand pathways for future social workers and counselors who will go on to serve with skill, compassion, and integrity. You celebrated moments of Golden Eagle pride, including our Women’s Basketball team’s first ever CCAA Championship, a milestone that reflects the determination of this community. You engaged with distinguished voices and leaders who expanded our shared intellectual life.

At its heart, this institution is not defined by programs or facilities, but by people. It is shaped by you, your persistence, your growth, and the ways you have strengthened this community while you have been here. This is the enduring promise of Cal State LA. Not only the education you receive, but the transformation that takes place within you, expanding what you believe is possible for your families, your communities, and the lives you will go on to touch through your work and leadership.

As we look to the future, we do so as one community with one purpose. Your robust education, your engagement in campus life, and your preparation for careers through applied learning have prepared you to meet this moment with clarity, strength, and a deep commitment to others.

The journey does not end here. It is only beginning. Wherever your path leads, you will always remain part of the Golden Eagle family. This will always be your home, a place that believes in you and takes pride in what you become.

Congratulations Class of 2026! Go forward with confidence, purpose, and resolve, knowing you carry the promise and enduring spirit of Cal State LA.

Be Well,
Berenecea Johnson Eanes, Ph.D.
President

Dear Class of 2026:

Today marks both the end of your time with the California State University and the start of an exciting new chapter. Along with the degree you worked so hard to earn, you have gained knowledge, skills and connections that I know will take you far.

Your accomplishment is celebrated today by so many people, including those who supported you on this journey: your family, friends and all those whose love sustained you; the faculty who trained you to look at the world with a critical eye and an open mind; and the counselors, advisors, librarians, tutors and coaches who together created an encouraging environment for you to succeed and to thrive.

You have made all of them, and me, extraordinarily proud.

As you face new opportunities in the days ahead, you will do so empowered by your membership in a vibrant global network of more than four and a half million CSU alumni. Together, you are certain to enrich our workforce and communities. After all, CSU alumni (like you!) have so much to contribute, whether it is exploring solutions to society’s greatest challenges, working to educate and inspire the next generation or powering the fight for democracy and a more just world.

No matter the path you choose, please stay connected to your alma mater and to the CSU. Your connections – both to your campus and to other CSU alumni – are powerful tools that can help to open new doors of possibility. Likewise, I encourage you to offer support to all those who aspire to follow in your footsteps in pursuit of a CSU degree.

You begin writing your next chapter today – and I wish you every success. May your hard work and creativity lead to happiness, prosperity and deep fulfillment, both in your life and in the lives of those around you.

Felicidades, California State University Class of 2026! I can’t wait to see all that you will accomplish.

Warmly,

Mildred García, Ed.D.
Chancellor