UC Irvine Engineering Class of 2026 Commences

June 22, 2026 - UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering hosted its commencement ceremony on June 15 at the Bren Events Center, which was packed with family and supporters ready to celebrate the recent graduates. The school expects to award 73 doctorates, 294 master’s degrees and 934 bachelor’s degrees for the 2026 academic year. 

The event kicked off with Chancellor Howard Gillman congratulating students on their accomplishments and reminding them to remember the lives they’ve created at UCI as they step out into the world.

“As you prepare for your commencement from here, I hope you'll also carry with you not just the wonderful memories and the new knowledge and the harder expertise, but also some of the spirit of the community that we built together,” Gillman said.

He also encouraged graduates to always stand for truth, and to use the ideas and skills they have developed during their studies to support others through a highly polarized society.

“Protect yourself and protect our society with the lessons you have learned here about serious thought, informed opinion, evidence-based reason, critical analysis and clarity of expression,” Gillman said. “
If you do that, it's my sincere hope that you will…see Irvine as having enriched your mind and your spirit, as having prepared you for your ongoing development as a free and educated human being.”

Student speaker Eduardo Beltran, an electrical engineering major, then took the stage. A first generation college student and high school dropout, Beltran did not expect to see himself walk across the UCI stage. However, when he first concluded that he wanted to study engineering at UCI, he decided that he would “take things one day, one class, one step at a time.”

During his speech, Beltran reminded his fellow graduates that none of them got there alone. Each of them were supported along the way by people who motivated them and believed in them. 

Most importantly, Beltran told students to “Be that person for someone else. This degree is about more than what we've accomplished. It is about who we have become. Someone others can rely on.”

Finally, commencement speaker Manu Gulati ‘95, a UCI engineering alumnus Hall of Fame inductee and successful entrepreneur finished off the ceremony with some inspiring words for graduates. He first told students to seek out jobs and career opportunities that bring them joy, and to never chase money and recognition. Instead he assured them that “if you become excellent at what you do, and you truly enjoy what you do, then titles and recognition, and money, will chase you instead.”

Manu continued his speech with an encouraging reminder to graduates to push themselves past their fears and nervousness in order to further their careers, as well as their lives in general. 

He explained that he is not experienced in public speaking, however he wanted his children to see him do something outside of his comfort zone.

“One of the lessons I hope they will learn, and something I hope that you will all remember, is that real growth and discomfort very often go hand in hand,” Gulati said.

At the end of the ceremony, Samueli School interim Dean Faryar Jabbari led students in a final “Zot! Zot! Zot!” before graduates left to meet family and friends outside the center and begin their celebrations. 

For many graduates this marks the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, whether that be in or out of the engineering field. Wherever they will go, Gulati’s words remind them to hold onto the lessons they learned while a part of the UCI community. 

“You are graduating into a world that will change faster than anyone can expect,” Gulati said. “But if you continue to learn, if you work well with others, and if you stay open to the unexpected turns in your path, you'll be ready for whatever comes next. In fact, we're counting on you.”

– Grace Hefner