“It’s Time To Save The World”
Paul Rene Monasterio – Nuclear Engineering, UC, Berkeley 2006 Engineering Commencement Speech
Good morning! First of all, I offer my most sincere congratulations to my fellow classmates. I am extremely proud to be representing you all today. We have all faced different and often difficult challenges while trying to reach our goals but, as true Golden Bears, we have succeeded in overcoming all of them. This is the reason we are all here today. Today, we celebrate the commencement of a new generation of amazing thinkers, artists, and leaders; the brightest young minds in the world, the pioneers of the changes of tomorrow; the next Einstein, Da Vinci, and Gates, and perhaps even the next Mr. Bean— yes, he is an engineer. Today we are gathered to recognize a new class of stars and overachievers: a new class of super-heroes. Why heroes you may ask, and you may imagine our EECS graduates with capes and “Linux” emblazoned on their chests. Well, I believe our years at Berkeley Engineering have developed in us the necessary skills to go out and help save the world. We have been challenged by our professors—often resembling those characters that originally possess the stigma of villains but turn into precious allies and mentors down the road. From them we have learned the fundamentals of engineering and science necessary not only for an incredibly successful academic or professional career, but also for building a utility belt and becoming the next Batman. In the classroom we have learned the basic laws of fluid motion--key for any high-flying hero, the necessary concepts to prevent the Bay Bridge from falling—even if our only tool is our own bare hands, the design techniques to create sophisticated gadgets—a must for any modern world savior. And from our ever-so-important thermodynamics courses we have learned the fundamental law of power: that with great power comes great responsibility. Berkeley Engineering has provided us with the tools and the appropriate mindset to go out, explore the world, and make a difference in someone’s life. Whether we are performing research to cure cancer, developing inexpensive ways to clean the environment, or designing the next generation of spaceships to discover the secrets of outer space; We Berkeley engineers are positioned at the forefront, ready to save the world from its problems. We are at the core of the changes that will make our Earth a better place. Looking at all of you, my classmates, today, I feel heavy-hearted thinking of how much I will miss our great times here, and how in just a few hours we will part in different directions. However, after noticing the brilliance in everyone’s eyes I remind myself that heroes are heard of everywhere so I’ll surely learn of fellow Berkeley engineers’ accomplishments at some point.
Now I have no fear of the uncertain path that lies ahead of us, because even though we leave our second homes in Etcheverry and Cory; we are not going alone. We carry with us not only our Berkeley memories and experiences, but also the members of our justice league: our supportive families, brilliant professors, and unconditional friends. To all of them goes my warmest thank you. Thank you for being our shields, protecting us when we most needed it; for being our capes, allowing us to fly high and fulfill our dreams. Thanks for your mentoring, for helping us to develop our talents and teaching us the appropriate ways to use them, but more importantly for the many hours you spent making us not only smarter, but better people. And to our friends, thank you for being there for us when we needed a companion for a good conversation or a shoulder to cry on. Thank you for being our sidekicks at times and supporting our ideas just to make us smile. Thank you all for everything, we would not be here today without you. Once again, congratulations Class of 2006. You have earned your place among the Berkeley greats. Remember that as Golden Bears we must strive to provide our wholehearted contribution to the improvement of our world. Fellow superheroes, now is our time to save the world! Go Bears!