UCLA’s newest Bruins get their first lesson at New Student Welcome —and a block party to boot

Good afternoon, Bruins!

Today you begin your UCLA journey and a new chapter in your lives. You earned your place through hard work, talent and an exceptional record of academic achievement. Congratulations on joining the most-applied-to university in the nation!

I want to share a few numbers that tell us how special you are. Our first-year students come from 47 states, plus Washington, D.C., and more than 60 countries. 81% of you ranked in the top 9% of your high school class or state. And 29% of you are first-generation college students. Among our transfer students, 38% are first-generation, and more than 91% come directly from California community colleges. Our transfers' average GPA is 3.84. As a group, there are nearly 50 veterans and active military service members among you.

Those numbers are impressive. But they don't tell us everything about you. You are curious. You care. And you want to make a difference in the world. That starts with making the most of your time here.

You will learn from some of the world's leading thinkers in everything from astrophysics to art history, poetry to politics. Our faculty write the textbooks you study. And we have more than 140 majors at UCLA.

Give yourself the freedom to explore. Some of what you discover here may surprise you. And some of your most important lessons will happen outside the classroom. Get involved. Volunteer. Play a sport. Join one of our more than 1,500 student organizations.

And take advantage of everything we have right here on campus. The food in our dining halls is consistently ranked the best in the nation. In fact, our faculty ask if they can eat in our dining halls.

We also offer more than 1,000 arts events each year. Make the arts a central part of your experience at UCLA.

Be open to new ideas. Broaden your worldview. And find your place in a community that is proudly diverse and purposefully inclusive. You will meet people here whose experiences are very different from your own. Listen to them. Learn from them. Let those encounters challenge your assumptions.

And as you grow intellectually and creatively, you may discover something new about yourself. As you navigate that experience, I believe there are two points on which we can all agree: We must uphold the inherent dignity of every person and actively combat discrimination and hatred in all forms. And while we honor the many dimensions of identity that shape us, we must never reduce individuals to stereotypes or see those around us as "the other." That is the root of dehumanization and division - and it has no place at UCLA.

Remember that what you begin here does not end when you graduate. We also want your relationship with UCLA to last far beyond your time on this campus. That is part of the idea behind UCLA for Life. Education prepares you not only for a career, but for a meaningful life - and for your role as a constructive member of a community.

The youngest among you is just 15, and the most senior member of your class is 67. That range is a reminder that learning - and becoming who we are - does not have an expiration date. You are all at the beginning of your UCLA journey, but what you begin here will stay with you long after you leave Westwood.

I'd like to share a personal story that shaped my own path. When I was 16, I spent a summer in a remote indigenous community in Chiapas, in southern Mexico. I was trying to decide between studying medicine - like my father, grandfather and great-grandfather - or becoming an anthropologist. One day, a woman came into the village carrying her sick grandson. She had walked more than three hours to seek help, and along the way, she had fallen and injured herself. Her forehead was bleeding, but that didn't stop her. She wanted care for the child in her arms. But when she arrived, the village's only health worker was away. There was no one to help her. I stood there, watching this woman, exhausted and bloodied, and I thought: I don't want to only study people. I want to serve them. That moment changed my life. It led me to study medicine, public health and social policy, and it continues to shape my work to this day.

All of you will have moments like that here - moments that clarify who you are and what you want to give to the world. Pay attention to what moves you. And let new experiences redefine your old beliefs. You will quickly see that Bruins care deeply - about this institution and about one another.

You are also entering UCLA at a consequential moment for higher education and for the world around us. Universities are changing. The world is changing. And there is a great deal of uncertainty. Some of these changes are beyond our control. But we can control how we respond to them. Our future must be shaped by purpose and not by pressure. At UCLA, that purpose begins with our enduring mission: to educate future generations, advance research and creative activity, provide outstanding healthcare, and serve society. That mission has guided this university for more than a century. And it will continue to give us a foundation as we learn, adapt and grow into the future.

On Friday, my partner Felicia and I met many of you and your families during move-in day. And after we all leave Pauley, we'll join you at the Block Party - another chance to begin getting to know the people who will be part of your UCLA experience.

As you begin this journey, look out for one another. Give yourself permission to discover who you are. You do not have to have everything figured out today. You will change here. Your understanding of the world will change. And that is part of the gift of a university education. You may leave UCLA with a different understanding of the world - and of yourself - than you have today. Embrace and enjoy every moment.

Congratulations on becoming Bruins. Let's make this an extraordinary year together. Fiat Lux. And remember: We are One UCLA.