IoES Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremony
The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability celebrated the Class of 2026 during the commencement ceremony on June 14th in Ackerman Grand Ballroom, honoring graduates from the Environmental Science…
The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability celebrated the Class of 2026 during the commencement ceremony on June 14th in Ackerman Grand Ballroom, honoring graduates from the Environmental Science B.S. program as well as the Environmental Science and Engineering and Environment and Sustainability doctoral programs.
Graduates gathered to mark the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. In his opening remarks, IoES Director Alex Hall reflected on the significance of the moment and the challenges students have prepared to address throughout their education.
“The students graduating today have devoted themselves to understanding the most important challenges facing society and the planet,” Hall said.
Hall also emphasized that graduation is never an individual accomplishment. He recognized the families, partners, friends, and mentors whose encouragement helped students reach this milestone.
“For all of our graduates, reaching this day requires years of hard work,” Hall said. “But it also requires the support of many others along the way.”
The ceremony celebrated the breadth of experiences that prepared students for careers in environmental leadership, research, and public service. Graduates were recognized for their academic achievements, involvement in student leadership programs, and engagement with real-world challenges.
Environmental Science graduate Noah Kamps delivered the student address, reflecting on the experiences and relationships that shaped his time at UCLA.
Throughout the program, speakers highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of an IoES education. Students leave the institution not only with technical knowledge but with experience collaborating across disciplines and working with communities, organizations, and stakeholders to address complex environmental issues.
One of the most meaningful moments of the ceremony came during the doctoral hooding. Doctoral candidates were formally hooded by their faculty advisors, who shared personal remarks before each student crossed the stage.
The hooding ceremony offered mentors an opportunity to celebrate both the scholarship and character of the students they had guided throughout their doctoral studies. The tributes reflected years of research and personal growth, offering the audience a glimpse into each graduate’s journey.
This year’s doctoral graduates included Madeleine Welch Siegel, Emma Jane Barnosky, Elijah Catalan, Rachel Sheinberg, and Tyson Timmer.
The Ceremony also represents the role that graduates will play beyond UCLA. Hall noted that environmental challenges rarely exist as purely technical problems. Addressing them requires engagement with people, institutions, and communities, as well as with competing priorities. This lies at the heart of the IoES’s mission.
“Our work sits at the intersection of knowledge and action,” Hall said. “Our job is not just to understand the world. It’s to make it better.”
As graduates received their degrees, Hall welcomed them into a growing alum network that makes an impact across disciplines and communities worldwide. As they moved their tasses from right to left, graduates were officially welcomed into the graduating class of 2026.
Families, faculty, friends, and alumni then gathered on the Ackerman Terrace patio for photographs and celebration. As the newest members of the IoES alumni community, graduates now carry forward the institute’s mission of turning knowledge into action in the years ahead.
“That’s why I remain optimistic,” Hall said. “Not because the challenges are small, but because of the people… who are now stepping forward to address them.”
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