My sincerest congratulations to the graduating class and your families. We consider the 2020 MCDB majors to be an outstanding, talented and resilient group, and we have high hopes for your futures. The MCDB commencement website was constructed during the final three weeks of quarter, and the arc of narratives span from the time when we were all safer at home into the current nation-wide protests for change. We are at a critical turning point in the social fabric that connects our lives and the injustices and inequities that have led us to this moment must be confronted and corrected. To the black, brown, underserved and marginalized students in our community, we see you, we appreciate you and we stand with you. As you all move forward into the next stage of your life journey I encourage you to think about the responsibility we have to the well-being of our communities, and I challenge you to make a lasting impact to improve the lives in the place where you live, to be kind and compassionate, and to change the world for the better.

Amander Clark PhD
Chair of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology