Good morning, everyone, and thank you for the warm welcome. It’s such an honor to join you today as we celebrate the first set of graduates from the Redwood SEED Scholars program. Let’s give them another round of applause!

Congratulations on reaching this milestone.

Families, faculty, and guests, welcome to this momentous occasion! Your presence here today is a testament to the strong community and support system that surrounds these students.

Today, we gather to recognize the achievements of these graduates who spent countless hours in study, collaboration, and research. We come together to celebrate this collection of thinkers and dreamers who will launch from our UC Davis campus to bright and productive futures.

Today, we celebrate your achievements and your resilience.

It’s fitting that this group of scholars is named for the redwood trees that tower over our campus and define California.

We can learn so much from the redwoods.

They grow into the world’s tallest trees from tiny seeds. It takes 8,000 redwood seeds to make an ounce, but a fully grown coast redwood can weigh 1.6 million pounds.

Just like these scholars, they are defined by their potential for growth.

Redwoods are so strong that some live to be 2,000 years old, making them among the oldest living things on the planet. They are so large that they even shape their own weather.

Just like these scholars, they are defined by their resilience.

But, to me, the most fascinating fact about redwoods is how shallow their roots are. These giants, which can reach almost 400 feet into the sky, have relatively shallow roots that extend just a few feet into the soil.

How, then, do they survive? They branch out hundreds of feet across the forest floor. To grow, they stretch their roots out hundreds of feet to find nutrition and support.

And that’s just what these incredible REDWOOD scholars have done at UC Davis.

You reached across our classrooms and learned so much. You lived in dorms and shaped friendships that will last a lifetime. You’ve worked with mentors and mentored others.

You knew that you’d get stronger the more you branched out.

There is another lesson we can learn from the resilience of the redwoods. They don’t just spread their roots wide; they connect with each other underground in a network of mutual support and strength.

Those of you graduating today have done the same. You’ve strengthened our community. You’ve made insightful contributions in our classrooms, worked in campus jobs, contributed to service, and become vital members of clubs and organizations.

You’ve strengthened our campus by sharing your stories, your experiences, and your hopes. Your presence enriches our community.

You’ve planted roots here and shared yourselves, making our campus a better place every day.

You’ve woven UC Davis into your lives, and you’ve become an essential part of UC Davis.

As I look out at this proud group of friends, family, faculty and staff who are here to celebrate you today, I know that your network of support is as powerful as a grove of redwoods.

Every person in this room is so proud of your achievements and so excited to learn what you will do next. You’ll always have a home here, but we can’t wait to learn about what you achieve next.

As you continue to grow, this network will be here to support you.

You’ve planted your roots here at UC Davis, and now it’s time for you to reach new heights.

There is no limit to how high you can grow.

Congratulations, scholars!