Commencement ‘26

THE RICHARD & RHODA GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

CLASS OF 2026 COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES

FRIDAY, THE TWENTY-SECOND OF MAY
TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY-SIX
NINE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING

ZELLERBACH HALL

Jump to:

• Commencement Program
• MPP Degree Candidates
• MPA Degree Candidates
• MDP Degree Candidates
• Keynote Speaker
• Faculty & Staff

THE RICHARD & RHODA GOLDMAN
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

During the late 1960s, educators nationwide recognized the need for an innovative public leadership and a type of graduate education fostering the vision, knowledge, and practical skills to empower a new generation of policy makers. The Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP), founded at the University of California, Berkeley in 1969, was one of the nation’s first graduate programs of its kind. Today it is ranked as the #1 graduate school in public policy analysis and is recognized nationally and internationally as a source of incomparably qualified professionals in the field.

Emphasizing the realms of both domestic and international policy, the school prepares students for careers including policy analysis, program evaluation, management and planning. GSPP graduates enjoy an outstanding rate of employment and career advancement, working in government, in the private and nonprofit sectors, in research organizations, and as consultants. Students are drawn from throughout the United States and numerous other countries.

GSPP offers a two-year Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.), a one-year Master of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) a Ph.D. in Public Policy, and a two-year Master of Development Practice (M.D.P). M.P.P. students can pursue concurrent degrees established with the School of Public Health, the College of Engineering, the Berkeley School of Law, the Energy and Resources Group, the Global Studies Program, and the School of Social Welfare.

GSPP students are exposed to an unparalleled intellectual, professional and social experience that only a great university like Berkeley can offer. The School is consciously multidisciplinary in its outlook and orientation. Faculty are drawn from economics, political science, law, social psychology, demography, architecture, physics, and engineering. In addition, faculty and students collaborate with leading scholars in a variety of other disciplines and fields throughout the Berkeley campus.

2607 Hearst Avenue ▪ Berkeley, CA 94720-7320
Phone 510/642-4670 ▪ Fax 510/643-9657
http://gspp.berkeley.edu

COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM

WELCOME
Dean, David C. Wilson

ALUMNI WELCOME
Nida Atshan Osei, MPA Alum ’22
Chair, GSPP Alumni Board

STUDENT SPEAKERS
Bardha Celaj, M.D.P. ‘26
Matthew James Baiza, M.P.A. ‘26
Ruth Rodriguez-Rivera, M.P.P. ‘26

FACULTY REMARKS
Professor Hilary Hoynes

AWARDS
Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award
Presented by Professor Felix Owusu
Max Dunsker, M.P.P. ‘26

Smolensky Prize for Outstanding Advanced Policy Analysis
Bardach Prize for Outstanding Capstone
Zilberman Prize for Outstanding Capstone
To Be Announced

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Mayor Daniel Lurie, M.P.P ‘05

PRESENTATION OF MASTERS DEGREES
Senior Assistant Dean, Anne Campbell Washington
Dean, David C. Wilson

CLOSING REMARKS
Dean, David C. Wilson

THE RICHARD & RHODA GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

Master of Public Policy Degree Candidates Class of 2026

Marwa Abubakr
Soniya Agrawal
Cynthia Alvarado Martinez#
Bruce Hikaru Arao#
Atheena Keanani Arasoo
Justin Barbulescu
Micayla Paige Bloudell Bobsien
Samuel Cheng
Cris Jericho Goh Cruz##
Brian Makoto Darmitzel
Betsy Davis
Rafi Demerath
Matheus Ligeiro Dias
Max Dunsker
Danielle Theresa Dyson*
Brooke Eichenlaub
Siena Elvins
Yifan Fan
Juan Flores**
Emma L. Fulweiler
Emily Gacheri
Melanie Girod
Brenda Gonzalez Guerrero
Niklas Miles Goodman
Kirsta Hackmeier#
Sirena Sheila Harrop
Meghan Hart
Rachel Eliza Heimann
Leah Hill#
Shiori Hirano
Robert Huang##
Christopher Hunter###
Hesham Jarmakani
Celia Rose Frances Johnson#
Calvin Jordan
Simran Kaur
Kristy Ketcham
Kurt Klaus
Victor Kline
Godwin Kugblenu
Seung Yeon Lee
Alyssa Samantha Christman Lee
Keanu Lim
Mengna Lin
Will Maddock
Sofia Magallon
Mohammed Mohammed
Omar Morales
Gilbert Murillo
Johnneson Mymala
Benjamin Nash
Kiho Noguchi
Sanaaz Nourkhaladj
Veronica Nowakowski
Karla Betel Palos Castellanos
Lara Pesce Ares
Jennifer Linh Pham
Perry Steele Robinson
Ruth Rodriguez-Rivera
Vanessa Rodriguez
Masaaki Sato
Trevor Alan Sepúlveda
Meredith Song
Christian Sotomayor
Rose Strauss*
Harshita Verma
Gabriel Christian Kuizon Young
Charlotte Yaojia Yuan
Ayesha Zafar

* Master of Public Policy/Juris Doctor Concurrent Degree
**Master of Public Policy/Master of Social Welfare Concurrent
Degree
#Master of Public Policy/Master of Public Health Concurrent Degree
##Master of Public Policy/Master of Engineering Concurrent Degree
###Master of Public Policy/Master of Arts/Science in Energy and
Resources Concurrent Degree

Master of Public Affairs Degree Candidates Class of 2026

Hamza Abdelrahman
Meshal Aldhahri
Hussah Alhamdan
Mujahed AlSayouhi
Matthew James Baiza
Eric Baliantz
Yelda Bartlett
Megan Mary Elise Bauer
Ethan Joaquin Bertrand
Sabrina Briefel
Jake Brymner
Vorthika Bunchan
Kathryn Mary Camp
Teika Marie Carlson
Cynthia Castillo
Boonyawee Chaiyaput
Isabel Chamberlain
Paul Choe
Annika Christensen
Leena Chumnumphant
Alison Mary Collins
Nicholas Delgado
Parambir Dhillon
Aakash Dhungel
Max Fang
Elizabeth Alva Ford
Gabrielle Fox
Sejal Gala
Rebecca Grant
Jimmy Gutierrez
Skyler Hallgren
Elizabeth Hilbert
Cynthia Lynn Hunter
D'Aungillique Jackson
Sofia Jesani
Nur Jihad Albar
Samanta Jovanovic
Heidi (Yu) Kang
Miryam Riena Diana Karthika
Sadia Farheen Khan
Farhaal Lutfi
Julian Ecker Mackie
Harry Hayne Martin
Jordan McHenry
Ayalneh (Albert) Merid
Daniela Milián
Ruben Mojica Hernandez
Guadalupe Amayrani Morales
Cindy Elizabeth Morales
Gilbert Morales
Cheyo Mwenechanya Appel
Shogo Nakata
Yoshiki Nemoto
Oriel Nolan-Smith
Betsy Pfeiffer
Zoe Poynor
Samantha Samuelsen
Katie Schaper
Emily Sims
Kane Smego
Jenalyn De Guzman Sotto
Warda Souihi
Renata Thornton
Christopher Toler
Diana Elizabeth Torres
Gabriel Valtierra
Stephen Joseph Walsh
Vanessa Warheit
Leisl Wehmueller
Elizabeth Adair Wells
Stephanie Rae Wilborn
Jingyang Wu
Kequan Yao
Yong Kiat Yeo

Master of Development Practice Degree Candidates Class of 2026

Hayley Ellen Bates
Uniqsha Batool
Pamela Castell de Oro Sotelo
Bardha Celaj
Amanda Chen Fong
Tommy Gao
Guichen Guo
Maho Hayashi
Ningxin Hong
Shiyu Hu
Akshika J Kandage
Paridhi Kapil
Taimour Khalid
Ziqi Li
Lenka Lu
Kenneth Maduagwu
Charlotte McGoldrick
Ali Najam Mian
Tvara Misra
Anthony Mulanzia
Kexin Ning
Galia Pavía
Rakhi Sagaram
Jiliwosy Salainti
Katy Sheridan
Anubhava Singla
Yaning Xu
Vanessa Yang
Charlin Zha
Xihan Zhang
Jingwei Zou

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Mayor Daniel Lurie

Daniel Lurie is the 46th Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco. Known for his innovativeapproach to solving entrenched issues, Mayor Lurie has dedicated his career to getting results in areas that demand bold action.

As the founder of Tipping Point Community, Mayor Lurie launched the Bay Area’s largest anti-poverty
organization, directing over $500 million toward solutions for housing, job creation, and essential services. He also led the successful bid to bring Super Bowl 50 to the Bay Area in 2016—making it the most philanthropic Super Bowl in NFL history— and founded The Civic Joy Fund in 2023 to bring more art, music, and energy to city streets.

Throughout his career, Mayor Lurie has set new standards for impact and partnership, including innovative public-private collaborations that uplift communities. Mayor Lurie's priorities include
ensuring safety and vibrancy in all neighborhoods, as well as economic growth.

THE CLASS OF 2026 GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE FACULTY, ADMINISTRATION, AND STAFF OF THE RICHARD & RHODA GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

FACULTY

Sarah Anzia
Eugene S. Bardach, Emeritus (in memoriam)
Robert Berdahl, Emeritus
Robert J. Birgeneau
Henry E. Brady
Jennifer Bussell
Alain de Janvry, Emeritus
Avi Feller
Lee S. Friedman, Emeritus
Jack Glaser
Jacob (Jake) Grumbach
W. Michael Hanemann, Emeritus
Hilary Hoynes
Rucker Johnson
Daniel Kammen
David L. Kirp, Emeritus
Dorothy Kronick
Adam Leive
Amy E. Lerman
Jane Mauldon, Emeritus
Cecilia Hyunjung Mo
Janet Napolitano
Katherine Newman
Felix Owusu
Michael O’Hare, Emeritus
Caitlin Patler
Steven Raphael
Robert B. Reich, Emeritus
Jesse Rothstein
Daniel Sargent
Richard M. Scheffler, Emeritus
Carlos Schmidt-Padilla
Manisha Shah
Na’ama Shenhav
Jennifer Skeem
David C. Wilson, Dean
David Zilberman

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Nikit Abhyankar
Todd Achilles
Dan Acland
Hildy Fong Baker
Nanci Beninati
Mia Bird
Josh Blumenstock
Michael Brune
Hector Cardenas
Doy Charnsupharindr
Brent Copen
Fan Dai
Timothy M. Dayonot
Steven Falk
Ziyang David Fan
Anibel Ferus-Comelo
Angela Glover Blackwell
Barbara Haya
Whitney Hischier
David Hochschild
Josie Innamorato
Kiran Jain
Jean Johnstone
Suzanne Kelly-Lyall
Darcelle Lahr
Margaretta Wan-Ling Lin
Dan Lindheim
Peter Linquiti
Larry Magid
Steven M. Maurer, Emeritus
Perfecta Oxholm
Amol Phadke
Neil Popović
Andrew Reddie
Omar Romero-Hernandez
Larry A. Rosenthal
Meredith Sadin
Libby Schaaf
Noam Schimmel
Ashdeep Seth
Amy Slater
Chris Weare
Micah Weinberg
Erika Weissinger
Steve Weissman
Glenn Yago
Yiaway Yeh

ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF

Sasha Anderson
H. Simón Bryce
Cecille C. Cabacungan
Anne Campbell Washington
Jean Cheng<
Sorangi De Leon
Anushree Deb
Nandita Garreffa
Ilana Golin
Darrian Hall
Merle Hancock
Tom Hernandez
Erin Heys
Lezley Hightower
Shelby Hunt
Kat Joyce
Yesame Kinfe
Jacki Kingkade
Tina Kushner
Jalilah LaBrie
Elisabeth Mart
Lindsay Maple
Vanessa Martini
Cameron Parker
Ayuko Picot
Bora Reed
Annette Rios
Ryan Rose
Samantha Rushing
Ronen Sberlo
Aaron Schiller
Michael Tapscott
Rosa Terrazas
Stephanie Wagner-Kinnear
Aarin Walker Chilton
Kathryn Wickham
Eric Wilson
David Wooley
Chris Young
Lilia Yuan
Hannah Yung

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