Convocation Speakers Encourage Students to Seek Education Outside the Classroom and Fight for Social Justice

Photos by Alethea Go and Alwin Szeto/UC San Diego Publications

Raise your consciousness and seek every day to do something to better the life of someone around you and, in that, your life will become richer, happier and more fulfilled.

These words of advice were delivered to about 6,000 new freshmen and transfer students from alumna Dr. Coleen S. Sabatini at UC San Diego’s Convocation on Sept. 21. The ceremony marks the official entrance to the campus community for new students.

Sabatini, who works as a physician in the Bay Area and was the evening’s keynote speaker, knows the impact of working every day to better the lives of people. Sabatini earned her undergraduate degree in biology from UC San Diego and her doctorate of medicine (M.D.) and masters of public health from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. She has been part of the faculty at UC San Francisco for five years and now has the privilege, as she describes it, of taking care of people.

“My wonderfully diverse patient population in Northern California brings me great joy, and it is an honor every day to be someone’s doctor,” Sabatini said.

When Sabatini started school at UC San Diego, she wanted to become a marine biologist; however, she found extracurricular activities and involvement in the arts and advocacy helped her to find her voice and understand her path into the field of medicine. At Convocation, she encouraged students to get involved outside the classroom so they too can find their true calling.

Coleen S. Sabatini

“You may find, as I did, that what you came to UC San Diego ‘to be’ becomes different over time,” she said. “I came here to be a marine biologist because based on my life experiences and knowledge of self, up to that point, that’s what I thought I wanted. UC San Diego and my education here—education both in the classroom, but mostly outside the classroom helped me better understand myself, my skills, my passions and where I could have the greatest impact.”

The importance of getting involved was also a theme in Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla’s welcome to students that helped kick off the event. He encouraged students to participate in campus life so they could have the best student experience possible.

“You have already achieved so much in your academic career and extracurricular activities, and there is so much still ahead,” Khosla said. “Our goal is to provide you with the opportunities and education that will make you successful both here at UC San Diego and after you graduate.”

Wayne Yang, a professor of ethnic studies, served as the evening’s faculty speaker. He gave remarks prior to Sabatini and also said many of the students’ greatest educational experiences will happen outside the classroom.

He described education outside of the classroom as “magical” because it can defy the laws of physics.

“Magical education can teach you a poetry of possibilities: poems to walk through walls, to travel in time, and to dispel the ideologies that impose suffering on many and give overwhelming privilege for a few,” Yang said.

He encouraged students to use their “magical” education to fight for social justice.

“If you want to fight for social justice at UC San Diego, join a club. Play a sport. Start a band or a dance crew,” Yang said. “If you are a gamer, fighting zombies doesn’t count. But, you can fight for justice in the computer gaming club. If you are an athlete, be a champion for justice on and off the field.”

Sabatini had similar advice for students and spoke about how getting involved in student organizations, student government, dance, music, an occasional protest and volunteering helped her become the physician she is today—while making incredible friends along the way.

“Take care of yourselves and each other,” she said. “You will never have friends like your college friends—so relish the time you have here together. My friends—they inspired me, they challenged me, they supported me when I needed them, and I returned that support when they needed me.”

Wayne Yang

She added that college is a time for students to start seeing the world differently than how they have in the past. It is a new place, with new people and students will be learning about things that they never have heard about before. And this is a time to for students to challenge their bias, open their vantage point, and seek to understand the world through a range of lenses, not just those they were given.

“Please strive to be a global citizen—recognize that you have been given a gift and privilege—the knowledge and ability to change the world for better for those around you,” Sabatini said. “I look forward to seeing who you become, what you achieve, what impact you have on the world. Welcome to your future. Welcome to UC San Diego.”