Dear esteemed guests, faculty, members of the SCET community, and my fellow graduates,
It is with deep honor and gratitude that I stand before you today as the graduate speaker of the inaugural Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Certificate Ceremony. My name is Veronica, and throughout my time at Berkeley, I’ve taken four courses from the program. I am deeply honored to receive the certificate, along with my Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences degree here at Berkeley.
And what makes today even more special is that we’re part of the first SCET Certificate Ceremony. We’re making history together—how cool is that? It truly feels like a dream come true—graduating from the top engineering and entrepreneurship program in the world. And we all did that as class of 2025!
I want to begin by congratulating all of my fellow graduates. Your friends and family are so incredibly proud of you. Every single one of us here has worked on at least one startup idea. If you’re receiving this certificate today, please take a moment to pat yourself on the back for the dedication and grit that brought you here.
Diving into Berkeley’s entrepreneurship ecosystem through the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, or SCET, has been the most transformative experience of my college journey. The real magic of SCET lies in its diversity—not just in background, but in thought. Engineers, designers, business thinkers, visionaries—we each brought something different to the table. And together, real innovation happened. We represent the future—diverse, brilliant, and bold.
As you can tell from my degree, I come from an engineering background. I’m usually buried in technical details, and yes, I am one of those EECS people that spends her weekends in Cory and Soda. But I don’t always get to shape ideas from day zero, and SCET changed that. It gave me a seat at the table where ideas are born. It reminded me that engineers don’t just build—we dream, we innovate, and we lead.
I’ve had the privilege of learning from seasoned founders, venture capitalists, and some of the sharpest minds in this space. Whether it was Professor Naeem walking us through the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, Professor Shomit showing us how to use data as a business superpower, or Professor Anita teaching us how to build startups grounded in sustainable social change—I’ve come to understand that success doesn’t stem from ideas alone, but from execution, empathy, and perseverance. And all the speakers from the Newton lecture series led by Professor Vicky taught me so many lessons in entrepreneurship and learning.
Technology has shown me one thing: you have to harness the future before it comes to you. There’s a quote from one of my high school teachers that I’d like to share with you all: “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.” And when you look at the founder landscape today, it’s still largely white and male. But we are the future. Standing here, I see that we are a lot more diverse than the status quo. Right here in Silicon Valley, right now, we have the power to reshape that narrative.
Everyone I’ve met through SCET embodies this rare mix of curiosity, brilliance, and a relentless drive to challenge the status quo. But it hasn’t been easy. For me, balancing a part-time job, two technical classes, and three entrepreneurship courses—basically running three startups at once—was intense. And I know I’m not the only one. Many of you have juggled club leadership, student government, and a million things at once. Let’s be real: we go to Berkeley. Of course we’re tryhards. And every all-nighter and pitch deck was worth it.
What SCET gave us isn’t just a certificate or a portfolio of cool projects. It gave us a mindset. The soft skills. The intangibles.
First, we learned to embrace failure early. Like Master Yoda said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” It’s incredibly noble to commit yourself fully to an idea or a vision, then work tirelessly to bring it to life. The first draft might be awful, and boy, did we get roasted by our VC advisors. But the courage to start is what propels growth, and skepticism or rejection from others only makes us stronger.
Second, entrepreneurship taught me to put myself out there—to walk with humility, but speak with confidence. It taught us to be bold, to share our ideas even when they’re half-formed, and to believe that we can change the world—not someday, but today. Storytelling, pitching, advocating for ourselves—it’s all essential, whether we’re launching a startup or asking for a well-earned promotion.
And the lessons don’t stop at entrepreneurship. They extend into every aspect of our lives. From launching startups to building careers in product, business, engineering, or design— these skills are transferable. They are life-changing.
There’s a quote from Timothée Chalamet’s SAG Award speech that’s quite memorable: “The truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats.” I feel that too. And I don’t think it’s pompous—I think it’s honest. Because ambition without action is just a wish. And here at SCET, we’ve all been doing the work. I’m not there yet, but I’m climbing. And I know many of you are too. Some of you might already be there. Yes, I see you SkyDeckers, and those of you eyeing—or already applying to—YC. The deadline was three days ago. I’m assuming we all hit that submit button. Don’t let anyone tell you your dreams are too grandiose. If you have the hard work to back your stats up, just go for it.
So today, I celebrate the dreamers, the builders, and the doers. The ones who dared to ask “What if?” and actually go out and test it. The people who show up with big ideas—and even bigger hearts.
I want to leave you with this final thought: build something with kindness. Build something you’d be proud to be remembered for. In the last class of Tech Entrepreneurship, our guest speaker—Gopi Rangan— the founder and CEO of Sure Ventures, said something that stuck with me: “Live for your eulogy, not the headlines.” We are powerful, we can all aim for something beyond money and fame. The world needs empathy, equity, and courage now more than ever. Let’s use our skills to build something that changes the world for the better.
There’s no single path to becoming a founder. But SCET has shown us how to lead—with resilience, with heart, and yes, with a lot of market research. My hope is that each of us carry this mindset forward—starting our own companies, joining startups or established firms, working in venture capital, or quietly driving change in our communities. That entrepreneurial spirit shall stick with us for the rest of our lives.
Stay curious. Stay bold. And don’t let the world dull your creative spark—we are extraordinary.
Congratulations, SCET Class— we did it! Now let’s go build something spectacular. Thank you!