Virtual Commencement 2020!

May 20, 2020

To: Our Spring 2020 Graduates in French:

From: Chair Paige and the Faculty, Lecturers and Staff in French

[emdedded video here]

[Please enjoy this script, which is meant to be read aloud by the Department Chair, to present you,the graduates in French, as you walk across the stage to receive a scroll and a handshake. To set the stage, click here to receive yourcommemorative scroll, then click here to be accompanied by Pomp and Circumstance.]

“In the French Department, students learn about literary and other forms of culture from France and other places around the world where French is or has been spoken. It is a department with a strong interdisciplinary emphasis — students study social and cultural history as well as literary history. They learn methodologies involving philosophical forms of thought, sociological, historical, psychoanalytic, and other kinds of approaches to cultural and literary artifacts. Many of our undergraduate majors combine French with other disciplines –  Political Science, English, Comparative Literature, Music, Cognitive Science, Political Economy, Molecular and Cell Biology, Conservation and Resource Studies  — to name a few.  Many of them also combine a semester or two of study abroad and internship with their studies at Berkeley.  This year’s undergraduates will go out into the world beyond Berkeley to pursue graduate study in French, and Ethnomusicology, while others will begin professional development in Communication, Publishing, Wildlife Biology, Theatre and Film, and Law.”

B.A. Candidates in French:

We are pleased to honor the following French majors receiving their Bachelor’s Degree in French for Spring 2020.

Heather Breaux

Heather completed a double major in French and English.  She completed a year of study abroad in France, spending one semester studying at the University of Bordeaux and one semester completing an internship-based research project in Paris.

Hannah G. Cox

Hannah completed a double major in French and Linguistics. She is graduating with High Distinction in General Scholarship and Highest Honors in French. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She completed an honors thesis under the direction of Professor Karl Britto entitled “Armen Lubin: Pour une poésie autoréflexive” She was awarded the Mousseau prize for the best honors thesis in French for 2019-2020. Hannah is also this year’s recipient of the Departmental Citation for Outstanding Achievement as an undergraduate in French.

Dominic T. Daniels

Dominic completed a simultaneous degree, with a BA in French and a BS in Conservation and Resource Studies.  He also completed a semester of study abroad in Lyon, France.

Sophia DeMornay-O’Neal  

Sophia is graduating with High Distinction in General Scholarship, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.  In addition to her major in French, she pursued her interests in Film and Portuguese.  She studied abroad for a year, spending fall 2018 in Lyon, France, and spring 2019 Barcelona, Spain.

Sydney M. Hanzalik

Sydney completed a double major in French and Cognitive Science.  She studied in Florence, Italy in summer, 2019.  She is the youngest of three sisters, all of whom studied at Cal, and all of whom majored in French!

Yueqiu (Crystal) Hu

Crystal completed a double major in French and History of Art.  She also completed an internship in Paris in summer, 2019.

Molly Olivia Kearnan  

Molly completed a double major in French and Comparative Literature. She is graduating with High Distinction in General Scholarship, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Molly is also the recipient of the departmental Certificate of Distinction for outstanding achievement in French. She completed a semester of study in France at the University of Lyon.

Marianna M. Krumrine

Marianna completed a double major in French and Music.  She pursues additional interests in French popular music and ethnomusicology.  She studied at the University of Bordeaux in Spring 2019.

Elle S. Mahdavi

Elle completed a double major in French and Political Economy.  She is graduating with High Distinction in General Scholarship and Honors in French.  She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.  She completed an honors thesis under the direction of Professor Debarati Sanyal entitled La gouvernance à la frontière franco-britannique

Emily F. McKinney

Emily completed a double major in French and Comparative Literature.

Leandra Ramlo

Leandra completed a double major in French and Rhetoric, with a minor in Journalism.  She is graduating with Highest Distinction in General Scholarship, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.  She studied at the University of Lyon in spring 2019

Ruiwen (Adele) Shen

Adele completed a double major in French and Statistics, with additional studies in Business Administration.  She completed an internship in Paris in summer 2017.

Yangxier (Miu Miu) Sui

Miu Miu completed a double major in French and Medial Studies, with a minor in History of Art.  She is graduating with High Distinction in General Scholarship, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Ava Yih-Shan Wu

Ava completed a double major in French and Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Genetics, Genomics and Development.

[Official Conferral of Bachelor’s Degree:  If student is wearing a cap and tassel, the tassel should be located on the right side of the cap.]

“By virtue of the authority vested in me by the President of the University of California and the
Chancellor of the Berkeley campus, I grant you the Degree of Bachelor of Arts. You may now
move your tassels to the left.”

Congratulations on your achievement!

Click here to play Processional at end of ceremony, as joyful grads process out.

FÉLICITATIONS À TOUS!