We just got back from the commencement ceremony at UCSC for graduate students. You may recall that I decided to go back to graduate school as part of a career change. I'm proud to share that I've completed my M.S. in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program. It had been an arduous three quarters, but I'm glad I made it through.
Academic year in review
One thing for sure is my learning journey at UCSC was a worthwhile experience. For me, the best part is that there was so much to do on campus. Going to my first Easter egg hunt in 28 years and my first ren faire were two highlights. However, the sheer number of events was too much of a good thing at times because they sometimes conflicted with my classes or even other events. I've definitely had FOMO due to missing out events I had looked forward to.
Another awesome thing about UCSC is how inclusive the community is. As a non-traditional student going back to school after 15 years in the workforce, my concern was that people would find it strange to have a middle-age classmate. However, this turned out not to be the case, and even those who knew I was 40 didn't bat an eye. If anyone thought I was a weirdo, then they sure as hell kept it to themselves. I certainly felt at home during my time at UCSC.
Of note is that three graduate courses per quarter can be stressful from time to time. Topics taught in graduate school are often very abstract and not clearly explained in the textbooks or lecture slides. I definitely spent many sleepless nights working on assignments and studying for examples. However, this is par for the course for graduate students.
Commencement report
We had to get up at around 6 a.m. today as the commencement for the graduate division was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Even though the campus is only about an hour's drive from my house, my dad wanted to make sure we had enough time to get dressed and account for possible traffic. It was a pretty long ceremony because many Ph.D. students graduated this year.
As much as it pains me to say this, the commencement felt somewhat anticlimactic. At my previous schools, there were receptions after the ceremonies. It was nice to have a proper send-off with friends and meet their families, even when the food wasn't spectacular. But because the parking permits had tight time limits, there was no such event this time. A lot of us in the graduate division ended up leaving before the ceremony concluded. This was a bit of a surprise because most other events at UCSC were top-notch.
There was also a separate event for Baskin Engineering as a whole. It was open to both bachelor's and master's students according to the BE website, and the fact that the event was called a "celebration" implied there would be some sort of reception with opportunities to meet other graduates and their guests. But when we got there, the event turned out to be merely the commencement for undergraduates. We decided to leave as I didn't really know any undergrads in engineering other than my ECE 210 project partner, and the three of us felt a bit bamboozled.
I'm a bit bummed that I didn't get to properly say goodbye to people I had classes with. Contacting classmates on LinkedIn is just not the same as wishing them well in person. The good news is UCSC puts on great alumni events, and the next one is in about two months. I definitely hope to see some familiar faces there.
Future plans
Even though I've completed my master's degree, my stint at UCSC isn't quite over. I plan to work on a research project related to AI and genomics, and that could be used in my dissertation should I transfer to the Ph.D. program. Two professors have indicated they are willing to be my co-advisors, and there is a fairly decent chance we'll get seed funding from the UCSC Genomics Institute. I'm very excited to see where this takes me!
June 18 update: Grades have been posted for the quarter. I'd say a cumulative GPA of 3.83 ain't bad. :-)
Currently listening to: "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC
Monday, June 15, 2026
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