Northeastern’s Oakland campus kicks off ‘incredible journey’ at convocation
Dan Sachs, dean of Northeastern’s Oakland campus, tells new Huskies: “Here in Oakland, the Bay Area is your classroom. The world can be your co-op. The network is yours to embrace and the potential is limitless.”
OAKLAND, Calif. — Dan Sachs, dean of Northeastern’s Oakland campus, urged an auditorium full of excited new Huskies to seize every opportunity that comes their way as they begin their college journey.
“Here in Oakland, you can choose your own adventure,” said Sachs, leading off convocation. “The Bay Area is your classroom. The world can be your co-op. The power of the network is yours to embrace and the potential is limitless.”
Members of the Class of 2029 packed into the Oakland campus’s Littlefield Concert Hall for their official welcome to campus on Tuesday, where they received advice and encouragement from faculty and graduates.
The annual ceremony is the official kickoff for the school year, where students get a taste of the opportunities and experiences that lie ahead. But convocation is more than a welcome, graduate Suchira Sharma told the crowd. It’s an opportunity to begin building a network.
“When I was where you are today, the student speaker became my mentor,” said Sharma, a D’Amore-McKim School of Business 2018 graduate and a principal at Elevage Medical. “He graduated and hired me to work at a venture capital firm. I’m here because of Northeastern but also because of convocation.”
Seize opportunities, Sachs said, even if they aren’t in the classroom.
“This incredible journey is just beginning now,” he said. “It’s about diving headfirst into research projects that could change the world. It’s about building your own network that will last a lifetime. It’s about taking risks, failing forward and discovering strength you never knew you had.”
Graduates, including Sharma and Meredith McLeary, College of Social Sciences and Humanities Class of 2020, urged new Huskies to take advantage of the opportunity to build friendships and have new experiences.
“Say yes to everything,” said McLeary, strategic impact specialist at the World Economic Forum. “You never know if there’s something out there that might be your favorite thing in the world. You might find your passion randomly.”
Don’t hesitate to leave campus to discover new skills and experiences, McLeary said. After starting her Northeastern experience on the London campus, McLeary did a co-op in Amsterdam — a challenge that changed her forever.
“At 19, I moved to the Netherlands by myself for nine months,” she said. “I didn’t know any Dutch. It was terrifying, but that was the single most formative nine months in my life.”
The Class of ’29 includes the newest members of the Northeastern global network, said Waleed Meleis, vice provost for graduate education and an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.
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“Today marks the start of your journey at one of the world’s leading research institutions,” he said, “a place committed to groundbreaking innovation, academic excellence and global experience.”
On the Oakland campus, students will be challenged to dig deep into science, public health, engineering, design and themselves.
“We are the place where you can ask the big questions,” said Alec Stubbs, assistant teaching professor of philosophy and coordinator of the politics, philosophy and economics program. “Who you are, who you’re becoming and how you can use those deeply human skills to be agents for social change.”
After the ceremonial torch lighting, graduates and faculty led the room of new Huskies in singing “All Hail, Northeastern.”
“This experience is going to be life-changing,” said James Genome, senior vice chancellor for learning strategy. He noted that more than 4,500 Northeastern graduates live and work in the Bay Area. “Here on the West Coast, the Northeastern network is everywhere. The great news is that you don’t have to wait to tap into this network. You’re already in it right now.”
Concluding the ceremony, Sachs urged students to take courses that aren’t related to their majors and step out of their comfort zones.
“You’ll have the opportunity to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it in industry in real time,” he said. “Now is the time to take an uncharted path. It’s a time for discovery and exploration. The faculty and staff here in Oakland will be here to prepare you to be the leaders and problem-solvers that the world needs.”
As excited students exited the hall, first-year students and roommates Ash Hariharan and Dunja Radivojac agreed that convocation was a great kickoff to the academic year.
“It was fun,” Hariharan said. “There was a lot of energy.”
Radivojac agreed.
“I appreciated the perspectives of everyone who has graduated,” she said.
