“Haas leaders don’t just rise, we lift,” students in both the Berkeley Haas Full-time MBA and Evening & Weekend MBA programs were told during a jubilant ceremony at The Greek Theatre on Friday.
As friends and family looked on, some holding babies or sitting beneath colorful umbrellas, more than 500 graduates—239 full-time and 285 evening & weekend MBA students—gathered in caps and gowns under sunny skies. Watch the commencement video.
Interim Dean Jennifer Chatman, PhD 88, welcomed the crowd, which included the first cohort of graduates from the Flex Evening & Weekend program, students who had the option to attend fully online or hybrid online/in-person classes at Haas.
“It’s a bittersweet moment,” said Flex graduate Scott Diddams, who began the program in Cairo and continued in Seattle, where he works as a product manager at Microsoft. “It’s the conclusion of three years of rapid growth and learning that we all want to continue to do.”
‘Run your race’
Chatman, a lifelong runner and double Bear who holds two degrees from Berkeley, shared a personal story of struggling to finish a marathon and how it impacted the rest of her life. When the pressure of the marathon got to her, she said she started walking and was worried about how her coach would respond.
“I thought he would scold me, but instead, he gave me one of the mantras I’ve used throughout my life: ‘Run your race,’” she said. “He told me not to worry about competitors, don’t worry about placing or winning. All I could try to do is just run my race. I went on to finish OK. Not third, but fifth, not bad. Everyone, including me, was pleased. But since then, I’ve leaned into those words to take on some of the greatest challenges in my life.”
Chatman then introduced commencement speaker Manish Chandra, MBA 95, founder and CEO of Poshmark, a marketplace for new and used clothes with more than 130 million users.
Chandra told his story of growing up in small towns in India before moving to Texas to attend college. “I decided to throw myself into that culture and learn a new skill,” he said, noting that the skill was Mexican folk dancing, which he performed at the state capital on Cinco de Mayo.
“Now, don’t ask me to show you any dance moves because my kids will tell you: ‘Dad has no game.’” he said. “But I can tell you I have no shame in my game either. The moral here is don’t just adapt to change. Leverage change. Immerse yourself in the change, and use it to propel yourself in the spaces of discomfort.”
Chandra offered some insights from a 30-year career, including learning from everyone (“Don’t limit yourself to connecting with people who have the same career opportunities,” he said.); finding your shared purpose; and remembering to embrace your weirdness.
“Weirdness is what makes us who we are,” he said. “It’s what makes us unique and special. And when we embrace our weirdness, it frees us up to accept ourselves and each other.”
‘Be the torch that illuminates’
Full-time MBA class speaker Paul Logan recounted a story about his great-great aunt Rachel Grossman, a seamstress who died in the tragic fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911. The fire killed 146 workers. “The building owners had cut corners on safety to reduce costs,” he said. “The exits were blocked. The fire escape collapsed. The doors wouldn’t open. Rachel never made it out.”
That fire became a symbol of what happens when profit comes first and people come last, he said. “And in 2025, it feels like we’re sliding back. Longer hours, fewer protections—even a push to bring back child labor—all in the name of efficiency, just as it was back then.”
Logan said he arrived at Haas a pessimist who expected to “learn the rules, to get the paycheck,” and “maybe be able to afford a backyard in the Bay Area.” But his peers changed him, he said. Logan called out dozens of classmates who inspire him by “taking carbon out of the supply chain, helping the formerly incarcerated reenter the workforce, reimagining sustainable agriculture, and building global connection through meditation and heartfulness.”
“You made me realize we don’t have to be the fire that destroys,” he said. “We can be the torch that illuminates.”
‘The best leaders are Haas leaders’
Malu Kannuswamy, EWMBA 25, chosen by the evening & weekend class as student commencement speaker, called her three years at Haas “transformational.”
“When people ask me, ‘How do you do it all?’ I’ve come to realize that the part-time MBA doesn’t just teach you business. It helps unlock an inner strength,” she said. “You never realized you had the strength to juggle babies and business plans. The strength to take those fireball shots but still complete your assignments. The strength to be confident but still be vulnerable, to share tears with your classmates during leadership communications. And here we are today. Getting an MBA from one of the world’s best business schools.”
With that MBA comes both privilege and responsibility, she said. “When you have the privilege of a seat at the table, bring one more chair,” she said. “When you have the privilege of influence, use it not just to succeed, but to also serve. Because I firmly believe the best leaders are Haas leaders. We don’t just rise, we lift.”
FTMBA award winners:
Academic Achievement Award: Remy Freire
DLP award winners
Question the Status Quo: Isaiah Gregory Wilson
Confidence Without Attitude: Fernanda Kasper Ortolan
Students Always: Renzo Viale
Beyond Yourself: Niveda Kumar
Berkeley Leader Award, given to the student who embodies all four of our Defining Leadership Principles: Claudia Vina Vazquez
Cheit Awards for Excellence in Teaching:
Professor: Matilde Bombardini
Inclusive Teaching: Sa-Kiera Hudson
Graduate Student Instructor: Javier Friedlaender
EWMBA award winners
Academic Achievement Award: Nitin Bandaru
DLP award winners:
Question the Status Quo: Ansu George
Confidence Without Attitude: Cameron Immesoete
Students Always: Sophie Christian
Beyond Yourself: Lauren Gamboa
Berkeley Leader Award: Lisa Dalgliesh
Cheit Awards for Excellence in Teaching:
Evening Cheit: Satish Ananthaswamy
Weekend Cheit: Sunil Dutta
Inclusive Teaching: Ambar La Forgia
GSI: Ross Crockett
Posted in: