{"id":457771,"date":"2026-09-09T01:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T01:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/457771\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T01:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T01:48:15","slug":"oakland-campus-greets-largest-class-at-convocation-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/457771\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland Campus Greets Largest Class at Convocation Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Convocation 2026<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

This story is part of Northeastern\u2019s ongoing Convocation coverage.<\/p>\n

OAKLAND \u2013 Nearly 1,000 undergraduate students gathered on the sunny Holmgren Meadow on Tuesday to receive a formal welcome to Northeastern University\u2019s Oakland campus from professors, university leaders and Northeastern graduates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be a time for discovery and exploration for all of us,\u201d Dan Sachs, dean of Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus, told the crowd of students, many of whom attended convocation dressed in Northeastern red, black and white. \u201cThe faculty and staff in Oakland will be there to prepare you to be the leaders and problem-solvers the world needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The yearly ceremony marks the beginning of the school year, the day before the first day of classes, giving students the chance to hear directly from campus leadership about the wealth of resources and opportunities available to them in Oakland and the wider Bay Area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kate Karniouchina and Carol Theokary from D\u2019AMore-McKim School of Business urged students to build resilience, cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and make the most of what the Bay Area has to offer. Catrina Jaime from the Bouv\u00e9 College of Health Sciences encouraged them to redefine what\u2019s possible with the help of emerging technology and AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lead through community engagement,\u201d Jaime said. \u201cOur impact reaches far beyond the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayman Shamma from Khoury College of Computer Sciences told students they\u2019ll have a chance to work with top companies and amazing classmates while \u201cbuilding technology that\u2019s changing the world.\u201d Encouraging the new Huskies to take an active role in shaping the future, he urged them to bring their ideas to life.<\/p>\n

\"DanielOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Daniel Sachs, Dean of Northeastern University, Oakland, attends Convocation on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)<\/p>\n

\"ThreeOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Northeastern faculty members attend Convocation on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)<\/p>\n

\"StudentsOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Northeastern students enjoy the Convocation ceremony on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)<\/p>\n

\"AOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Northeastern students pose with Paws during the Convocation ceremony on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)
\nPhotos by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern University<\/p>\n

The roster of speakers also offered words of motivation and valuable pieces of advice to steer members of the Class of 2030 in the right direction as they begin their higher education journeys.<\/p>\n

Kushal Shankar invited students to embrace uncertainty as an opportunity and savor the everyday moments that will come to define their college career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all arrive with different stories, different pressures, and different ideas of who we are supposed to become,\u201d said Shankar, who graduated from Northeastern\u2019s Khoury College of Computer Sciences in 2025. \u201cBut you do not need to arrive here as the finished version of yourself. You are here to discover who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

After earning his M.S., Shankar has been working as a software engineer at NVIDIA in Santa Clara, California, having first explored the company during a co-op experience. He was selected to address his fellow graduates at the university\u2019s 2025 commencement.<\/p>\n

This 2026 incoming class represents the largest-ever cohort on Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus. Of the more than 940 undergraduates and 150 graduate students in attendance at the convocation ceremony, 270 will study at the D\u2019Amore-McKim School of Business, according to university data. More than 200 will pursue degrees in the College of Science, and more than 150 in the College of Engineering.<\/p>\n

Also at the ceremony were 15 sophomore students who have returned to Oakland for their second academic year.<\/p>\n

In addition to sharing with students the uniquely forward-thinking and community-focused offerings available on and off the Oakland campus, Dean Sachs reminded students of the myriad options waiting for them across Northeastern\u2019s global campus network.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom Boston to London, Vancouver to Silicon Valley, and here in Oakland, Northeastern\u2019s network \u2026 is a dynamic ecosystem of knowledge, curiosity, culture and opportunity,\u201d Sachs told students, referring to the 13 other Northeastern campuses available for students to explore after their first year in Oakland. \u201cThat said, our Oakland identity is unique and special. Here you can tap into the thriving intersection of technology, innovation and cultural diversity. Like the city itself, our community embodies the Bay area spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yuna Kim, who arrived in Oakland from Michigan, said it was her interest in medicine that drew her to the Bay Area to begin her studies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to do medical co-ops (while) I\u2019m in college so \u2026 that was a huge factor,\u201d said Kim, regarding her decision to come to Northeastern. She was walking around the Taste of Oakland event that kicked off convocation and gave students a chance to learn more about the campus while trying out some local food.<\/p>\n

\"AOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Incoming Northeastern students light the ceremonial torch during the Convocation ceremony on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)<\/p>\n

\"KelseyOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Northeastern alumni Kelsey Lawler speaks during the Convocation ceremony on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)<\/p>\n

\"StudentsOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Northeastern students arrive to the Convocation ceremony on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)<\/p>\n

\"FourOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Northeastern students wave Flutter Fettie during the Convocation ceremony on Holmgren Meadow at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)<\/p>\n

\"StudentsOAKLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 08: Northeastern students Nova Marr, Alejandra Carrasco and Djenneva Bartell, who all study biology, and Alisha Brown, who studies electrical engineering enjoy Taste of Oakland on the Oval at Northeastern\u2019s Oakland campus on September 04, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern)
\nPhotos by Ruby Wallau for Northeastern Universty<\/p>\n

\u201cI am new to California so I am open to anything!\u201d said Lillian Urban, who arrived from Dallas, Texas. Eager to explore co-op and internship possibilities, she\u2019s also keen to make new connections and see where her Northeastern experience will take her.<\/p>\n

After the convocation speakers wrapped up their remarks, students watched as two of their peers conducted the traditional torch-lighting ceremony that visually marks the start of undergraduates\u2019 journey.<\/p>\n

The words that Shankar had bestowed on the students resonated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do not need to prove that you deserve to be here,\u201d he told them. \u201cWho you are today is enough to begin. Welcome to Northeastern my fellow huskies!!<\/p>\n

\tNortheastern Global News, in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Sign up for NGN\u2019s daily newsletter for news, discovery and analysis from around the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Peter Rubinstein is a Northeastern Global News reporter based in Oakland. He can be reached at p.rubinstein@northeastern.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Victoria Partika in Oakland and Katya Poltorak in Boston contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Convocation 2026 This story is part of Northeastern\u2019s ongoing Convocation coverage. OAKLAND \u2013 Nearly 1,000 undergraduate students gathered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[176412,133744,143,145,144,109605],"class_list":["post-457771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-convocation","tag-northeastern-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-student-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}