Graduates at the first 2025 USC Viterbi master’s commencement ceremony. Image/Noé Montes
USC’s Galen Center was buzzing — the room brimming with cardinal, gold and Trojan spirit as thousands of family members, friends and graduates gathered on May 16 to celebrate the USC Viterbi School of Engineering master’s class of 2025.
Cheers echoed through the arena as the proud graduates walked the stage to receive their hard-earned diplomas. The class of 2025 was one of the most representative in the school’s history, with about 1/3rd of the graduates being women, and almost 20% first-generation students. Graduates came to USC Viterbi from 39 countries around the globe, including Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, China and India. In this cohort, 361 USC Viterbi master’s students graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
USC Viterbi Dean Yannis C. Yortsos addresses the master’s cohort. Image/Noé Montes
“You have joined an elite club of some of the world’s most dynamic engineers and thought-leaders,” said Dean Yannis C. Yortsos in his commencement address. “No matter what you have studied, how you present or where you originated, what is common to all of you is that you are working to advance the frontiers of engineering and technology.”
Yortsos defines technology in simple terms: “Leveraging phenomena for useful purposes.” While most of these phenomena have been physical, chemical or biological, he added that in the face of the rapid onset of paradigm-shifting technology such as AI and machine learning, technology is now inextricably tied with social phenomena as well.
“It is this new canvas on which engineering, you, will be painting. Where technology and humanity are intertwined as never before.”
To inform this new landscape, USC recently launched the School of Advanced Computing within USC Viterbi, supported by the opening of the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall. The dean added that Viterbi graduates would now be at the forefront of advancing technology to solve the world’s grand challenges, helping to improve humanity and create a peaceful, sustainable, healthy, secure, and creative world for all.
“I am very optimistic that this graduating class will be the agents of such a change. Because you are equipped not only with outstanding technical competence, but also with outstanding character and values,” Yortsos said.
Echoing writer Yuval Noah Harari, who said that stories are arguably the greatest human invention, Yortsos mentioned that the stories that connected us all during graduation were the individual stories of each graduate during their stay at Viterbi.
“The thread and narrative you weaved in your studies and experience. Where you have reimagined the world, helping create the world that never was,” Yortsos said.
To enrich the graduate commencement at the Galen Center, it was divided into two separate ceremonies. The first event was dedicated to all master’s degrees other than computer science, with a subsequent ceremony dedicated to computer science and data science graduates.
Student speaker at the first master’s ceremony, Alek Yegazarian. Image/Noé Montes
At the first event, graduate Alek Yegazarian stressed the value of the relationships he forged at USC Viterbi, which defined his experience and opened countless doors for him. Yegazarian graduated with an MS in electrical engineering as an online student in USC Viterbi’s Distance Education Network (DEN@Viterbi) program. For Yegazarian, the connections he made in the program were not hampered by the virtual setting. Instead, he found valuable mentors in his professors and met classmates who became lifelong friends.
“My time at USC has taught me a lesson that I will carry forward: achievement is not just about what we accomplish, but how we uplift others along the way,” Yegazarian said. “The spirit of collaboration and support at Viterbi has not only shaped my aspirations but has also shown me the power of first impressions — the ones that spark connections, build friendships, and turn a simple handshake into a world of possibilities.”
Keynote speaker Guangqiang (Jay) Jiang. Image/Noé Montes.
Co-founder and chief technology officer of global medtech company Axonics, Guangqiang (Jay) Jiang (Ph.D. BME’05), presented the commencement address at the first master’s ceremony.
Jiang, who has also served as vice president of research and development at the Alfred Mann Foundation for Scientific Research and has pioneered numerous implantable medical device projects, congratulated graduates on their outstanding achievements.
“All those late-night study sessions, caffeine-fueled cramming marathons, and yes, even those occasional existential crises, they all paid off,” Jiang laughed.
“As you step into the next chapter of your lives, I encourage you to stay curious, embrace challenges, and keep learning. Your education doesn’t end today, it marks the beginning of a lifelong journey of discovery and growth,” Jiang said.
Keynote speaker at the second celebration was academic and entrepreneur Kevin Knight, a former USC Viterbi faculty member and co-founder of Language Weaver, Inc.
Knight reflected on the advice he would give himself if he were graduating right now — the key takeaway: “You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s totally fine.”
Knight also implored graduates to take up personal projects outside school and work.
“A personal project is something that comes out of your own natural interests, based on your own unique background, based on odd skills you have, or you’d like to develop,” Knight said, adding that his personal choice to learn Japanese in his twenties had resulted in unexpected career opportunities.
“There’s a lot that makes you ‘you.’ Try not to let that get swallowed up in the process of making a living,” Knight concluded.
The USC Trojan Marching Band raises the roof at the Galen Center. Image/Noé Montes.
Applied Data Science master’s graduate Amy (Xinyi) Jiang was the student speaker at the second ceremony. Jiang, who also served as a lead teaching assistant for the Enterprise Data Analytics course for several years and is about to embark on a career at Duolingo, said if her time at Viterbi had taught her anything, it was that “life is basically one big debugging session.”
“Just like in coding, you need to fix the bug, test again and keep iterating. Failure doesn’t stop you; it redirects you,” Jiang said.
Jiang added that she found purpose as a TA in turning confusion into clarity, seeing lightbulb moments happen, and mentoring hundreds of students. With the support of faculty, she coauthored a course book, went to conferences and was introduced to industry leaders, setting her up for her career.
Applied Data Science master’s graduate Amy (Xinyi) Jiang. Image/Noé Montes
“None of that was planned. It was all just a lucky glitch in the code. That’s what makes Viterbi so special. We’re not just students, we’re pioneers, innovators and the future of technology. Let’s take everything we’ve learned and keep coding our own future,” Jiang said.
Yortsos concluded his address by acknowledging the invaluable support of the friends and family who helped graduates advance in their path of academic excellence. Yortsos added that this year’s graduates were joining “a pantheon of USC Viterbi alumni that are the envy of any university,” including the first human to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, and the school’s namesake, Andrew Viterbi, inventor of the Viterbi Algorithm.
With 2025 marking the first commencement to feature graduates of the School of Advanced Computing, SAC inaugural director Gaurav Sukhatme joined Yortsos in congratulating the cohort, saying that they were ready to take on the challenges of the world.
“Always remember that Trojan engineers go out into the world to make great things happen, and they live by a credo to make the lives of others better. I hope you will hold these thoughts close as you launch your careers.” Sukhatme said.
Published on May 19th, 2025
Last updated on May 19th, 2025
