Commencement 2024

Liliana Ferrer-Silva
Ambassador of Mexico to Thailand, concurrent in Cambodia

Liliana Ferrer-Silva has been a Mexican career foreign service officer since 1992 and holds the rank of career ambassador. She was appointed ambassador of Mexico to Thailand, concurrent in Cambodia, as of December 2023, after having served as consul general of Mexico in Sacramento, California. Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Mexican embassy in Paris, where she was awarded the Legion of Honor in the rank of officer, the highest French order of merit, and previously was commissioned at the embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C., where she was the Head of Political and Border Affairs, having spent various years as well as liaison officer with the U.S. Congress.

Prior to her posting at the embassy in Washington, she spent a year at Harvard University as a fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, doing research on lobbying in the U.S. In Mexico City, Ferrer-Silva has served as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; special adviser to the Undersecretary of Economic Affairs and International Cooperation; and as director of U.S. bilateral relations. She has also been commissioned at the Mexican consulates in San Diego and Los Angeles as Consul for Economic, Political and Mexican Community Affairs and in Guatemala City as Mexico’s deputy consul general. She is a third-generation career diplomat. 

Ferrer-Silva received her B.A. degree in international relations from the University of California, Davis, and her master’s in Pacific international affairs from UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, where she was awarded a pre-doctoral fellowship at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. Prior to joining the Mexican Foreign Service, Ferrer-Silva worked with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), with Catholic Relief Services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the worst times of drought and famine in the 1980s. She also has a deep love for the arts, having worked as a young adult in musical theatre and as a professional jazz dancer.

Ferrer-Silva has taught at UCLA and Georgetown University and recently published a chapter on Mexico’s Diplomacy in California as part of the book “The International Relations of California and Texas with Mexico and the World.”

April (Week 1): Student must attend the mandatory Graduation Workshop in the RBC Auditorium to learn more about Commencement and graduation requirements. Formal date and time will be announced in the near future.

April 15: Deadline to complete the GPS Commencement Survey. Graduates will receive information at the Graduation Workshop.

May 17: Deadline to purchase regalia and register with central campus to receive their entry tickets to the GPS and/or All Campus ceremony.  

June 14: Student check in begins at 9 a.m. in the RIMAC Auxiliary Gym. Please bring a physical printed copy of your ticket. You must have this to enter RIMAC and walk in the ceremony. You also must wear a proper graduate regalia to participate in the ceremony.

Doors will be open starting at 9 a.m. Guests will be directed to the LionTree Arena. Guests will not be able to enter the check in area with their graduate. We will have staff and volunteers to help direct guests to the appropriate location. If graduates wish to make sure their guests are seated accordingly, please set enough time to walk them to their seats and check in to the RIMAC Auxiliary Gym.

All students must be checked in by 9:30 a.m. in the RIMAC Auxiliary Gym.

Security
For the safety of all, everyone (guests, graduates, faculty, staff) must undergo a security check before being allowed to enter the designated Commencement premises. Please allow extra time to wait in line for security checks. All bags will be thoroughly searched.

NEW POLICY - CLEAR BAGS: Campus has implemented a clear bag policy with size restrictions. Please click here for more information, including exemptions such as medical and diaper bags.

No animals or assistance animals are permitted, except for service dogs specifically to trained to assist a person with a disability.

Please refer to Transportation and Safety for the full list of prohibited items.

Parking
GPS has no control over parking. Parking will be available on campus at no charge on Friday, June 14, Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16.

It is recommended for guests and students to park in Hopkins Parking Structure and Pangea Parking Structure. 

Only those who are living with a disability and/or other ADA accommodations are allowed to park in Hopkins Parking Structure. Please see the "Students and Guests with Disabilities" section below for more detailed information.

Guests are welcome to park in other locations, but please be advised that some lots will be partially closed. Pangea Parking Structure will be open but parts of Levels 4 and 5 parking will be partially closed for move out and drop off only.

For those who wish to take a rideshare to campus, drivers will be directed to Spanos Facilities Loop and be dropped off there. Guests will be required to go through security in Lot P357 and proceed west on the main pathway to LionTree Arena.

Please refer to Transportation Guide for Commencement and Commencement and Move Out Road, Parking and Transit Impactsfor more information.

Given that you may have to park across campus, we recommend that you all make the necessary adjustments to arrive accordingly.

Please visit Commencement Transportation and Security for more information.

While UC San Diego currently does not have specific COVID requirements, the health and safety of guests and graduates is our top priority. To ensure a safe experience for all, please consider the following recommendations:

Participants are vaccinated or have had a negative COVID-19 test result within 24 hours prior to the ceremony. Masking is optional. We encourage anyone who feels more comfortable continuing to wear a mask to do so. If one is experiencing cold or flu like symptoms, it is recommended to either refrain from attending the ceremony or to wear a mask. We encourage these safety measures to ensure our students and the attendees are all safe during and after this event.

UC San Diego has several websites for visitor information on directions, hotels and more. We recommend making hotel reservations early if you are planning to stay in the La Jolla/UTC area. Undergraduate commencements are the same weekend and hotels near campus may fill up quickly.

Livestream
Graduates and guests who are unable to join in person will be able watch the ceremony by livestream broadcast., The live stream channel will be available here as well as on the campus Commencement website.

The livestream recording is generally uploaded to Vimeo by UC San Diego in early July. We will contact graduates with the link when it becomes available.

Graduation Merchandise and Flowers
Graduation merchandise may be purchased through the UC San Diego bookstore and tents located throughout Ridge Walk and in front of the RIMAC gym.

Leis and bouquets will be sold at commencement. Students and guests are encouraged to preorder for pickup before the ceremony so they can wear their leis onstage and in pictures. 

Preorder at The Commencement Group.

Reception
GPS would host a post-ceremony reception right after in the RIMAC Auxiliary Gym. Light refreshments will be made available for guests.

Commencement Photos

Guests are asked to refrain from approaching the stage during the commencement ceremony. Professional photographers will be at commencement to take your photos throughout the ceremony. Photos will be available online for purchase after the ceremony.


Parking
Guests requiring accessibility and ADA parking are allowed to park at Hopkins Parking Structure. It is highly recommended that those who have a disability placard for parking bring it with them for quicker verification.

Access to Hopkins Structure will not be available via North Point Drive. For the ONLY access, take Campus Point Drive to Voigt Drive and head northwest. Hopkins Parking Structure will be on the northwest corner of Voigt Drive and Hopkins Drive.

We highly recommend guests take the elevator to the top floor of Hopkins Parking Structure and cross the small bridge to get to GPS and RIMAC Arena.

Hearing Impaired
Closed captioning will be made available on screen during the commencement ceremony.

Wheelchair/Medical Rentals
Should any of your visitors require a wheelchair, please contact GPS Student Affairs by May 17. For all other medical rentals, it is recommended to contact Eric's Medical Supply, Inc. at (619) 298-9640. You must contact them in advance for Commencement.

Additional Accommodations
If you or your guests have visual or physical restrictions that will make it difficult to use stairs or be in a wheelchair and see from afar, please contact Jerry Pang. We will try to assist you to the best of our abilities.