Mateen Zafaranian ’25 gave the class gift speech, which was a donation of $110,227.50 to the Endowed Alumni Scholarship Fund supporting the education of future Berkeley students.
In his speech, Zafaranian stressed that no matter what the future holds for our graduates, they will always be Berkeley Buccaneers. He also suggested that the Class of 2025 use the skills and lessons they have learned at Berkeley to leave a legacy “of giving back and paying (it) forward.”
During his time at Berkeley, Zafaranian participated in various clubs and activities, including the Debate Team, Student Forum and the Honor Council.
In particular, being a member of Berkeley’s nationally-lauded Debate Team influenced him when writing this speech because of the superiority of Berkeley’s program when compared to other schools.
Zafaranian acknowledged that “not many schools have a policy debate program due to lack of funds.” In fact, this is what drove him to realize the importance of the Endowed Alumni Scholarship, since Berkeley tuition can be hard for families to afford. Regardless of their wealth, all students deserve the opportunity to have access to Berkeley’s facilities, which, in Zafaranian’s own words, are “truly second to none.”
Zafaranian also reflected on the challenges he faced and the friendships he forged at Berkeley that helped him craft his speech.
“When I think about all the great times I’ve had with my friends playing basketball in the Straz, traveling around the country for debate tournaments and laughing over lunch in the cafe, I’ve realized that all of these Berkeley memories have made me who I am.”
He wanted to convey his realization that Berkeley offers its students “much more than just knowledge.”
Zafaranian will head off to Harvard University in the fall, with the hope and assurance that the strong sense of community he experienced at Berkeley and the transformative journey that he undertook here will guide him in the years to come.
You can read the full interview here.
You can read the full speech here.
