LA JOLLA – Annie Chen, 23, again swept perspiration from beneath her tasseled cap. Every member of her family wanted to pose with her for a separate picture, and she could barely balance several bouquets cradled in her arms.

But smile she did, again and again, despite the growing heat during Muir College commencement ceremonies at the University of California San Diego Saturday.

UCSD graduates by the numbers The University of California San Diego is issuing 6,140 degrees over several weeks. The degrees: 4,947: bachelor's degrees 714: master's degrees 321: doctoral degrees 126: doctor of medicine degrees 32: doctor of pharmacy degrees Source: UCSD

Chen said she was thinking of the exciting life that lies before her.

“I'm going into the Peace Corps, headed for Eastern Europe – probably Czeckoslovakia,” said Chen, who earned a bachelor's in International Studies.

“I had a lot of job offers, but I decided now that I have my degree, this is the best way to serve my community. It's better than going into a job just to make money,” she said. “And with my education, I'm told that I will go to work some way helping financial systems.”

Chen was one of about 900 students participating in the Muir graduation at the university's La Jolla campus. Throughout the day, 1,600 more students participated in three separate ceremonies for the International Relations/Pacific Studies Graduate School, Thurgood Marshall College and Sixth College.

Thousands of family members and friends came to celebrate, many videotaping the experience.

The departing students – often referring to themselves as the “Millenial Generation” – said emotional farewells to all-night cram sessions and parties and days riding 10-foot surf. Many friends and faculty members now will become part of lifetime memories.

Like Chen, a lot of graduates have their careers mapped. Biology graduate Krishna Nemani, 21, plans to attend Ross University School of Medicine in the Caribbean to become a neurosurgeon. Economics grad “P.J.” Patrick McGranahan, 22, wants to open a pizza restaurant in Hawaii.

And Mike Hou, 21, thinks he may have set a record by getting five undergraduate degrees in just three years: anthropology, clinical psychology, international studies, Chinese studies and political science. With all that, he said, “I'm going to law school. I want to practice law and operate in a lot of different fields.”

At Saturday's ceremonies, the campus' Rimac field was filled with balloons and colorfully decorated mortarboards. One sported glittered letters spelling “Kelsey,” while another carried a cartoon penguin.

But amid the festivities, many graduates were somber, worrying about finding work in a depressed economy.

“I'm looking for jobs right now, but it's tough,” said management science graduate Crystal Chung, 22, whose UCSD courses included studies in Washington, D.C., and Japan.

Graduates acknowledged that as they start their new lives they are wiser, somewhat different people than when they started classes four or five years ago.

“I'm much more outgoing,” said Benjamin Mazal, 21, who has begun work for an oil company.

“I learned to live on my own,” said Anita Behnam, 23, who plans on becoming a pharmaceutical sales representative.

UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox quoted Nelson Mandela, telling the crowd “education is the most powerful weapon. You can use it to change the world.”

She added, “You will be the people who are expected to lead this country.”

Over the past four weeks, about 6,140 students were graduated from UCSD, including 126 who received medical degrees and 32 who graduated from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

On Sunday, four other commencement ceremonies are planned for the 1,120 graduates of Warren College, 896 master's and doctoral degree students of the Office of Graduate Studies, 700 undergraduates from the Eleanor Roosevelt College and 776 graduates of Revelle College.

On Monday, ceremonies will be held for 57 members of the Rady School of Management's MBA class.

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