Entrepreneur, author and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang will serve as keynote speaker at the 2026 UCLA Extension Certificate Graduation Ceremony on June 15.

Yang rose to national prominence during his campaign for president in 2020, helping take ideas like universal basic income (UBI) mainstream. Since then, he has become a best-selling author of multiple books including “The War on Normal People” and “Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy.” His latest book, “Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks? And Other True Stories of Staggering Depth” was released in February.

“We are delighted to have Andrew Yang as keynote speaker for this year’s UCLA Extension graduation ceremony,” said Eric Bullard, dean of the Division of Continuing Education and UCLA Extension. “We hope hearing Andrew’s personal story and learning more about his entrepreneurial spirit will inspire our students as they prepare to embark on new professional journeys.”

Yang graduated with a degree in economics and political science from Brown University and earned his law degree from Columbia Law School. He worked briefly as a corporate lawyer.

His next major venture was working in education as CEO of the test preparation company Manhattan Prep, which was acquired by Kaplan, Inc. in 2009. He then founded Venture for America, which trained entrepreneurial fellows across cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. This garnered the attention of President Barack Obama, who named Yang as a Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship.

After the 2020 election, Yang founded the Humanity Forward Foundation, which worked to test the UBI concepts in the New York. He currently serves as the founder and CEO of Noble Mobile, a cellular phone service carrier that rewards users with cash back when they limit their data usage.

“My own background in education and the core principles I ran on as a candidate sought to upend the status quo and find new, unique and nimble ways for Americans to forge ahead,” Yang said. “I can see those same ideals at UCLA Extension, an institution that is meeting professionals where they are in a constantly evolving marketplace. The ability to upgrade and reinvent is really part of the American Dream, and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with UCLA Extension graduates as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.”

More than 2,000 UCLA Extension students are eligible to participate in the 2026 certificate graduation ceremony, with thousands more friends and family expected to attend. The ceremony will take place at Pauley Pavilion, on the UCLA campus, June 15 at 2 p.m. The ceremony is a ticketed event and will be broadcast live through UCLA Extension’s YouTube Channel. For more information, visit the 2026 Certificate Graduation Ceremony Webpage.