“AMPS believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and will always hold a special place in my heart,” Vincent Longmire, a graduating senior of Berkeley High School’s Academy of Medicine and Public Service (AMPS), said.
Focused on public health, service, and community, AMPS prepares students for more than just academics, prioritizing mentorship and real-world experience through career technical classes and internships in spaces like hospitals, kitchens, and food banks.
The AMPS Class of 2026 graduation ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Oxford Elementary School, opening with an encouraging speech by AMPS teacher Karl Kaku. “The power to chase your dreams lies within you,” Kaku told the graduates.
This year’s AMPS graduating class will continue on a variety of paths, with students attending universities, trade schools, community colleges, and other independent paths.
AMPS seniors Lucia Aguilar Martinez and Lincoln Seid each delivered opening student orations.
Seid delivered an energetic speech about how he gradually found his place at AMPS and recognized AMPS teachers and staff for their lasting support and encouragement on issues inside and outside of the classroom. “I couldn’t imagine myself without AMPS,” Seid said in his speech.
Aguilar Martinez shared a sentimental reflection of her experience at AMPS as a first-generation student. “Community and support are the things I needed most,” she said, explaining that AMPS generously provided both. She also discussed how EMT and fire science courses opened her to potential career paths.
BHS senior Brooks Trotmore gave the closing student oration, speaking truthfully of the difficulties of high school and appreciated how AMPS made the experience inspiring and more manageable. “The teachers are the program,” Trotmore said.
AMPS teacher lead John Tobias delivered the closing commencement speech, reflecting on memories with graduates and expressed pride in students’ work.
Students will lead their futures with more than academic skills and will carry forward AMPS’ ethos of partnership, perseverance, and community welfare as they enter the next stages of their lives.