Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, has been invited to speak at the PHS graduation on June 9.
The administration contacted Keltner, who served as a scientific consultant for Pete Docter’s movie, “Inside Out”, in May about the unprecedented opportunity.
“There was this opportunity for Dr. Keltner to potentially speak to our seniors and I felt it was appropriate in that our seniors now are moving to a journey of independence, where they are going to be more on their own and grappling with emotions,” principal Brent Daniels said. “It could be a gift for seniors to hear someone who’s a researcher in this area, in a way to graduate with a message that can help them after Piedmont.”
Keltner is the Faculty Director at the Greater Good Science Center based in UC Berkeley, and worked with Pixar during the development of “Inside Out” to enlighten the producers about the science behind the emotions portrayed in the film.
Keltner’s topic of research, the pursuit of happiness, and his connection to Pete Docter, a Piedmont resident, made him the perfect choice for a graduation speaker, Daniels said.
“The film talked about a lot about different emotions that we all have and how life is full of ups and downs and different experiences,” Daniels said.
Keltner said that he hopes to speak about how to find a core purpose in life through passions and emotions.
“My research is about finding core passions that help the individual make a contribution to the world and handling the stresses of big transitions, both important themes for high school students moving on,” Keltner said in an email.
Daniels said that this is the first year that the PHS graduation will include an outside speaker. Prior to this year, the only other speaker, in addition to the senior speakers, was a faculty member.
“It’s not something that I intend to do annually, but it’s nice to have that option and to have things come together as they did this year,” Daniels said.
