NJIT's Class of 2022 Urged to Seize the Opportunities Presented by Crises

Crisis presents opportunity, and given the pandemic, war in Ukraine, structural racism, climate change and questions around the world's supply of energy, food and water, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson called on the Class of 2022 at New Jersey Institute of Technology to take on such challenges with the goal of improving lives.

"The possibilities before you are very great. The needs of humanity also are very great. And we are counting on you to help us meet them," said Jackson, who has led RPI since 1999. "So, as you go about your lives and your careers, let ethics guide your ambition, not have your ambitions drive your ethics.

"Be wise when you can, be thoughtful always and you will change the world."

Jackson was among several speakers at NJIT's 2022 commencement who referenced the pandemic and its profound impact on a class that first faced it during the spring semester of sophomore year. Since then, testing for COVID-19, vaccinating against it and wearing masks for protection have become de rigueur. Still, the students persevered.

"You dealt with all of the challenges of the COVID pandemic ­- personal; family illness; worse, family loss; financial hardship; physical isolation; never ending uncertainty; different learning modalities and so much more," NJIT President Joel S. Bloom said. "But as you sit here today, you know from this experience, you can manage any challenge, any obstacle. You are stronger for the very unfortunate circumstances of the pandemic."

A record 3,123 students earned bachelor's and graduate degrees at the university's 106th commencement, held at Prudential Center in Newark. Family, friends, faculty and administrators saluted the graduates during a ceremony that included performances by the Newark Boys Chorus, the awarding of three honorary degrees, video congratulations from U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and awards for top marks and exemplary doctoral work.

Twenty-two students earned the President's Medal for Academic Excellence, which honors those with perfect 4.0 GPAs and was presented by Provost Fadi P. Deek. Shihab Bin Hafiz, who earned a doctor of philosophy in electrical and electronics engineering, received the Hashimoto Prize for doctoral distinction in electrical engineering.

Student speaker Anuja Badeti thanked her parents, siblings, professors and President Bloom for their dedication, guidance and inspiration. Badeti found a career path by majoring in computer science and then a larger purpose in the Student Senate, where she filled a vacancy as a junior and rose to president.

"I remember falling in love with the people, the role and the impact that I was having on students," said Badeti, an Albert Dorman Honors College Scholar. "Now as president, I can honestly say that I have found my purpose in both leadership and philanthropy."

Her advice to the class? Say, "Yes," to opportunities, even if they prove fruitless. She didn't excel at basketball or the debate club, for example. Yet, those experiences helped her discover who she is today.

Receiving honorary doctorates of science were Jackson, a STEM trailblazer who also served the public sector as co-chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board and chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and two alumni: Stephen DePalma '72, the former CEO of engineering firm Schoor DePalma who served on NJIT's Board of Trustees for 17 years, the last seven as chair, and Paul Sarlo '92 '95, the deputy majority leader of the New Jersey Senate, mayor of Wood-Ridge and chief operating officer at Joseph M. Sanzari Inc.

Booker, whose Senate district includes NJIT's home city of Newark, congratulated the graduates for "all of your grit and your guts, your hard work, late nights, early mornings ­- you have persevered and overcome and made it to this day."

The ceremony, which followed stage-walking convocations on campus last week, was the last for Bloom, NJIT's leader since 2011. Come July 1, he'll shift to president emeritus as Teik C. Lim becomes the ninth president in the university's 141-year history.

Afterward, graduates rejoiced at reaching the finish line, crediting professors, Career Development Services, classmates and student clubs for helping them realize their goals.

"This was a wonderful experience," said Christopher Testa, of Union, N.J., who earned a bachelor's in civil engineering and will return in the fall to pursue a master's. "It's the culmination of several years of hard work, effort, dedication and motivation."

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