Commencement 2024
Tandon's Commencement Ceremony was a fitting celebration of academic prowess and perseverance
NYU Tandon honored the class of 2024 with a ceremony at Barclays Center on May 16.
Doing the math
- Total number of graduates in the Class of 2024: 2,718
- How many were undergrads: 729
- How many received master’s degrees: 1,900
- Newly minted Ph.D.s: 89
- Guest tickets distributed: 8,738
- How many volunteers does it take to pull off a celebration this big: 107
- How long does it take to read that many names: 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Output from the Barclays confetti cannons: A lot!
- Decibels of the cheers: Loud!
- Levels of excitement and joy: Incalculable!
Highlights
Speakers
Dean Jelena Kovačević
"Engineering is a team sport. As engineers, we are all problem solvers, and while you can solve some problems alone, you have a better chance at solving them together, especially with a diversity of perspectives. ... I can only imagine how bright a future you will have, and how bright a future all of us will have because you are making it. You are at the forefront of building a more livable and sustainable world, just as the generations who have come through here before you have done. ... My hope for you is that you all remain acutely aware that we’re part of one shared humanity, and I know that you will put your Tandon education to work on making this world a better place.”
Valedictorian Zihan (Dorothy) Zhang
"I am who I am today, despite nothing going the way I envisioned, despite being repeatedly pushed way out of my comfort zone, and despite dealing with change after change after change, when I foolishly expected predictability. And yet, I am who I am today, because nothing went the way I envisioned, which allowed me to find a passion and a community that I never could’ve predicted. I am who I am today because I ventured far outside my comfort zone, and came back more open-minded and inspired every time. I am who I am today because I was faced with change after change after change, which provided me with incredible and unforeseeable opportunities that would’ve left 18-year-old me in absolute shock.”
Commencement Speaker Dede Bartlett
“Grit, determination, strength, resilience ... these are the things you learn from this place outside the classroom. ... Now what are you going to do with it? The answer is both simple and profound and can be expressed in three words: learn, earn, and return. The last is very important because it’s in giving back that you’ll realize the passion and purpose of your lives.”
“They called people my parents’ age the ‘Greatest Generation, but I think the Class of 2024 is the new Greatest Generation. ... You can make a difference and you will make a difference!”
Polytechnic Alumni Association President Robert V. Jones
“We are at an interesting time. Now more than ever, our world needs you! Your imagination, creativity, determination, curiosity, and critical thinking are crucial to this moment and what is to come! Apply them to all those sectors you know are so important to the world, like sustainability, cybersecurity, health, AI and data science — all luckily areas of excellence at Tandon. Above all, it is your compassion for humanity that is needed most! Incorporate compassion for humanity in all that you do in service to others. Strive to make the world a better place!”
NYU Tandon Board Chair Chandrika Tandon
“You’ve gotten advice from faculty, friends, Google ... more advice than you probably know what to do with. But I’ll give you just two more pieces of advice. Be relevant and be resilient. ... Things won’t always go your way, and the journey can be hard. But imagine a world full of possibilities; a world where climate change is solved. Where there is justice, peace, and harmony. Now go and make it happen.”
Photos
