#Roommates, 2020 may be a rollercoaster year filled with an abundance of unfortunate news—but there is a definite bright spot and it involves Princeton University. It has just been announced, that for the very first time in the history of the Ivy League institution, a black valedictorian has been named at Princeton.
@CNN reports, Nicholas Johnson, a Canadian student majoring in operations research and financial engineering, has officially been named the first black valedictorian in the 274-year history of Princeton University. The university made the historical announcement via a press release and Johnson couldn’t contain his excitement at the honor.
On social media, Johnson wrote the following about being at the top of Princeton’s 2020 graduates:
“It feels empowering. Being Princeton’s first Black Valedictorian holds special significance to me particularly given Princeton’s historical ties to the institution of slavery. I hope that this achievement motivates and inspires younger black students, particularly those interested in STEM fields.”
As a member of the Princeton chapter of Engineers Without Borders, Johnson worked as a software engineer in machine learning at Google’s headquarters at California. Meanwhile, this summer he plans to intern as a hybrid quantitative researcher and software developer at the D.E. Shaw Group—which is a global investment and technology development firm. Additionally, this fall Johnson is set to begin his PhD studies in operations research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT.)
Johnson did note that while he is incredibly excited about being valedictorian, he is “disappointed” that his graduation ceremony has to take place virtually due to the coronavirus outbreak. “I have been comforted to see how well my friends and classmates have adapted to these challenging times and have ensured that Princeton’s strong community persists virtually despite our physical separation from one another,” he said.
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