Speakers at the commencement ceremony for the School of Engineering and Applied Science Friday suggested the new graduates use their degree to make changes in the world and become leaders.
After David Dolling, the dean of SEAS, had everyone in the Smith Center applaud the parents, spouses and guests of the graduates for supporting the students on their journey to graduation, selected students were presented with awards before other speakers shared their stories from their time as SEAS students.
1. Never be tempted by shortcuts.
Dolling said the engineering school aims to provide students with an in-depth education of the technical components of the sciences, but students should also consider the big picture of the topics and have a broad view of their surroundings. He told them they should never stop learning and make ethical decisions in their personal and professional lives.
“Your reputation and your credibility are your most valuable yet your most fragile assets,” Dolling said. “Both are earned over time, yet both can be destroyed overnight. Never be tempted by shortcuts.”
2. Step outside your comfort zone.
Student speaker Eric Prokop, who studied civil and environmental engineering and received three awards for his academic achievements, said he was most impressed by his classmates’ unwillingness to stay in their comfort zones or conform to the engineering and computer scientist stereotypes.
“It’s the remarkable diversity of interests and talents and personality that the student body possesses that left the greatest impact on me,” he said.
3. Give a little extra.
Kristy McDonnell Ortiz, a double SEAS alumna and vice president and managing director for Pace Global, an energy consulting and management firm, said that although she went to Harvard after GW, her “heart has always been with GW and SEAS.”
She encouraged students to take advantage of the analytical thinking skills they developed in SEAS and use them to both find opportunities to make a difference in the world and to challenge themselves. She recited a quote that hung on the wall of her first manager’s office as advice for the graduates.
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra,” Ortiz said. “Give a little extra.”
4. Be a leader.
Ortiz instructed the new graduates to always be on the lookout for professional opportunities and take them.
“Today, you should celebrate,” she said. “Tomorrow, be an engineer. Solve the challenges. Be a leader.”
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