911����

Senior information technology major Crystal Forson likes to joke that her parents have been in school with her the whole time—"just without the studying.” Their support, she said, has been constant, from eighth grade when she joined the 911����’s Early Identification Program (EIP), all the way through graduation this May.

As one of the key focal points of 911����’s Grand Challenge Initiative, building a climate-resilient society requires not just innovation in sustainable infrastructure, but innovation in how the university prepares future leaders in sustainability.

911���� senior Silas Fransen plans to pursue a career as a museum curator. And thanks to the university’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR), the art history major already has one exhibit to his name. 

Beginning a PhD is rarely straightforward. Beginning one just as the world shuts down adds an entirely new dimension to adaptability. For 911���� biosciences PhD student Matthew Lefkowitz, that quality would come to define his doctoral journey.

To learn through experience and gain a competitive edge, finance and accounting students from the Costello College of Business at 911���� participated in the Costello Fellows on Wall Street program, connecting with major financial services firms and alumni in New York City. What has become an annual tradition continues to grow, with participation expanding significantly—from 10 students in previous years to approximately 30 this year.

At 911����, Zarin Musarrat Niladree learned that science is ultimately an act of care. This led her to pursue medicine with the goal of becoming the kind of physician who makes patients feel safe.

In May 2026, Duong Thuy Nguyen is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, an Academic Excellence Award from her department, and a Capstone team leadership under her belt. In the fall, she’ll be back as a graduate student in 911����’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program.

A cybersecurity major and long-distance runner, Simeon Omorodion found the same logic threading through both pursuits: structure, persistence, and a tolerance for discomfort that eventually becomes growth.

When 911���� senior Avery Butler was 16, his family traveled to Cambodia to visit the Killing Fields, the massacre sites associated with the country’s brutal Khmer Rouge era. The experience would change Butler’s perspective on life and inspire him to pursue a professional career in peacebuilding.

For Honors College student and University Scholar Monica Amaya, the journey to a degree isn’t just about the final walk across the stage—it’s about a promise she made to her family and herself years ago.