Virtual Commencement ceremony honors Watson College’s Class of 2020
Dean urges graduates to shape the world as leaders
The Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science bid farewell to its largest-ever graduating class on Dec. 18 during a virtual Commencement ceremony.
The sendoff for Watson College’s Class of 2020 included 443 bachelor’s degrees and 412 master’s degrees. Fifty-nine Watson students received doctoral degrees during a University-wide ceremony held Dec. 13.
Watson College Dean Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari congratulated students on their accomplishments and urged them to shape the world as leaders in their disciplines.
“We share an awesome field,” he said. “Think about the changes and pace in technology over the past few decades. Think about the changes you have seen just in your lifetime. Imagine the changes that you will be leading in the future.
Srihari also imparted some final words of wisdom to Watson students as they begin their careers or continue to further education.
“Listen,” he said. “Be brave and inquisitive, but also respectful. Seek a mentor; be a mentor. You will have challenges and perhaps you will make missteps — learn from them. Each experience is valuable, with positives and negatives. Embrace diversity. Always keep learning — lifelong learning is a necessity in our domain. Stay engaged with Watson College and our campus. Enjoy the ride!”
Student speaker Emma Pawliczak, who received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, admitted she had a “gut feeling” about Binghamton when she first visited campus four years ago, and “following that feeling was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said.
Pawliczak — who returned to Binghamton this fall to pursue her master’s degree — discussed riding the peaks and valleys that every student experiences, and the importance of friends and colleagues to help us through the rough patches.
“The last four years have also shown me the need to be stubborn in the pursuit of my dreams,” she said. “Is your dream to work at NASA? Is it to be a professor? Is it to visit space? Take that first step: Fill out that application, register for that class or email that connection.”
Erika Solano Diaz, who earned her master’s degree in biomedical engineering, recalled her family’s dedication to hard work while raising her in her native Ecuador, and she expressed her gratitude to the Fulbright Foreign Student Program for making her U.S. studies possible.
She also praised the diversity found at Binghamton and Watson College, calling it “culturally dissimilar, perceptive minds with different barriers to overcome, reaching out to each other to achieve a common goal — one that brings truly innovative solutions.”