The Volgenau School of Engineering's Degree Celebration is 2 p.m. Thursday, May 17 at EagleBank Arena.
Mason Engineering Senior Associate Dean Stephen Nash says Mason Engineering graduates will pursue many different paths.
Thursday is the Volgenau School’s annual Degree Celebration. For the students who participate it marks a transition in their lives.
Some aspects of that transition will seem clear. Perhaps they may be starting a new job or a new career. They may be going on to graduate school. They may be starting a company. They may be embarking on some adventure in a foreign country.
In other ways, these transitions will be harder to predict. Take a look at the alumni featured here to see some amazing stories. For example, Anousheh Ansari, BS Electrical Engineering '89, went on to become the first Iranian in space, the first self-funded woman to fly to the International Space Station. Did anyone imagine this when she graduated from Mason?
Or consider Brian Blake, PhD Information Technology '01, who is now the executive vice president for academic affairs and Nina Henderson Provost at Drexel University. Blake is an ACM distinguished scientist and a senior member of the IEEE.
Many of our graduates will remain in this area. The job opportunities here are good. Family ties will also play a role. Because of this it is likely that we will encounter many of our graduates in the years ahead.
They may return to take courses or get another degree. They may come back to campus for a performance. Their children may attend Mason. They may hire our graduates. They may send their staff to Mason as students. They may collaborate with our faculty on research projects. They may become active in the alumni association. They may teach for us. They may serve on advisory boards. It isn’t hard to find examples of all of these.
I’ll be busy on Thursday reading the names of our graduates as they cross the stage. But if you are there and you have a chance, try to imagine what is in store for our graduates. It may not be what you expect.