Nicholas Johnson, a Canadian student majoring in operations research and financial engineering, has been named valedictorian of Princeton’s Class of 2020, the university announced in a news release.
What We Know:
- “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,” Johnson told CNN via Facebook message.
- The graduating senior shared many of his favorite memories at school, such as spending time with close friends and classmates, of which they always had stimulating discussions. He would often describe them as “late night talks about our beliefs, culture, environments, the state of the world, and how they would contribute to the world”.
- He also thanked the University for encouraging him to explore his interests by supporting him with international internships and cultural immersion trips to Peru, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.
- Apart from being a member of the Princeton chapter of Engineers Without Borders, Johnson also worked as a software engineer in machine learning at Google’s California headquarters during his time at Princeton.
- This summer, Johnson will intern as a hybrid quantitative researcher and software developer at the D.E. Shaw Group, a global investment and technology development firm. In the fall, Johnson will begin his PhD. studies in operations research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Johnson stated it was definitely “disappointing” not being able to celebrate as a class together in person this year. However, he said he is thankful to the administration for its commitment “to hosting an in person commencement for my class in Spring 2021 to celebrate our achievements”.
