Princeton University has announced that it has named a black student as it’s valedictorian for the first time in the institution’s 274-year history.
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 statement.
The university will hold a virtual commencement for the Class of 2020 later this month, in which Johnson will participate. Meanwhile, an in-person ceremony is planned to take place in May 2021.
“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. “I hope that this achievement motivates and inspires younger black students, particularly those interested in STEM fields.”
On the circumstances surrounding this year’s celebrations, Johnson also told CNN it was “disappointing” that the Princeton class of 2020 could not celebrate in person until next year.
The student thanked Princeton for supporting his studies, and said that his favourite memories of studying were the debates he had amongst close friends.
“My favorite memories of my time at Princeton are memories of time spent with close friends and classmates engaging in stimulating discussions — often late at night — about our beliefs, the cultures and environments in which we were raised, the state of the world, and how we plan on contributing positively to it in our own unique way,” said Johnson in the statement.
He added that he appreciated how the university had encouraged him to develop his academic interests and for its support with international internships and cultural immersion trips to Peru, Hong Kong and the UK.
Johnson’s senior thesis focused on developing algorithms to design a community-based preventative health intervention to decrease obesity in Canada, said the statement.
He plans to spend the summer as an intern at software developer D. E. Shaw Group before starting Ph.D. studies in operations research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology later this year.
