Congratulations, 2020 CSE Graduates

Notes of congratulations

"Congratulations on graduation from the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. This is an amazing accomplishment. You are in the select few who have achieved this milestone. You are well positioned to launch your career and accomplish your dreams. As a member of our CSE Alumni Board, I look forward to meeting you at some of our upcoming alumni events. This is a great opportunity to stay connected with the University and fellow alumni."
         -Mary Kurth (Physics '72, Accounting '74, M.B.A. '76)

"Congrats grads. Have a PLAN - Call it PLAN A - Then have a PLAN B (just in case)."
         -David Stark (Geo-Engineering '78)

"You did it! Congratulations!"
         -Amy Anderson (Computer Science '87, Journalism '87)

"Congratulations to you all! Shout out on finishing strong through these uncertain times. Remember that you all are walking out as better scientists and engineers. The world needs you all and I know you all will do great things. Wish you all the best."
         -Sylvester Nwosuji (Biomedical Engineering graduate student)

"It has been 40 years since receiving my degree from the University of Minnesota. My life was enabled by the many wonderful experiences and relationships I formed at the U of M. I wish you the creativity, persistence, joy and life success that the U of M helped me find. Stay close to the U and pass it on! Congratulations to each of you on this next adventure."
        -Padraic McGuire (Mechanical Engineering ’81)

"Congratulations class of 2020. There are many challenges facing the world. Find your passion for contributing to a sustainable future through your career and life as a citizen. Be patient and kind to yourself and others."
         -Jane Wissinger (Chemistry professor)

"Great job 2020 CSE graduates! Graduating from UMN CSE is a major accomplishment that will pay off for years. You have all done a ton of hard work over the years. Make sure to sit back and appreciate your success. Congratulations!"
         -Eric Snustad (Aerospace Engineering '94)

"Congratulations on your achievement! Having conquered this in such an uncertain time is a sure sign of your determination and future accomplishments to come. Best of luck to you in your very bright futures!"
         -Alyssa Sandholm (Biomedical Engineering '14)

"I know you are all nervous about the current environment. I experienced the same 50 years ago absent the threat of a pandemic. But you've made it this far and whether you choose to continue your education or start your career, you've been given the tools to be successful. Congratulations and best wishes."
         -Mark Mixell (Aeronautical Engineering '70)

"Congratulations on attaining this milestone which is also a wonderful springboard for progress through your ensuing life!"
         -Richard Haney (Electrical Engineering ’60)

"Congratulations on succeeding in these extraordinary circumstances! Best of luck and make the world a better place!"
         -Vuk Mandic (School of Physics and Astronomy professor)

Congratulations to all of our CSE graduates this year, but I would like to give a special shout-out to those in physics and astrophysics. Thank you for all of your contributions to the life of the School of Physics and Astronomy. Good luck in your future endeavors!
         -Paul Crowell (Physics and Astronomy professor)

"Congratulations Class of 2020! You are joining an exclusive group of talented engineers and scientists who call the University of Minnesota their alma mater. Carry that badge with pride and let the world know of the amazing experience and education you received in the Land of 10,000. Congratulations! Ski-U-Mah!"
         -Ben Koch (Aerospace Engineering '04, Master's in Mechanical Engineering '10; CSE Collegiate Life)

"We all wish you joy in the new opportunities this graduation will open for you!"
         -Frank Kelso (Mechanical Engineering '78, Master's '87, Ph.D. '93; Mechanical Engineering professor)

"I am proud of you for completing your education!"
         -Paul Dauenhauer (Chemical Engineering Ph.D. '08; Chemical Engineering and Materials Science professor)

"Congratulations! You've come a long way, achieved a great deal, and now face challenges none of us could have expected."
         -Joseph Konstan (CSE Associate Dean; Computer Science and Engineering faculty)

"On behalf of the School of Mathematics, I wish to congratulate all CSE graduates, and wish you the very best in these challenging times. I am sure you will all rise to the challenge, and some of you may well contribute to solutions."
         -Peter Olver (School of Mathematics professor)

"You are an amazing class that will go on to do amazing things!"
         -Will Durfee (Mechanical Engineering professor)

"Take it from a geologist: YOU ROCK, Class of 2020!"
         -Donna Whitney (Earth and Environmental Sciences professor)

"We are so proud of you! May your future be bright and filled with great joy. We are honored that you were our students."
         -Shana Watters (Computer Science '06, Linguistics '07, Ph.D. Computer Science '10; Computer Science and Engineering faculty)

"Congratulations!"
         -Evan Skillman (Physics and Astronomy professor)

"You have faced challenges and you have succeeded. You are the future and I am proud of you!"
         -Joseph Kapusta (Physics and Astronomy professor)

"Congratulations Class of 2020! You have worked hard over the last several years and it has finally paid off! You are our future leaders. I wish you all the best of luck in your journey."
         -Karyn Schaar (Minnesota Geological Survey principal accounts staff)

"I am so incredibly proud of your accomplishments and know that you will leave the U and continue to make big contributions to the world. It has been a pleasure to work with you (my advisees) over the last four years and I can't wait to see what's next for each of you! I know this isn't how you expected your graduation to look, but you are poised to help create great change during this unique and challenging time. Your adaptability and resilience are impressive - use your talents, the world needs you!"
         -Claire Schmidt (Master's Organizational Leadership and Policy Development '14; CSE Academic Advisor)

"Congrats! Best of luck to you in the future!"
         -Jennifer Petrie (Earth Sciences student services staff)

"Congratulations Class of 2020. You should be proud of what you've accomplished and I look forward to you making the world a better place."
         -Perry Leo (Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics professor)

"Congratulations! Wishing you all an interesting, challenging, and rewarding future!"
         -Kimberly Kosto (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science associate professor)

"Congratulations on your achievement! Especially in these unusual times, you should take pride in your accomplishments and successes."
         -William Arnold (Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering professor)

"Congratulations on everything you've accomplished and on this most recent milestone in your academic career! While we can't celebrate in the traditional ways, my experience with the class of 2020 is that you always find a way. I trust that your inventiveness will make new traditions and I look forward to hearing how you've celebrated your graduation. Take that energy and creativity with you to the next stage in your life!"
         -Lana Yarosh (Computer Science and Engineering assistant professor)

"Congratulations graduates! Be proud, you've worked so hard!"
         -Josie Kahlenbeck (Computer Science and Engineering undergraduate advisor)

"Congratulations! I am so happy to welcome you to the CSE alumni community, and to celebrate and recognize all of your accomplishments and hard work getting to this point. You've all endured a final semester like no one before you, and you handled it with grace, perseverance, and ingenuity. Kudos! Those skills will serve you well in whatever comes next. There's no right or wrong path from here, only your unique path."
         -Joelle Larson (CSE Alumni Relations staff)

"Congratulations to all on your graduation! Chemical engineering and materials science graduate students, it especially has been a pleasure having you in our department, knowing you over the last 5+ years, and seeing your progress. Your hard work and dedication are amazing and have been rewarded. Wishing you all a future full of happiness and success!"
         -Julie Prince (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science student services staff)

"I would like to congratulate all TLI graduates in the class of 2020. I realize that managing graduate school, full-time work, and family life in the midst of a pandemic, was very challenging. However, this adds more value to your success as you juggled, completed your degree, and withstood everything during this extraordinarily difficult year. Congrats also to your families, parents, children, spouses, and your faculty who stayed behind you and helped you in this endeavor. It was good to know and work with all of you, and I hope you stay in touch. Congrats again."
         -Damian Damiani (Technology Leadership Institute student services staff)

"You did it! You finished a challenging degree! Congratulations! Along the way you made friends, gained some mentors, and found things you can be passionate about. Follow that passion and find a way to always do what you love."
         -Stephanie Stathopoulos (Business Education '94; Chemistry student services staff)

"I am incredibly proud to have borne witness to your growth from the first day you set foot on the University of Minnesota campus into the graduates you are today. This isn't the graduation you expected or deserve, but I have every confidence that you will persevere."
         -Kelsi Klaers (Master's of Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy '13; CSE Collegiate Life staff)

"The faculty are proud of all of you. Being an oSTEM advisor and a member of the CSE Diversity and Inclusivity Alliance has allowed me to see so much of your leadership and integrity that I'm all the more confident you will be great leaders in science and engineering. You will create the value of inclusion and raising talents from everyone among those you will lead and mentor!"
         -Alon McCormick (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science professor)

"Congratulations, you did it! Take some time to forget about your future plans and acknowledge all the hard work you completed to get this degree. There will be plenty of time to worry about what comes next; your job today is to live in the moment and celebrate with friends and family!"
         -Ben Guengerich (CSE Student Workshops staff)

"Congratulations to the class of 2020! You've all shown great perseverance, resilience, and creative problem-solving skills in the face of unprecedented adversity. You should be so proud of yourselves and your peers!"
         -Sarah Erickson (Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Deviance '12; Biomedical Engineering student services staff)

"Remember the wise words of the late great Mister Rogers: "'How great it is when we come to know that times of disappointment can be followed by joy; that guilt over falling short of our ideals can be replaced by pride in doing all that we can; and that anger can be channeled into creative achievements... and into dreams that we can make come true.'”
         -Megan Orr (CSE Alumni Relations staff)

"Many congratulations! Be proud of your accomplishment. We are!"
         -Shaul Hanany (Physics and Astronomy professor)

"Congratulations to the class of 2020! This isn't the celebration you will have imagined but the congratulations are heart-felt. Take care and best of luck!"
         -Eric Van Wyk (Computer Science and Engineering associate professor)

"Congratulations on your accomplishments thus far, and best wishes in your path forward!"
         -Ellen Longmire (CSE Associate Dean; Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics faculty)

"Thanks for the privilege of being part of your life's journey."
         -F. Favonia (Computer Science and Engineering assistant professor)

"Congratulations on a great achievement. Be proud of what you have done while at the U and don't let the circumstances diminish your achievement!"
         -Becca Dahlen (Mathematics '14)

"Class of 2020, I'm sorry to miss our favorite day of the year in Mariucci - your CSE Commencement. I've gotten to know so many of you and what an amazing group of STEM students you are. I will miss seeing you in the fall in Lind Hall and especially in the Starbuck's line and the Taylor Center. Please remember the good memories of this University and college! You did it! Congratulations graduate!"
         -Susan Kubitschek (Assistant Dean, CSE Student Services)

"Congratulations to the class of 2020 undergraduates and graduates! It has been my great pleasure to work with you as an instructor and more recently as department head. While graduation has not proceeded as you had expected, it can serve as an indication of how well equipped you are to go forward with your degree. The pandemic has given you an opportunity to learn new material on your own, to work in teams remotely, and to find solutions in situations where you have limited resources. I wish you continued success."
         -Sue Mantell (Mechanical Engineering professor)

"Congratulations CSE Class of 2020! Great job!! Best of luck in the next stage of your life!"
         -Lorraine Francis (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science professor)

"Stay strong. Stay healthy. Take advantage of this opportunity. Do not lose hope. Those with education and evidence-based knowledge will prevail. You have been prepared well by UMN! Go Gopher! Rah!!!!"
         -Susan Hobbs (Chemical Engineering '89)

"No one knew what the future held when I graduated. This still hasn't changed. But if you are graduating this year, you can know that the degree you earned should prepare you to change with change. Peace and Blessings."
         -Missy Gettel (Chemical Engineering '10)

"Congratulations Class of 2020! We are very proud of you! Flexibility, common sense, resourcefulness, perseverance, love, and kindness will get you a long way. . .enjoy every minute of it!"
         -Keith and Jane Johnson (Menahga, Minn.)

"Congrats, grads. Keep working hard, keep learning, stay focused, stay honest, and don't lose sight of the important things in life."
         -Amy Ngo (Chemical Engineering and Mathematics '180

"Dear Class of 2020:
I wish you the best in your future endeavors. I had the pleasure to meet a number of you across the college in the CSE Study Abroad course over three years (2017, 2018, and 2019) in  Design for Life: Water in Tanzania. I know that particular course has had a tremendous impact on all of us—truly making a difference. There are students from all three years who participated in the course who are graduating this year from CEGE, who I had the pleasure to work with in the senior Capstone Design Course this semester. All of you overcame great challenges in your team projects when we went to online instruction, and I am so impressed by your resilience and perseverance. The quality of your work did not suffer. For all CEGE and CSE students, I am disappointed that we cannot be together in person to celebrate your accomplishments. It was great to see the CEGE 2020 class for our online graduation—but it is not quite the same. I am excited to know that we have such a great group of inspiring young professionals beginning their career and going out into the world to continue to make a difference. With my sincerest regards,"
          -Cathy French (Civil Engineering professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies)

"Dear MCFAM Class of 2020,
It has been gratifying to see you all grow and develop in the process of studying in MCFAM's actuarial and fnancial mathematics programs. While we cannot be together physically to celebrate your accomplishments, we honor you as you move from students to alumni of the University of Minnesota. You transition into this important role with all the backing and admiration of your professors, advisors, employers and many new generations of students to come.  

You are graduating at a unique time in world history, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. You will be called upon to support the "new normal" in your careers. We can't think of a better group of people to take on the challenges we all face in the years to come.  You are ready and we know you will all have your own impact on making the world a better place!

With heartfelt esteem for the MCFAM Class of 2020, we wish you the very best!"
        -Your MCFAM Instructors, Advisors and Program Directors