Celebrating the Class of 2023

On Monday, May 15, the Columbia Engineering Class of 2023 gathered on the South Lawn of Columbia’s campus to celebrate Class Day.

Keynote speaker Nina Tandon, who obtained her PhD from Columbia in 2009 before going on to become CEO and co-founder of the biotech company EpiBone, addressed more than 2,000 students in the audience. 

Dean Shih-Fu Chang reminded students that they were now ambassadors for Columbia Engineering and its vision of “engineering for humanity.”

“Whatever your chosen areas of interest and paths, you are all now ambassadors for Columbia Engineering–you will show the world the unique spirit of a Columbia Engineer! This spirit is creative, persevering, analytical, curious, empathetic, and deeply ethical. It brings a problem-solving approach to the challenges and opportunities of our time. It is also deeply optimistic–the challenges of our day can seem overwhelming. From climate and health, to disinformation and poverty–it is easy to become dejected. But as 21st Century Engineers, you are prepared to bring your technical expertise and broad learning to these issues. To develop solutions that look at all facets of a problem, and importantly, to think about the people and communities that will be affected by the solution. We call this the human-centric approach. This is the great benefit we can offer to the world, and to our communities.”

Students were also addressed by Columbia University President Lee C.Bollinger, Senior Class President Kennedy Ariana Salamat, Valedictorian Ethan Wu, and graduate student speaker Camille-Louise “Cam”  Kouba Mbayo. Several students and faculty members also received awards in recognition of their service and achievement. 

On Wednesday, May 17, students will gather for the University Commencement ceremony with President Bollinger. Yi Zhang, associate in the discipline of industrial engineering and operations research, will receive the Presidential Teaching Award and alumnus Alexander A. Ned BS’87, MS’90 will receive the Columbia Alumni Medal. 

Highlights from the ceremonies

Meet the Class Day Speaker