Advertisements
Advertisements

Killingworth Student Graduates from WPI

Merit Pages News

(May 28, 2025) — Katherine Byrum of Killingworth graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Industrial Engineering at commencement ceremonies held on May 16, 2025. WPI President Grace Wang told members of the Class of 2025 they are entering a changing world filled with competing visions for how to solve challenges and advance society. But, she said, along with knowledge and technical competence in their chosen fields of study, WPI graduates have been equipped with the ability to think critically, to be resilient, to work in teams, and to do it all with a sense of ethics and global responsibility.

“Outside these walls today is a world that needs you,” Wang said. “Not just because of what you have learned to do in your chosen field, but because of who you are, and also because of the leadership qualities you built at WPI.”

Delivering the undergraduate commencement address, Michelle Gass (Class of 1990), the president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co., reflected on her journey from student to global business leader. Gass said she’s often asked how a chemical engineering graduate from WPI became CEO of one of the most iconic apparel companies in the world. The answer, she told the graduates, lies in a handful of guiding principles she started refining in her years on the WPI campus.

“I’ve realized that to the extent I’ve been successful and able to engineer the kind of life I wanted for myself and my family, it’s largely because I learned how to approach problems and moments intentionally and productively, while keeping real people in mind at all times,” Gass said.

Gass and Mark Fuller, chair and treasurer of the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, a significant supporter of WPI, received honorary degrees as part of the ceremony.

Student speaker Dhespina Zhidro, a biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering double major, reminded fellow graduates about the community they formed for themselves, shaped by a collective experience that included struggle, doubt and, ultimately, achievement.

“WPI has given us more than an education,” Zhidro said. “It has given us a blueprint for how to live, how to lead, create meaningful change, and leave every place we enter better than we found it.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Hot this week

HVFC Responds to Fiery Crash That Closed Route 9

By Olivia Drake, HVFC Public Information Officer (March 24, 2024)...

Memorial Service Announced for Haddam Man Found in Cockaponset State Forest

By Edith Pawlicki (October 14, 2024) --- A celebration of...

Letter to the Editor: In Opposition to Sale of the Rossi Property

The views stated here are those of the authors...

Nathaniel B. Field Memorial Foundation Wins Grant from Eversource

Submitted by Marie and Howie Field (March 30, 2024) ---...

KCF Receives Grant to Fund College Scholarships for High School Seniors

Submitted by Kathleen Amoia (March 5, 2024) --- The Killingworth...

Programs and Events at Brainerd Memorial Library: July 2025

Submitted by Andrew Maloney, Executive Director, Brainerd Memorial Library (July...

Middlesex Chamber Seeks Nominees for Veterans Community Service Award

Submitted by Haley Stafford (July 7, 2025) --- The Middlesex...

Thomas Casey Joins Essex Savings Bank as Vice President

Submitted by Lucas Fumiatti, Essex Savings Bank (July 7, 2025)...

RiverCOG Hosts Household Hazardous Waste Collection July 19th

Submitted by Eliza LoPresti (July 7, 2025) --- The Lower...

Andrew Ferguson Completes Fire Service Class at Fire Academy

By Olivia Drake, HVFC Public Information Officer (July 7, 2025)...

A Notable Celebration for Haddam-Killingworth Mentoring Program

Submitted by Ray Galloway (July 6, 2025) ---- On May...
Advertisements

Related Articles

Advertisements
Advertisements
Advertisements