Nicholas Johnson will be Princeton’s first black valedictorian in the 274-year history of the school.
Nicholas Johnson, 22, was told in late April that he will be the first black student to give the university's closing farewell statement in a virtual commencement on May 31, according to school officials.
“Being Princeton’s first black valedictorian is very empowering, especially given its historical ties to the institution of slavery,” Johnson said toJohnson felt the Ivy League university had"very much been a leader amongst its peer institutions" and"very critical and cognizant about its ties to slavery," the Times reported.
During the summer, Johnson plans to attend a Ph.D. program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he will complete his thesis developing algorithms to help health initiatives focusing on reducing obesity in his home county in Canada, according to the school’s statement. In addition to studying operations research and financial engineering, Johnson is also pursuing certificates in statistics and machine learning, applied and computational mathematics, and applications of computing, school officials said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Princeton names its first black valedictorian in the university's historyPrinceton University has named its first black valedictorian in the school's 274-year history -- Nicholas Johnson, a Canadian student majoring in operations research and financial engineering.
Read more »
Princeton University announces 1st black valedictorian in 274-year historyNicholas Johnson is this year’s Princeton University valedictorian and he’s also making history at the same time. Johnson told ABC News that he was “really surprised” to learn about the achievement, which he first discovered while being interviewed for a podcast for the university based in Princeton
Read more »
Princeton University announces 1st black valedictorian in 274-year historyNicholas Johnson, a 22-year-old Canada native, hopes that his achievements 'can serve as an inspiration and motivation for black students.'
Read more »
Tyler Mitchell, Photographer Behind Beyonce's Vogue Cover, Signs With UTAThe 25 year-old Brooklyn-based artist made history as the first black photographer to shoot a cover of American Vogue.
Read more »
Meet Magnolia Earl: the First Adopted “Spokesbaby” in Gerber’s HistoryRead about this year’s Gerber Baby, Magnolia, who turned one over the weekend and is the first adopted “spokesbaby” for the company in it’s almost 100-year history.
Read more »