Page 5 - Class of 2020
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making change. We are graduating with people with all different backgrounds, some coming from other colleges or previous professions. We’re graduating with people who have been all around the United States and the world. Between all of us, we’ve covered almost every continent. North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus- tralia...I’m not sure we’ve hit Antarctica yet, but I’m sure one of us will get there at some point. Our specific experiences make us knowledgeable and unique individuals.
The CEGE faculty is composed of amazing ndividuals, too, ultimate examples of how to care about the knowledge and the person – if you’ve been to any office hour, you know. The professors in this department have led us in lecture, as lab directors, and on study abroad trips. They have served as advisors, advocates, and mentors. People make our profession what it is as we work together to tackle the big challenges like sustainable development.
We have accomplished so much, yet we are just beginning. We are the ones who work to continually improve people’s quality of life. The ones that make sure that when a person turns the faucet, they get clean water. We are the ones that find and mine the minerals that allow us to have computers, phones, and lights, and we are the ones who continue to innovate renewable power for these devices. We are the ones who build bridges that span rivers, and roads that connect the country. We are the ones who make facilities that support the food supply and manage the environmental impacts of this country’s farmlands. We are the people who keep Minnesota a land of 10,000 clean lakes. As the future civil, environmental, and geo- engineers, we are the ones responsible for doing all this sustainably. It is not an easy challenge, but it is one that we must tackle; and one that, together, we will solve.
All our experiences at the University of Minnesota have prepared us to be the inno- vative, sustainable, and kind people this industry needs. I am so proud to be a part of this graduating class and wish more than anything that we could throw our caps together today. We are classmates, roommates, and teammates. Let’s not forget about the connections we’ve made in our time in CEGE. We should support and lean on each other as we move through our careers.
Wherever it is you may go after graduating, take with you the badge of honor of being a part of a class that has persevered through an unprecedented global crisis and come out on top.
Congratulations Class of 2020!