Princeton appoints its first black major in the history of the university

Princeton University has named its first black valedictorian in 274 years of school history.

Nicholas Johnson, a Canadian student specializing in operational research and financial engineering, has been named Best Princeton Promotion Student in 2020, the university said in a statement. Press release.

"It gives me power. Being the first black Valedictorian of Princeton has special meaning for me, especially given Princeton's historical ties to the institution of slavery," Johnson told CNN. "I hope this success motivates and inspires young black students, especially those interested in STEM fields."

The favorite memories of school graduates were those they had spent with "close friends and classmates participating in stimulating discussions, often late at night, about our beliefs, cultures and environments. in which we grew up, the state of the world and how we plan to make a positive contribution in our own way, "said Johnson in the school press release.

He also said he enjoys the university by encouraging him to explore his interests by supporting him with international internships and cultural immersion trips to Peru, Hong Kong and the Kingdom -United.

Johnson's main thesis focused on the development of algorithms to design a preventive community health intervention to reduce obesity in Canada.

A member of the Engineers Without Borders section of Princeton, Johnson also worked as a machine learning software engineer at Google headquarters in California during his time in Princeton.

Johnson also has a lot to expect. This summer, you will be doing an internship as a hybrid quantitative researcher and software developer at the D.E. Shaw Group, a global investment and technology development company.

In the fall, Johnson will begin his doctorate. Operational research studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Although the coronavirus pandemic canceled Princeton's in-person graduation ceremony, the school still has a virtual one on May 31.

Johnson told CNN that it was "disappointing" not to be able to celebrate together in class this year. However, he said he was grateful to the administration for its commitment "to organize a start in person for my class in the spring of 2021 to celebrate our achievements."

"It comforted me to see how well my friends and classmates coped with these difficult times," he said, "and I made sure the strong Princeton community persisted. practically despite our physical separation from each other. "