ORIE MFEs celebrate their achievements

By: Roselle Bajet

On Wednesday, December 16, the Class of 2020 walked across a virtual stage as we celebrated their graduation from the Cornell Master in Engineering with Financial Engineering program!  Zoom screens boomed with over 150 attendees as our newly-minted alumni and their family and friends came together one last time on this celebratory and festive ZOOMremony.

In her opening remarks, CFEM Director Victoria Averbukh encouraged students to be true to themselves and remember to make time for their other talents to flourish alongside their financial careers. ORIE Director Mark Lewis stressed the new responsibilities that come with being Cornell alumni. As Director of M.Eng. Studies Kathryn Caggiano noted to the new graduates, "Pay it forward with your time, with your experience, and with your empathy." 

In what has become a true CFEM graduation tradition, Senior Research Associate Sasha Stoikov offered a special musical performance to remind students of the great work that they have done over the past semester and have a little fun remembering their victories and challenges. The song, composed by Sasha and called "Money, Money, Wo Ai Ni," was performed with piano accompaniment and a brief appearance of Sasha's cat!

But the fun part did not end there. Students stayed on for another round of teamwork to play Pictionary. Zoom kept us physically apart, but the joy of seeing each other and celebrating was clearly there. That last team-based Zoom Pictionary was a testament to the bond that new alumni will always have amongst themselves and with Cornell.

Until we all meet again, we are excited for our graduates to embark on their professional journeys and continue to make the Cornell MFE community proud!

CFEM FE '20 Graduation Picture Wall

 

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