The 2024 academic year kicked off with a Convocation that had a different spin. With the participation of DJ Ricky Bonds, NJIT’s Jazz Band ‘Elementals,’ Highland Dancers and bagpipers and even a special edition of Family Feud NJIT-style, the university’s incoming class received an upbeat welcome.

Preaching patience, courage and resilience, MGM Construction Co. President and CEO Marjorie Perry urged the Class of 2024 at New Jersey Institute of Technology to become lifelong learners as they apply their imagination to real-world challenges.

Perry, an NJIT alumna who serves on its Foundation Board of Directors, called on the undergraduates earning bachelor’s degrees to be “agents of change in our communities” and build a future “that we can all be proud of.”

Neel Patil, a new graduate in computer science and applied mathematics, is following his Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers like All-Star baseball outfielder Jim Edmonds and broadcaster Rich Eisen into the sports business.

Patil will be a software engineer at FanDuel starting in July. It’s a perfect fit for the diehard basketball fan, who said he’s never made money from betting on his favorite NBA team, the Boston Celtics, because he always picks the over — he can’t stand to admit that they might not dominate, even when it’s a fiscally irrational decision.

A special group of NJIT’s graduating seniors is finishing undergraduate life with a flourish — their achievements across the humanities and STEM sciences recently earned them the Outstanding Student Award at the College of Science and Liberal Arts Awards this month.

In the first of a two-part series, we catch up with this year’s winners who share their successes and memorable moments at NJIT, as well as exciting plans following Commencement 2024.

The 35th annual Scholarship Brunch took place April 12, bringing together generous benefactors who have created scholarships at NJIT with the students benefiting from their support.

The event humanizes and demonstrates the impact of giving back and removing a financial burden to those who need it most. In a unique opportunity, scores of scholars attended with each one proudly representing — and meeting — their donors. 

From an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, two NJIT students — Danna Valentina Sanchez Hernandez and Owen West — have been named Goldwater Scholars this year by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The scholarship is recognized as among the country’s most prestigious for STEM undergraduates pursuing research careers.