Florida Tech astronaut alumna tells graduating class to stay resilient
MELBOURNE — Astronaut Sunita Lyn Williams urged more than 1,110 graduating Florida Institute of Technology students at their graduation ceremony Saturday to take aim for new heights in the world beyond college but also to be strong as they encounter challenges ahead.
“You have resilience and perseverance to get things done,” said Williams, a decorated U.S. Navy captain who graduated with a master's degree in engineering science from Florida Tech in 1995. She is expected to pilot the first Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station this summer.
The 57-year-old space flight veteran had previously held a record for the most spacewalks by a woman. She is also one of several Florida Tech graduates to head into space.
“This is a great time in your life. The opportunities are endless, and you are only limited by how hard you are willing to work for your dreams,” Williams told the graduating class of 2023 during Saturday’s commencement ceremonies at the Melbourne university.
The message was one of several shared over two ceremonies Saturday at the Clemente Center. Students in caps and gowns marched across the campus beneath storm clouds. Inside the center, the university conferred 1,176 degrees to graduates from 61 countries and 41 states. The university itself has 3,400 undergraduate students and works frequently with NASA and other high tech-entities.
Interim President Robert King took to the stage and also spoke about his role at Florida Tech.
“I consider this assignment, serving as your interim president, one of the greatest honors and greatest experiences of my working life,” he told the audience.
Students were also reminded to focus on personal values, reputation and ethics as they prepare to face a world of new technologies, including the growing use of artificial intelligence, in forging uncharted paths for the world ahead.
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“Keep working hard, keep teaching, keep learning. Perhaps most importantly, keep contributing to the world around you," King urged the graduates. "I am confident that the people of Florida Tech will continue addressing many of humankind’s most daunting challenges.”
Williams, selected as an astronaut in 1998, also left the graduating class with several tips about living life in a post-college world, including remembering the lessons taught in kindergarten about being kind — and taking naps —while also being sure to stop and enjoy the natural world.
“Your launch countdown has begun,” she concluded. “This is your world to make better.”
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or [email protected]. Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Astronaut Williams urges FIT graduates to be resilient
