Gov. Mikie Sherrill Tells NJIT Class of 2026 to Dream Big and Build What Comes Next
NJIT celebrated its undergraduate Class of 2026 at Prudential Center in Newark, honoring baccalaureate degree candidates from across the university’s colleges in a ceremony centered on service, achievement, alumni connection and the responsibility to use an NJIT education with purpose.
The May 22 ceremony brought together graduates, families, faculty, university leaders, alumni and honorary degree recipients, including Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who received an honorary doctorate and delivered the commencement address. On May 20, NJIT celebrated advanced-degree graduates on its Newark campus.
Provost John Pelesko opened the ceremony by welcoming bachelor’s degree candidates from all of NJIT’s colleges and schools and recognizing the faculty members who helped guide them through classroom work, labs, field experiences and community engagement.
A governor’s charge to the Class of 2026
Sherrill, New Jersey’s 57th governor, was introduced by Robert Cohen '83, '84, '87, chair of the NJIT Board of Trustees, as a leader whose career has been shaped by service to the nation and to the state.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Sherrill served nearly 10 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy as a Sea King helicopter pilot, leading missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She later earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown University, worked in private practice, served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming governor in January 2026.
Cohen noted that Sherrill has championed education and, as governor, proposed creating a $50 million Garden State Tech Founding Fund, a public-private partnership aimed at providing mentorship and seed funding to STEM graduates who launch startups in New Jersey.
For her public service, leadership and commitment to New Jersey, NJIT awarded Sherrill an honorary doctorate before she addressed the Class of 2026.
Trustee Chair Robert Cohen and Gov. Sherrill
Sherrill used her address to place the Class of 2026 in a moment of rapid change, telling graduates they are entering a world shaped by political division, rising costs, social media-driven hate and the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence.
Many graduates, she noted, were barely freshmen when ChatGPT was released, transforming expectations around college, careers and questions as fundamental as jobs, energy and ethics.
“This is a brave new world,” Sherrill said. “And I know some of you have more questions than answers.”
But Sherrill’s message was ultimately one of confidence in the graduates’ preparation and responsibility. She told the class that their technical education gives them an unusual ability to respond to complex problems with imagination and practical action.
“You have a unique capacity to imagine new possibilities and build them from scratch,” she said.
She urged graduates to make the world better, stay curious, keep going through setbacks, remain optimistic and dream big — advice she tied to her own path through the Navy, Congress and the governor’s office.
“There will always be doubters,” Sherrill said. “There will always be setbacks. Don’t let that stop you.”
In closing, Sherrill told graduates to carry forward the courage that brought them to commencement. “Let it carry you forward to your rendezvous with destiny.”
Gov. Sherrill delivered the keynote remarks to NJIT's graduating class.
A student speaker on finding your own path
Graduates also heard from Brian Dong, Student Senate president, who received a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.
Dong reflected on the pressure many students feel when they measure themselves against others. He urged graduates to resist the idea that success has to follow one timeline or one definition.
“Some of us are graduating early, on time, or some even later than expected, but we are all on our own timelines, and remembering that is the key to living life to the fullest,” Dong said.
He told classmates that he once planned to graduate early, believing that moving quickly was the way to “win.” Over time, he said, he realized that staying allowed him to build deeper relationships and experience more of the NJIT community.
Student speaker Brian Dong
“I realized that by sprinting for the exit, I was just rushing away from the home I’d worked so hard to build,” Dong said.
His message to graduates was to take pride not only in grades or credentials, but in persistence, growth and the experiences that shaped them along the way.
“Your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s, it just has to be yours,” Dong said. “To everyone: take each day, make it your own, and be proud of how far you’ve come. No matter how hard or impossible it is, never lose sight of your goal.”
Honoring engineering leadership, service and philanthropy
In addition to Sherrill, NJIT awarded honorary doctorates to Virginia Sulzberger and John H. Martinson, two leaders whose careers and connections to the university reflect the ceremony’s themes of achievement, lifelong learning and giving back.
Elisa Charters 92, '93, co-vice chair of the Board of Trustees, presented Sulzberger, a proud NJIT double alumna who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering before building a pioneering career in the energy field. After roles at Exxon Enterprises and PSE&G, Sulzberger served for two decades as director of engineering at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). She is a recipient of NJIT’s Edward F. Weston Medal and the NCE Outstanding Alumni Award, and in 2015 became the first woman in the United States elected to the Electric Power and Energy Systems Engineering section of the National Academy of Engineering.
Trustee Elisa Charters, President Teik C. Lim, Virginia Sulzberger, and Trustee Robert Cohen
Sulzberger ’62, ’66 reflected on graduating from Newark College of Engineering in 1962 as one of only three women in a class of roughly 400 male graduates. “These women are Edith Jeffery, who majored in electrical engineering as I also did, and Leona Seazholtz, who majored in mechanical engineering.”
She noted the growth of women in engineering since then, praised NJIT’s progress and national recognition, and encouraged graduates to keep learning throughout their careers.
“Remember, learning does not stop with today’s college diploma,” Sulzberger said. “Stay true to yourself and your own standards and values, but don’t be afraid to accept new challenges, opportunities, or positions in connection with what you want to achieve.”
Co-Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Dhiraj Shah ‘00H presented Martinson, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate whose career has spanned military service, venture capital, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Martinson flew 500 combat missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross before building a nearly five-decade career in software and venture capital. He founded Edison Partners and now serves as chair of Martinson Ventures. He has championed vital innovations across health care, education and finance.
President Lim, John Martinson and Trustee Dhiraj Shah
At NJIT, Martinson is among the university’s most active benefactors and supporters of STEM education. His philanthropy includes support for the Albert Dorman Honors College, where the honors residence hall bears his name.
Martinson encouraged graduates to move quickly toward meaningful careers, identify role models, cultivate mentors and continue learning through graduate study, certificate programs and emerging fields such as AI. He also urged them to remain connected to the university that helped prepare them.
“Stay engaged with NJIT,” Martinson said. “Network with alumni, attend events, recruit students and hire graduates.
“Over the last 30 years, NJIT has wisely used my gifts,” Martinson said, encouraging the newest alumni to give back in whatever capacity possible to help future students. “Volunteer your time and creativity.”
Achievement, legacy and service
The ceremony also honored the legacy of Albert Dorman, the founding benefactor of the Albert Dorman Honors College, who recently passed away.
Dean Louis Hamilton recalled Dorman as a 1945 graduate who finished first in his class at age 19 and later became founding chair and CEO of AECOM, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Dorman’s leadership and support helped elevate NJIT’s honors program into the university’s first named college in 1995.
Hamilton also recognized Albert Dorman Honors College medal recipients, who completed the rigorous honors curriculum and contributed more than 35,000 hours of service to NJIT’s campus and community.
(Center-right) Honors College student Samantha Montalbine received the President's Medal for graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
Quoting Dorman’s remarks from the college’s 25th anniversary, Hamilton challenged graduates “to augment your technical skills with other skills” and to make it a lifelong duty to pursue “important social as well as scientific goals” for the common good.
NJIT also awarded the President’s Medal for Academic Excellence to students who achieved a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and earned 60 or more NJIT credits. The medal recipients were first to receive their degrees during the baccalaureate presentation.
Generations of Highlanders
The ceremony connected the Class of 2026 with generations of NJIT alumni.
Alfred Martinez, president of the Alumni Association of NJIT, welcomed the graduates as the newest members of the alumni community. He also recognized the Golden Highlanders, NJIT alumni who graduated in 1976 or earlier, and the ceremony honored Gene Niemic, a 1962 electrical engineering graduate, as the most senior alumnus marching.
The Golden Highlanders outside the Prudential Center
The moment placed the graduating class within a longer Highlander tradition — one that began before many of today’s fields and technologies existed, and that now extends through the newest alumni preparing to enter industry, graduate study, public service and entrepreneurship.
A life of consequence
President Teik C. Lim closed the ceremony by asking graduates to take in the scale of what they had accomplished and to remember that they did not reach the milestone alone.
“You should feel incredibly proud of yourselves, but remember that you did not get here alone,” Lim said, asking graduates to recognize the parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings, children, friends, faculty and mentors who supported them.
President Teik C. Lim
Lim described the Class of 2026 as a group that had completed a rigorous curriculum, served the community, participated in clubs and activities, represented NJIT in academic and athletic competition, earned prestigious fellowships, published scholarly work, started businesses, gained admission to top graduate programs and accepted positions with major employers.
Regardless of where graduates go next, Lim said, they leave NJIT prepared to seize opportunity.
“Remember to pursue noble goals and use your talents to lift others and improve our world,” Lim said. “That is how you lead a life of consequence.”
With degrees conferred and tassels moved, NJIT’s newest undergraduate alumni left Prudential Center with a charge that echoed throughout the ceremony: define success with purpose, stay connected to the community that helped shape them and use their education to build lives of meaning and impact.