CEO to NJIT Class of 2024: Be Agents of Change and Build a Future We Can Be Proud Of
Preaching patience, courage and resilience, MZM 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.”
“You stand at the crossroads of what is and what can be, armed with the most powerful tool known to humankind — your collective imagination,” added Perry, speaking to more than 1,800 graduates inside the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. “You are the next generation of dreamers, creators and innovators.”
Perry’s words of encouragement came during a spirited ceremony that mixed speeches with Highlander traditions, including bagpipers and a drummer leading dignitaries to the dais, an a cappella group singing the alma mater and a student — this time Cassia Daudelin of the Class of 2025 — delivering the National Anthem.
NJIT also recognized the most senior alum in the arena, Gerald Stolar ‘47, MS ‘49, and awarded honorary degrees to three other alumni: Perry ’05; Alex Khowaylo ’63, a serial entrepreneur who launched and sold four orthopedic implant companies and chairs the Board of Directors of Acuitive Technologies; and Elizabeth “Liz” Garcia MS ’73, a retired former top executive at chemicals company Infineum USA who served 15 years on the NJIT Board of Trustees.
The student speaker, Lauren Azer, accomplished much during her four years in University Heights. En route to earning a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering as an Albert Dorman Honors College Scholar, Azer joined a sorority, the Biomedical Engineering Society, Coptic Society and Student Senate, where she rose to president. She also became a resident assistant.
Azer described her NJIT experiences as plot points in a personal narrative that continues to evolve, with ups and downs and surprises, including the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless, she added, you are the authors of your story.
“We are closing in on this chapter of our lives and we’re moving on to our shiny new jobs and graduate schools and traveling the world and so on,” Azer said. “My advice to you is this: Never say, ‘No.’ Continue to go out of your comfort zone. Listen to your friends when they propose a really undesirable idea because what’s the worst that can happen?”
In addressing the graduates, NJIT President Teik C. Lim said to remember your supporters, be they parents, grandparents, siblings or friends.
“Appreciate that you have not accomplished anything alone,” Lim said. “Reflect upon the help you received from others throughout your journey and make it a priority to thank those who supported your efforts and encouraged your aspirations.”
The ceremony — which came two days after another 1,500 scholars earned master’s and doctoral degrees — closed with yet another tradition: the newly minted graduates swung their tassels to the left and tossed their mortarboards into the air as confetti rained down on them. One last huzzah for the more than 3,300 in the Class of ’24!
