Rooted in Research, Ready to Lead: NJIT's Master's and Doctoral Degree Class of 2025
New Jersey Institute of Technology served up a full day of fanfare as its advanced degree graduates walked across the stage in the Bloom Wellness and Events Center in three commencement ceremonies. The 2025 master’s and doctoral class exemplifies the institution’s commitment to research and scholarship across a diverse range of disciplines.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs John Pelesko called the ceremonies to order. Pelesko, himself a 1997 alumnus of NJIT as the very first Ph.D. graduate in mathematical sciences, implored students to both soak in this moment as they will look back on it for many years to come, and look forward to the future as the only limits are one’s own ambition and passion.
President Teik C. Lim encouraged graduates to be open to what comes and make a positive impact as leaders, building on the progress made by NJIT graduates before them.
“Embrace opportunities and use your talents to pursue goals that will lift others and improve our world. That is how you lead a life of consequence and value. Also understand that you are building upon a foundation that was created by previous generations of Highlanders, and that you are contributing to the legacy of our great university,” said Lim.
NJIT’s master’s and Ph.D. graduates enter rarified air, noted NJIT Board of Trustees Chair Robert Cohen, as this class of Highlanders join just 14% of the world’s population with an advanced degree. “What you have accomplished is extraordinary and deserves a round of applause … Continue to make us proud.”
Master’s Ceremony for YWCC
Caption: Watch the 9 a.m. commencement ceremony recognizing master’s students from Ying Wu College
YWCC Dean Jamie Payton lauded the graduates’ accomplishments and their unique position of being able to affect change in the rapidly moving computing fields such as AI and machine learning.
“You graduate at a moment when the pace of technological change is accelerating, and so is the need for computing professionals who lead with insight, integrity and impact,” said Payton. “I have every confidence that you are ready to not only meet this moment, but shape what comes next.”
Payton introduced the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Maria Vasquez Karim, a distinguished 2005 computer engineering and applied mathematics graduate, Albert Dorman Honors Scholar and an EOP student. Karim’s homecoming is highlighted by her generous gift to fund an endowed scholarship that will support future NJIT students.
Reflecting on her own journey, she described the emotional full-circle moment of returning to campus two decades after earning her degrees. She credited her early foundation — shaped by her family’s immigration from Ecuador and the sacrifices of her parents and grandparents — as the roots of her perseverance and success.
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Karim spoke candidly about becoming a mother while still an undergraduate, calling her son her “North Star” and a constant source of motivation. She balanced parenthood with a demanding academic load and ultimately earned a full scholarship to Columbia University’s master’s program in electrical engineering. “There were countless nights fueled by instant coffee and a desperate determination, moments of doubt that whispered louder than reason,” she told the graduates. Today, her son is a software engineer, a fact she shared with pride, underscoring the generational impact of perseverance.
Her career, which includes roles at IBM, Intel, British Telecom and most recently YouTube, exemplifies the power of adaptability and the lifelong value of an NJIT education. She encouraged graduates to view failures as stepping stones and to lean into emerging technologies like generative AI, calling them “a super amplifier for every dream you hold.” At YouTube, she helped lead key projects — both technical and cultural. She established the New Platform Machine Learning Evaluation Team to improve the platform's performance for billions of users, and she is the co-chair lead of the Familia Employee Resource Group where she champions Latinx voice by fostering engagement and cultivating community.
Karim closed by offering guidance on thriving in the ever-evolving tech world: embrace continuous learning, seek purpose beyond code, cultivate mentorship and community, prioritize well-being and above all, be bold. “Your NJIT education has instilled in you the courage to tackle the complex and the grit to overcome any obstacle,” she said. With passion and authenticity, she urged the graduates to lead with integrity and to use their skills for meaningful, lasting impact.
Master’s Ceremony for NCE, HCAD, HCSLA and MTSM
Caption: Watch the 1 p.m. commencement ceremony recognizing master’s students from Newark College of Engineering, Hillier College of Architecture and Design, Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts and Martin Tuchman School of Management
Alumnus Kenneth Colao '77 delivered a deeply personal address, drawing from decades of experience as an engineer, entrepreneur, and president and CEO of CNY Group. Acknowledging NJIT’s enduring role in his life, Colao reflected on the university as the place where his professional journey began. He credited NJIT with providing a transformative education and emphasized the importance of gratitude and resilience, thanking university leadership, faculty, family and friends for supporting graduates on their path.
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In recounting his own trajectory, Colao shared how he leveraged early jobs and modest beginnings into a remarkable career full of both soaring highs and destitution. He urged graduates to act with purpose and listen to their instincts — guiding principles that shaped his own path through both opportunity and adversity. “Life is hard and will rarely follow what the textbook states nor what others may have prescribed as best for you,” Colao said. “Which is why it is so critical that you have a vision and purpose you can always come back to as your guiding light.”
Colao’s message was rooted in perseverance. He described his lowest moment — personally guaranteeing $83 million in debt after 9/11 forced huge losses in his first company — and the extraordinary decision to rebuild without declaring bankruptcy. He stressed the value of maintaining one’s reputation and integrity, citing how he paid off debts over 16 years and retained the loyalty of his team throughout the crisis. His mantra: “Never ever give up,” became a rallying point for the graduates.
Colao called on the graduates to lead with compassion and build “good karma” in business and in life. Colao reminded students that success is about more than achievement — it's about the relationships, trust and moral compass that guide their journey. “I’m humbled by what life offers when you ‘lean in.’ The education you have received, knowledge and leadership skills you’ve gained, hold the key to turning a thought into success.”
Hooding and Commencement Ceremony for Doctoral Candidates
Caption: Watch the 4 p.m. commencement ceremony recognizing doctoral candidates across all of NJIT’s colleges
The Ph.D. ceremony featured student speaker Oliver Alvarado Rodriguez, who received a doctorate in computer science under Professor David Bader. His work has been instrumental in advancing graph analytics, particularly though the Arachne framework. After graduation, he will be joining Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a research software engineer, contributing to the Chapel Programming Language team.
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From childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut to confronting his stutter and lifelong anxiety, Rodriguez shared how imagination and resilience helped him push forward through moments of doubt and burnout. “There were times I seriously considered quitting — not fleeting doubts, but real actions,” he admitted, recalling a moment when he nearly sent a resignation email to his advisor. His honesty shed light on the emotional weight many doctoral students carry behind the scenes.
Rodriguez emphasized that earning a Ph.D. is not only an academic achievement, but also a personal triumph. He highlighted the invisible work of emotional regulation, self-discovery and balancing life’s challenges while advancing in science. “Success doesn’t mean being perfect … It means showing up again and again even when you’re unsure, even when you’re afraid.”
Two-time alumnus Anita LaSalle delivered the evening’s keynote address. She is a former program director at the Division for Computer and Network Systems at the National Science Foundation and a retired computer science professor. At the NSF she helped create the Innovation Corps, an entrepreneurial training program that facilitates the transformation of invention to impact.
In her candid and compelling address, LaSalle acknowledged the challenges facing science and higher education in today’s political climate. Referencing recent freezes and withdrawals of federal research funding, she warned of the ripple effects on institutions, industries and individual researchers and underscored the urgency of the moment.
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LaSalle also reminded the audience of how much America has gained from investing in science — from everyday technologies like GPS and MRIs to life-saving medical research. “And all of this research has produced payoffs for us — for every $1 invested in research there is a $5 gain.”
Yet despite these concerns, she pointed to her own family’s story — her father, an immigrant who built a life and business during the Great Depression — as proof of what’s possible in this country. “In my gut, I still feel there is hope for you and for our country,” she said. She emphasized that NJIT has prepared the Class of 2025 to meet any challenge, just as it had prepared her. She urged graduates to thank those who helped them reach this milestone and reminded them that the enduring promise of America still exists — if we protect it.
Doctoral Awards
Computer engineer Mahmoud Khaled Ahmed Nazzal was awarded the Hashimoto Prize for his distinguished research in electrical and computer engineering. The Hashimoto Prize is part of an endowment that recognizes the generosity and vision of Dr. Kazuo Hashimoto, who is known for more than 1,000 patents and applications related to the invention of the telephone answering machine and other devices in electronics and telecommunications.
Nazzal is researching new approaches to make AI systems more secure and trustworthy by linking two leading AI types: graph neural networks (GNNs) and large language models (LLMs). GNNs excel at understanding connections, while LLMs are masters of language. By combining their strengths, Nazzal's research tackles security weaknesses in both. His work demonstrates new ways to find vulnerabilities in AI systems, guide language models to write safer computer code, strengthen adversarial defense and even deepfake detection. This integration offers a promising path toward building more reliable and secure AI for various applications. Nazzal will be joining the Department of Computer Science at Old Dominion University as a tenure-track faculty member.
Environmental engineer Jianan Gao was awarded the Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation award by Sotirios Ziavras, vice provost for graduate studies and dean of graduate faculty. Gao is developing innovative water filters that use electricity to clean water in a more sustainable way. Unlike traditional filters that just remove pollutants, these electrified membranes can potentially transform waste into valuable resources with little to no chemical additives. Gao’s research focuses on making these electric filters more powerful, efficient and cost-effective, with the technology offering both a promising solution for tackling global water pollution, and recovering useful materials from wastewater.
