News by Topic: Alumni

WROC-TV talks to Sandra Johnson, senior vice president of Student Affairs, and two new alumni about the versatility of the 2024 graduating class.

While sharing insights from her own transformative journey, Patricia Moore, a distinguished designer and trailblazing alumna of the class of 1974, encouraged this year’s RIT graduates to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and answer the call for change.

The first class of graduates from RIT’s women’s, gender, and sexuality studies (WGSS) program will be celebrated during commencement this month. The bachelor’s degree program was approved and offered for current students in 2023, and enrollment will be available to incoming first-year students this fall.

Nastaran Nagshineh, a Ph.D. candidate at RIT, successfully bridged the Rochester and Dubai campuses, paving the way for future international students. Nagshineh is one of 67 Ph.D. students who defended their thesis this academic year and who will earn their doctorate.

Karuna Mukherjea and Deepak Sharma came from far away to attend RIT. The couple believes it was destiny that brought them together. Both from India, they found a welcoming university and community on campus.

Two RIT students graduating next week continue their family legacies while pioneering unique paths in their fields.

The Science Times highlights the influential role of Tejas Padliya '16 (computer science) in leveraging AI to revolutionize healthcare, combining technical expertise with a compassionate approach to improve patient outcomes, address societal challenges, and promote accessibility.

City Newspaper talks to NTID interpreters Kim Billyard and Terri Reisinger, Blake Nitko '14 (advertising and public relations), and Sara Blick-Nitko '17 (professional studies) about the pivotal role of performance interpreters in providing accessibility and inclusivity for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community at local music festivals.

Nuzhat Minhaz struggled with coding at first but found strength in being open to failure. She credits her success to the hackathon opportunities she found at RIT, which led to a job at Microsoft and the creation of her startup that aids victims of cybercrimes in Bangladesh.

Orlando Ortiz took over as the RIT Alumni Association president in January, an association with which he has been a member of for 10 years. He is also active with RIT’s Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity Inc. and is a mentor with RIT’s Men of Color, Honor, and Ambition (MOCHA) program.

Making at RIT has hit a new level now that several makerspaces in the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED) have opened to provide students access to equipment and support for classwork, club advancement, and personal projects.

At RIT, robots are learning to read the room—especially rooms with humans. Improved communication between robots and people is part of the human-centered philosophy that anchors much of RIT’s work in robotics.