Thursday, May 8, 2025 — The College of Engineering and Computing Sciences (CoECS) community gathered to spotlight the best and the brightest students from the 2025 graduating class at the Commencement Awards.

At the de Seversky Mansion on the New York Institute of Technology Long Island campus, the CoECS community sat down to a dinner and ceremony in honor of the high-achieving graduating students. Chatter filled the room as faculty and staff mingled with students and their families, sharing their accomplishments and academic successes.

The ceremony began with a welcoming address from Dr. Babak D. Beheshti, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences. “It is my distinct honor every year, just about this time of May, to recognize our student awardees for their commitment to excellence, their academic accomplishments, and for being the best of the best our college will offer to the engineering, computer science, and information technology fields.”

He continued by thanking the department chairs for their tireless efforts to constantly improve the quality of the CoECS programs and keep them up to date in an ever-changing higher education landscape. He recognized the staff and faculty for their hard work over the academic year.

The first award of the evening was a milestone moment: the recognition of the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences’ inaugural Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Michael Kohler. He received the first-ever Ph.D. in Engineering Outstanding Achievement Award.

The event continued with the bestowal of Achievement Awards, Faculty Awards, Dean’s Awards, Innovator of the Year Awards, and Co-op Excellence Awards for graduate and undergraduate students with stellar academic and extracurricular performances. Each student posed with Dean Beheshti and the department chairs in their gracious acceptance of the award.

“We salute you for what you have accomplished,” said Dr. Babak D. Beheshti once the nineteen awards were distributed. “You are the brightest and hardest working in the most demanding disciplines of study.”

As the event concluded, the awardees celebrated their success with their families and looked forward to their promising post-graduation futures.

^{This article was contributed by Sophie Yoakum, Programs & Retention Coordinator, College of Engineering and Computing Sciences.}