Members of Lehigh's Class of 2024 and their families and guests heard keynote addresses from two prominent Lehigh Engineering alums during the university's 156th Commencement.
At the undergraduate ceremony, electrical engineering alum and National Academy of Engineering member Scott Willoughby ’89, who is senior vice president of performance excellence at Northrop Grumman and program manager for NASA’s James Webb telescope, said in the lead up to the telescope's launch, he was often asked if the effort would be successful.
“I said, ‘We have done all we could do to ensure success on the ground and it was time to send it a million miles away and witness the outcome,’” Willoughby recalled. “It’s how your parents and professors feel today, confident you are leaving here with the best they could give you to go and make your mark on the world.”
Read more about Willoughby's speech on the Lehigh News website.
During the 2024 Graduate Commencement and Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, chemical engineering alum and entrepreneur Stephen S. Tang ’85G ’88 PhD ’22P, who is principal at Tangent2Cogent, board chairman of NowDiagnostics Inc., and former chairman, president and CEO of Orasure Technologies, told graduates that an unconventional path can lead to success and stressed the importantce of making an impact on society.
“Life is more than numbers,” Tang said. “It’s more than the number of working years, the amount of wealth, the accolades of career accomplishments. It’s about leaving a legacy of kindness, compassion, empathy and service to higher causes.”
Video: Lehigh Commencement 2024 Highlights
