Published: Dec. 14, 2020

Dear Graduates, Family, and Friends of CU Boulder Mechanical Engineering,

Graduation is always a monumental event for our department, an important rite of passage for our studentsÌýthat theyÌýlook forward to each year. While we wish wholeheartedly thatÌýwe could celebrate together in person and recognize that our inability to do so is of great disappointment, we remain committed to honoring you, December 2020 graduates.ÌýYou haveÌýaccomplished great things during yourÌýtime at CU Boulder, and we can only imagine the impact thatÌýwill soon come as you step out into the world as engineers.ÌýÌý

To family, friends and mentors of this semester's graduating class of 2020, thank you for the many roles you have played in supporting and inspiring these talented young engineers. We are honored to have had the opportunity to watch your students learn and grow as we welcomed them, and you too, into our Mechanical Engineering family.

Please join us in congratulating our December 2020 graduates byÌýobserving their names below. We also invite you to spend some time viewing the College of Engineering and Applied Science virtual graduation celebration on December 15 at 6 p.m. MST.ÌýGraduates, we are so proud of you!Ìý

My most sincere congratulations,Ìý

Mike Hannigan
Department Chair, Mechanical Engineering

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Peter Armstrong, MS

Thank you to my friends and family. On to the next chapter!

Conrad Bristol, BS

I'm incredibly proud of this achievement and it would not have been possible without the loving support of my family and friends. The diversity here has really opened my mind to the world and I have met some truly amazing people. From this, I have learned that being nice to others will go a long way and if everyone was nice to each other, we can all be happier.

Nina Campano, MS

Thank you to my parents for supporting me throughout this journey. I love you, Mom and Dad!

Wei Ting Chien, MS

CU Boulder is a good place, even though 2020 is not good at all.

Chris Doyle, BS

Thank you to all the staff and babyÖ±²¥app who taught me how to learn. That is the best gift ever because it never stops giving. Special shoutout to Debbie Yeh for always having my back, it meant the world to me. Thank you to my family for supporting me through this journey, you made it all possible.

George Faraco, MS

Hi, my name is George Faraco and I graduated with my MSÌýin Mechanical Engineering. If I leave you with one thing, it's to remember that there is always something to be learned from anyone or anything you interact with in this world. Be open, be present, and think for yourself. There is always something to be learned from anything, but you choose what you learn from it.

Peter Gumble, MS

I want to thank the babyÖ±²¥app and program for giving me the opportunity to advance my knowledge and career. Specifically, I want to thank Dan Riffell, the babyÖ±²¥app of the Design program, and the Idea Forge staff for their mentorship and guidance. I look forward continuing my career in babyÖ±²¥app and keeping in touch with the program.

Hunter Hach, BS

Countless thanks to my incredible parents who have always supported me in whatever I set my mind to. As well, many thanks to the best of pals, Sam.

Sophie Kirkman, MS

Thanks to everyone at CU who made my time in Boulder so wonderful! I am sad to leave but very excited for the next adventure at the Max Planck Institute.

Nina LaBarba, BS

A huge thank you to my family and friends that supported me every step of the way.

Caelen Lapointe, PhD

Thanks to friends, family, and the TESLa lab!

Zhenhua Lu, BS

Thank you to my parents, friends, and professors. It is impossible for me to achieve this without your help and support. Be Curious. Be Strong. Be Boulder.

Nate Malarich, PhD

Studied laser measurements of gases under Greg Rieker for my PhD after undergrad at Penn State. Wonderful lab and grad student community. Lots of laughter and learning.

Jatin Mayekar, MS

I would like to thank the graduate school, my friends and my family for giving me this amazing opportunity and for believing in me.

Ali Nematollahisarvestani, PhD

I would like to thank my advisors Professor Yung-Cheng "Y.C." Lee and Professor Jianliang Xiao. My experience at CU Boulder was fantastic. A quote that has influenced me a lot isÌý"nothing is easy".

Vishnu Pillai, MS

"And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high." - Ayrton Senna

Thank you, Amma & Appa.

Caitlin Poling, MS

Thank you to all those who mentored me and encouraged me to approach opportunities that I would not have thought possible. Thank you to my loved ones for supporting me when I struggled, and for reminding me why I chose to do this.

Daniel Rahn, BS

I am extremely grateful for my time at CUÌýand all the incredible experiences that came with it. Thank you to my friends and family who supported me, and my professors and mentors who added so much value to my education over the past 4 years.

John Shanley, BS

I would like to thank my friends and family for helping me get to this point in my life. It wouldn't have been possible without all of your support.

Ankit Shukla, MS

I would like to thank everyone I crossed paths with as they helped shape my personlity in one or the other way. I would like to thank the University of babyÖ±²¥app Boulder. And above all my parents who were always with me in my endeavors.

Ryan Smith, BS

Thank you to the ME Faculty. Your unyielding enthusiasm and passion for teaching has made the past four years special.

Alex Smith, BS

I am privileged to have been a student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at CU. I want to thank my teachers, my friends, my peers, and especially my parents Matt and Nelly Smith, for the encouragement and support through both struggles and triumphs.

Sadie Stutzman, MS

I’m overwhelmed with excitement andÌýgratitude as my graduate career concludes. Grad school has allowed me to move to one of the most beautiful places andÌýmeet so many incredible humans (many of which will be in my life forever). S.O. to my family & The Labbe Lab for supporting me! Cheers to the future!

Vani Sundaram, MS

I am excited to continue my graduate career as a PhD student at UCB! Much of my success is attributed to my family, partner, undergraduate advisor, and, of course, Gustav Longfellow.

Nate Wang, BS

"Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't even know where its going. I just hope I find it along the way." - Michael Scott

My experience in Mechanical Engineering summed up.ÌýI guess I found it along the way. Special thanks to Dr. Knutsen and Dr. Walker for their dedication and enthusiasm to this program.

David Yun, MS

During my journey thus far at CU, I have had the chance to partake in amazing research with the amazing people of the Rieker Group. Much thanks to them and to my advisor, Greg Rieker, who has always steered me right using many movie analogies. Also, thanks to my family who are my rock.

More DecemberÌý2020 Graduates

  • Abulimiti Aili, MS
  • Peter Armstrong, MS
  • Liam Bechtel, BS/MS
  • John Boddu, MS
  • Conrad Bristol, BS
  • Nina Campano, MS
  • Wei Ting Chien, MS
  • Andrew Cope, BS
  • Olga Doronina, PhD
  • Chris Doyle, BS
  • Marshall Engelhard, BS
  • George Faraco, MS
  • Bryce Griebenow, BS/MS
  • Bryn Grunwald, BS/MS
  • Peter Gumble, MS
  • Hunter Hach, BS
  • Justin Hilbert, BS
  • Sophie Kirkman, MS
  • Nicholas Knorz, MS
  • Rosalina LaBarba, BS
  • Caelen Lapointe, PhD
  • Christopher Lehr, BS
  • Zhenhua Lu, BS
  • Nathan Malarich, PhD
  • Matthew Malsam, BS
  • Jatin Mayekar, MS
  • Coovi Meha, MS
  • Shane Mitchell, PhD
  • Ali Nematollahisarvestani, PhD
  • Richard Dudley Ortecho, BS
  • Vishnu Pillai, MS
  • Benjamin Piquard, BS
  • Caitlin Poling, MS
  • Daniel Rahn, BS
  • Dylan Ramaswamy, BS
  • Pedro Reyes Ricardez, BS
  • Blayne Sarazin, MS
  • John Shanley, BS
  • Ankit Shukla, MS
  • Ryan Smith, BS
  • Alex Smith, BS
  • Sadie Stutzman, MS
  • Vani Sundaram, MS
  • Josh Tacca, MS
  • Nathaniel Wang, BS
  • Dan Whitney, MS
  • Eric Wilkinson, BS
  • David Yun, MS

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