It is a commonly held opinion that Stevens is academically challenging. Many wide-eyed freshmen enter the university with hopes of maintaining their streak of straight A’s from high school, but likely become disappointed quite quickly. Straight-A streaks can vanish after the first semester, at the end of freshman year, or later on as courses get more challenging. In fact, in the Class of 2020, almost everyone lost that sweet 4.0 — that is, everyone except for the five valedictorians! These valedictorians are Devin Dragon (Chemical Engineering), Devon Leslie (Marketing Innovation and Analytics with minors in Information Systems and Economics), Christopher Liu (Business and Technology with a minor in Quantitative Finance), Victoria Stabile (Chemical Engineering with a master’s in Environmental Engineering), and Kristen Tan (Software Engineering with a minor in Computer Science). Additionally, all five students are Pinnacle Scholars, and were heavily involved on campus outside of the classroom — whether it was as a TA, having been in Greek life, or on the executive board for a campus organization.
Coming into Stevens, none of the First in Class thought that they would end Stevens with a 4.0. They all entered with the mindset that college would be different from high school and all that they could do was learn new material and try their best to do well. Dragon even kept saying that he would lose his 4.0 as each new semester rolled around. However, this mindset began to change as the successful straight A’s kept rolling in. Stabile expressed, “Once you get far enough with a 4.0 you really don’t want to lose it.” For most, maintaining the perfect GPA was quite stressful. Liu recalled, “I certainly felt the pressure my junior and senior year […] The thought of potentially ‘choking’ weighed on my mind and I had moments of weakness where I felt like the amount of effort I was putting in was not worth it.” Stabile and Tan both acknowledge that this pressure is self-inflicted. Through finding a balance and receiving help from family and friends, it was possible to navigate through this pressure. Leslie’s experience differs, as she never declared keeping a 4.0 GPA as a main goal or even a conscious effort. Leslie said, “My only goal was, and continues to be, to just do my best so that at the end of the day, I can be proud of myself. I am very excited that my hard work resulted in a 4.0 GPA, but I do not believe that a GPA defines a person nor should it be the main focus of your college years as there are opportunities for growth in so many experiences here.”
Maintaining a 4.0 was no easy feat, but this year’s valedictorians have some theories on how they were able to do so and recommendations for others who aspire to do the same. Through all of his involvement on campus and a hard work ethic, Dragon was able to perfect time management skills and focus on school when needed. Leslie emphasized that creating a balance between academics and social activities helped her maintain her grades, as it provided her with necessary breaks to avoid burning out and motivated her to complete all of her schoolwork ahead of time. Leslie recommended that others who wish to retain high grades find the right support system and peers to do schoolwork with, especially for group assignments, so members will be able to lean into each team member’s strengths, challenge one other, and communicate effectively. Liu cited a good work ethic, completing assignments and studying for exams ahead of time, and seeking assistance from classmates, teaching assistants, or professors to better understand course material as crucial to maintaining his high grades. Liu recommended that others do the same and remember to ask for help, set priorities, and take breaks to maintain a “sound state of mind.” Stabile fine-tuned techniques to effectively manage stress, take notes, and study while also remembering to take time for herself and treat herself with dark chocolate. Tan kept a running to-do list to keep on top of what she needed to work on, what was in progress, and what she already completed, as staying organized was essential. Tan did, however, acknowledge that everyone works differently, so there is no strict guide on how to maintain a 4.0; however, her general advice is to help others, too, as repeating the material and explaining it to others helps improve one’s own understanding.
Although achieving a 4.0 is possible, Dragon strongly recommended against setting a 4.0 as the main goal during college. Dragon explained, “That shouldn’t be your first priority. Your first priority should be yourself and the connections you make. A 4.0 can be the result of taking good care of yourself and the connections you make. You can have a 4.0 and because you did nothing else but study, you lost 4 years of valuable time creating life-long friendships and opportunities to get great jobs.”
Reflecting back on their college experiences, none of the valedictorians have anything specific that they would change. As their college careers come to an end, they do have bits of advice for others to make the best of their college experiences. Leslie recommended that students create their own experience, and instead of complaining about a negative one, encouraged them to adapt, find activities that evoke happiness, and to advocate for oneself. Stabile’s go-to advice for younger students is to pay attention to the little things: “Make eye contact with professors and go to office hours. Say please and thank you to the dining staff that serves you food. Wave good morning to campus police. It means more to them than you realize.” Tan, like the other valedictorians, doesn’t have a moment in mind that she would change about her experience but wants freshmen to hear this bit of advice: “Don’t worry if you feel like you’re in the wrong place during your first few weeks, or even months, of college […] Give yourself time to feel clueless and scared and whatever else you may feel when you get to college. It’s ok!”
Now for the topic that every college senior is asked about a copious amount of times in their last semester: plans for after graduation. For Leslie, things are currently a bit uncertain as she cannot travel as originally planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she is looking into MBA programs and is waiting to hear back from job applications for the Greater New York City area and Philadelphia area. Dragon will be working in a Rotational Associate position for Integra LifeSciences in Princeton, NJ, getting experience in quality, regulatory, and manufacturing sectors of the business. Liu will be starting at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) in the Business Transformation Office in Jersey City, which will allow him to continue living in Hoboken and commuting to work. Stabile accepted a job at Merck to work in vaccine process development; she received the job prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and hopes to be able to make a positive impact in the current situation. Continuing the experience from her summer 2019 internship, Tan will be working at Comcast NBCUniversal as a CORE Technology Associate, while also finishing up her master’s degree online.
It is essential to note that all of the valedictorians emphasized that their grades do not define them nor should others allow the allure of a 4.0 to define them. A high GPA is definitely attainable, but all five of the First in Class stress that college is so much more than a competition for A’s. As such, all five valedictorians will be taking the essential skills they learned into their futures. Leslie found people who inspire and support her personal and professional pursuits, learned that data is important for decision making, and technology is not as scary as it seems. Dragon outlined five main lessons that he learned: “1. Trust your gut. Don’t overthink it. 2. Be kind. Don’t be mean to other people. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it and make other people feel. 3. Try something new. You never know what you are going to get out of it. 4. Find your passion. Don’t do things for the spite of it. Find what you love and start making a career out of it now… 5. Build, and cherish, a community. The old phrase ‘It takes a village’ applies here. You need to have a strong support network to succeed, and you need to appreciate these people.” Liu thought of experience on team projects and will often be using his developed skills of teamwork, communication, and being able to rely on others in the workplace. Stabile underscored the leadership and project management skills she gained from the positions she held in various student organizations, as she believes those skills will translate well in the future. Finally, Tan accentuated that she learned it is perfectly acceptable to not know all the answers. Through altering her academic career multiple times, Tan realized that “living life is a learning experience in and of itself, and will definitely be trying to keep that in mind in the years ahead.”
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