Nicholas Timinskas[/img]Commencement keynote speaker Nicholas Timinskas, B.S. ‘09 Computer Science (Summa Cum Laude), Global Commercial Operations Information Systems Portfolio Manager and Project Manager at Amgen.
Sevana Avanessian[/img]Student speaker Sevana Avanessian, BS Mechanical Engineering, minor in writing and rhetoric and President of the Society of Women Engineers, CSUN Chapter
GRADUATING SENIOR TAKES TOP COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY HONORS
Swapna Pawar[/img]Swapna Pawar wasn’t sure she wanted to study electrical engineering in college, but her sister convinced her it would be a good major, so she decided to give it a try. She discovered that she was good at it—so good that she consistently excelled at her studies and was named both the 2011-12 Distinguished College of Engineering and Computer Science Graduating Scholar and one of just four outstanding graduating seniors at the university. “I honestly wasn’t expecting it,” she says, “but it was a very proud moment.”
Her parents were in India and unable to attend her graduation, but they watched over the Internet. “I dedicated the award to them,” she explains. “It is my parents who inspire me. They have led me by example, and it gives me great pride to call myself their daughter.”
By the time she graduated, Pawar had gained some experience meeting challenges head on. She arrived in Southern California at 17 by herself—she had no family here, and it was her first time in the U.S.—and she found American higher education very different from what she had been accustomed to in India. But, she notes, “A lot of learning took place. I had great mentors in engineering and mathematics. And I made friends who I think will be friends for life.”
Until the demands of her senior year took up all of her time, she also played on the CSUN women’s tennis team. A national-level tennis player in India, Pawar was impressed with the CSUN players. “The time I spent on the team playing for CSUN was an honor and experience I won’t forget,” she says.
Although she had planned to work for a few years before entering graduate school, she decided instead to return to CECS for a master’s degree in engineering management, which will expose her to a different aspect of the engineering profession. She has also started a job on campus, as a facilities and resource manager in the Systems Engineering Research Laboratory (SERL). Whatever she does and wherever she goes, it’s clear that Swapna Pawar will continue to be a credit to the college and her alma mater.