MIT Black Graduation
Celebrating the Class of 2018
By Michelle Harton SM ’83, BAMIT Chair
“We were family, as we always have been, as we will remain.”
The MIT Black Graduate Celebration (BGC) Black Graduate Celebration was held on Friday, April 20, 2018 in the Kirsch Auditorium in MIT’s Stata Center. The BGC is always an occasion filled with some measure of pomp and circumstance, as this event marks a major accomplishment in the lives of our ambitious and dedicated students — graduation from MIT. But this year’s BGC was even more special than usual because it marked the first in a weekend of memorable events celebrating the 50th Reunion of the MIT Black Students Union (BSU).
Amidst all of the festivities and scripted events, from the very beginning there was a sense of family that was undeniable. I (Michelle Harton) served as the Mistress of Ceremonies, and began the weekend with a single word — Welcome — and a proud WaKanda salute. The audience returned my greeting with their own WaKanda salute. Thus, began our celebration of the BSU, The Road to 50: Dedication, Perseverance, Excellence.
It did in fact feel as if we had all entered that hidden door to the mythic land of Wakanda where Black “Dedication, Perseverance, and Excellence” are the accepted norm. This sense of belonging permeated the entire evening.
We had become one community once again, bonded by our shared experiences and vision of progress. We were family, as we always have been, as we will remain.
During this year’s BGC, with 178 persons in attendance, we had the pleasure of celebrating over fifty Black MIT graduates and welcoming over fifty Black MIT admitted students representing the class of 2022. In addition, several alumni returning for the BSU 50 Reunion weekend, alongside Faculty, Staff, Administrators and friends who were in attendance. After welcoming the graduates and congratulating the Black admitted students, we recognized their accomplishments and wished them the best in their future endeavors.
Next, we received remarks from several individuals. BAMIT Board Vice Chair Robert Love read a congratulatory letter to the graduates from MIT President Rafael Reif. We were also honored to hear from Ms. Whitney Espich, the new CEO of the MIT Alumni Association, and MIT Vice President Kirk Kolenbrander. All remarks were thoughtful and inspirational. Many of the remarks recognized the 50 years of contributions that the Black Students’ Union has made to the Institute, while also offering words of advice to our students.
For the second year, we asked the students to nominate one of their peers to deliver a graduation speech at the celebration.
The undergraduate student representative was Bettina Arkhurst, and the graduate student representative was Ty Austin. Both spoke passionately and genuinely about their experiences at the Institute, touching on lessons they learned, challenges they navigated, and successes they enjoyed.
They spoke of their road and their path through MIT. They challenged their fellow graduates to continue to make a difference in the world in which they were now entering.
These students, representative of their peers, were so very eloquent. Their comments were genuine, sincere, insightful, hopeful, and inspirational. They spoke to what one can do when one cares to act and be involved. Whether an act is small or large, it can make a large impact.
We are so proud of these students and their accomplishments.
After the student addresses, we were blessed with words from our keynote speaker, Dr. Cato Laurencin. Dr. Laurencin has a long and illustrious biography (shared below at the end of this article). Simply discussing the inspiring accomplishments noted on his biography would have been more than enough. However, Dr. Laurencin went above and beyond, weaving a presentation of his groundbreaking medical research with words of wisdom.
He shared stories of his personal life, and lessons learned from family, from the students that he mentors and supports, and even from his role as the founder of the Regenerative Engineering Society. With humor and transformative insight, he also shared some of his experiences serving as the ring side doctor for boxing matches, including lessons learned from Mike Tyson.
By this point in the program, I was simply overwhelmed. All of the speeches were both powerful and heartfelt. For a moment, I was simply speechless as I allowed all of the knowledge and wisdom to sink in. Transformative! But then, again, we were in WaKanda.
After presenting Dr. Cato Laurencin with a Kente stole, we announced that BAMIT would be contributing $200.00 to the Helen I. Moorehead-Laurencin MD Research Fellowship Fund at the University of Connecticut. This fund was created by Dr. Laurencin and his wife in honor of his mother, Helen. The fund supports students from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine who have demonstrated academic achievement and are conducting summer research projects. The goal is to foster continued mentorship between students and established researchers and/or clinicians at the UConn Health Center.
We also recognized the contributions of Prof. Edmund Bertschinger to BAMIT by presenting him with a Kente stole.
He has been so supportive of BAMIT initiatives in his role as the ICEO. As he steps down from this post, we thank him for all of his contributions to our mission.
Finally, we arrived at the part of the program where we recognize our Black graduates one-by-one by gifting them with individual Kente stoles. We called to the floor our “Waymakers” — persons that have made and continue to make significant contributions to our community.
This year, the Kente stoles were passed out by: Robert Love, BAMIT Vice Chair; Elaine Harris, Former BAMIT Chairperson; Ernie Cohen, BAMIT founder who has earned a red jacket commemorating being an alumnus for at least 50 years (Cohen graduated in 1964); Dr. Cato Laurencin, Keynote Speaker; Dr. Wesley Harris, MIT Professor (and I know this name is already in use, but Wes is “our Rock”); Ms. Dionetta Jones-Crayton, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Director of the Office of Minority Education; and Dean Blanche Staton, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education.
As each student received their stole, the torch was being passed on to them to make a difference in the lives of others.
Finally, the students were left with a charge. They were reminded of the many shoulders upon which they stand, over 50 years of Black MIT graduates who have opened doors and braved new trails. In a time when we do not know what will happen from day to day, our students were challenged to stand up and step out for justice, for humanity, and for community.
They were reminded that they live in the time of WaKanda. Black dedication, Black perseverance, Black integrity, Black honor, Black intelligence, Black innovation and Black commitment to Excellence are all front and center for the whole world to see.
These attributes are needed now more than ever to help guide our world toward a brighter future. The graduates were challenged to live with excellence and always strive to be the standard that will guide the future generation. For now, the world knows what we have known all along, Wakanda is not only forever, Wakanda is for real.
In closing, the BGC was a success, a true family gathering in Wakanda style. In fact, we received so many requests for additional Kente stoles that we ran out. We look forward to continuing our tradition next year.
Caring deeply for you and yours, most sincerely,
Michelle Harton SM ‘83
BAMIT National Chairperson & BGC Team Lead
Black Graduate Celebration Team Lead
Michelle Harton SM ’83 earned a Bachelor of Science from Tennessee State University and an SMEE from MIT, both in Electrical Engineering. She also holds a Masters in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University. After over 25 years in Speech Telephony research at Motorola, Harton became a dedicated math educator in the Chicago Public Schools. She is co-founder of the Math Academy for African-American students. Her honors include: a 2001 Motorola CEO for Volunteerism Award; a 2007 MIT MLK Leadership Award — won alongside her husband and fellow MIT alum Austin Harton ’78, SM ’79, PhD ’88 — and a 2017 MIT Alumni Association Harold E. Lobdell ’17 Distinguished Service Award. The Hartons are also proud parents of MIT alumnae Renee Harton ’07 (Course VIII: Physics) and Marie Harton ’10 (Course V: Chemistry).
Acknowledgements
- MIT Alumni Association — special thanks to Moana Bentin, our MITAA liaison
- Prof. Edmund Bertschinger, ICEO, Course VIII
- Jessica Ch’ng, Assistant Director of Admissions, MIT Admissions Office
- DiOnetta Jones Crayton, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education MIT Office of Minority Education
- Whitney Espich, CEO, MIT Alumni Association
- Dr. Marie Harton, SB ’10 Course VII
- Elaine Harris, SB ’78 Course X
- Quinnton Harris, SB ’11 Course II-A
- Dr. Kirk Kolenbrander, Vice President of the Institute, Course III MIT Office of the President
- Corban Swain Photography
BAMIT BGC Planning Committee
- Michelle Harton, BAMIT Team Lead
- K’Andrea Bickerstaff
- Dr. Kelvin Frazier
- Robert Love
Keynote Speaker Biography
Dr. Cato Laurencin, MD, PhD
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is the 8th designated Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Laurencin is a University Professor at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Laurencin earned his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from the MIT where he was named a Hugh Hampton Young Fellow. Dr. Laurencin earned his M.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the Harvard Medical School.
Named one of the 100 Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Dr. Laurencin is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Materials Research Society, and an International Fellow in Biomaterials Science and Engineering, as well as a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He has been awarded the Percy Julian Medal by the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChe). Dr. Laurencin is a member of the editorial boards of 25 journals, and is the Editor-in-Chief of Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine.
Dr. Laurencin is the recipient of two Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Awards from NSF. He has received the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for his transformative work in Regenerative Engineering. Dr. Laurencin has been honored by the White House on three occasions. He received the Presidential Faculty Fellow Award from President Bill Clinton for his work bridging engineering and medicine. He received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Engineering, Science and Math Mentoring from President Barack Obama. More recently, he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama.
Dr. Laurencin has two awards named in his honor: The Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. Travel Fellowship Award and The Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Achievement Award. Dr. Laurencin is an elected member of both the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. Internationally, he is an elected Fellow (Associate) of the African Academy of Sciences, an elected Fellow (Foreign) of the India National Academy of Engineering and the India National Academy of Sciences and he is a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences. Dr. Laurencin is an Academician and Member (Foreign) of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Black MIT Graduates
- Chantal Acacio SB, Mechanical Engineering, Management Sciences
- Pelkins Ajanoh SB, Robotics
- Sarah Aladetan BS Humanities & Engineering
- Samantha Amey-Gonzalez SB, Biology
- Bettina Arkhust SB, Mechanical Engineering
- Kosi Aroh Ph.D., Chemical Engineering
- Ty Austin SM, Architecture
- Emmanual Azuh BASc, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
- Isaiah Borne SB, Chemical Engineering
- Oluwatosin Bosede MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Nichole Clarke SB, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering
- Yoeal Efrem BASc, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Material Science and Engineering
- Ekow Essel MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Nana-Efua Essuman SB, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Biology
- Brook Eyob SB, Chemical Engineering
- Ayomide Fatunde SB, Chemical Engineering
- Michael Feffer SB, Computer Science and Engineering
- Tiffany Ferguson SM, City Planning
- Fabrice Fils-Aime SB, Nuclear Science & Engineering
- Danielle Finney BS/SB, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Biology
- Selam Gano SB, Robotics
- Chloe Garden BASc, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Material Science and Engineering
- Elizabeth Gaylord SB, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering
- Shawn Goodin MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Tsehai Grell Ph.D., Chemistry
- Kristina Hill SB, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
- Solan Israel-Megerssa SB, Aerospace Engineering
- Kelly Jackson MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Michael Kitcher SB, Material Science & Engineering
- Jonathan Lovett MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Chanell Madison SB, Mechanical Engineering
- Amaka Nneji MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Nitah Onsongo SB Computer Science & Mathematics
- Oghenefejiro Oruerio SB, Mechanical Engineering
- Ade Samuel BS, Chemical Engineering
- Alexandra Shade SB, Robotics
- Rex Shepherd SB, Aerospace Engineering
- Emily Stanford BASc, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Material Science and Engineering
- Isaiah Udotong SB, Robotics
- Faye-Marie Vassel Ph.D., Biology
- Doreen Mashu MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Douglas McPherson SM, City Planning
- Tia Vice SM, City Planning
- Colin Webb SB, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Robotics
- Kristopher Wiggins BS, Chemical Engineering
- Solomon Ope MBA, Sloan School of Management
- Robert Zabala BS, Chemical Engineering
