Three College students chosen to address UChicago's Class of 2024
Fourth-years Arushi Mukherjee, Blessing Nnate, Nell Rydzewski to speak at Class Day on May 31
Planned by and for College graduates, Class Day will bring together University of Chicago students, friends and family on May 31 to recognize the accomplishments and experiences of the Class of 2024.
This year, fourth-year students Arushi Mukherjee, Blessing Nnate and Nell Rydzewski were selected by their peers to deliver remarks as part of the seventh annual ceremony. The event, which kicks off UChicago’s Convocation celebration, will be webcast on the UChicago News site, as well as the College's Facebook page, starting at 2 p.m. CT.
“Class Day is a celebration of our amazing class of graduating College students and their achievement,” said Melina Hale, dean of the College. “I am so impressed with who they are and all they have done at UChicago and look forward to honoring them alongside their families.”
Anna Chlumsky, AB‘02, originally scheduled to speak at Class Day, is unable to travel to Chicago due to an unforeseen change in her production schedule. She has instead recorded a greeting that will be played as part of Class Day festivities. Heidi Heitkamp, former U.S. senator and director of UChicago’s Institute of Politics, has been added to the program to address the Class of 2024, following the presentation of College awards.
Learn more about this year’s student speakers below:
Arushi Mukherjee
As a student in the College, Arushi Mukherjee majored in economics with a specialization in data science and minored in astrophysics.
Originally from Dallas, Mukherjee worked as a comparative analysis intern for the University’s Office of Science, Innovation, National Laboratories, and Global Initiatives for all four years at UChicago, and served as a resident dean assistant in the Woodlawn Residential Commons.
She loves to cook with her friends and spent considerable time at Bite Magazine, the University’s student-run culinary publication, most recently serving as editor-in-chief. Mukherjee said her college experience was memorable because of the people she met at UChicago, and she plans to show appreciation for those meaningful relationships during her speech.
“The impact my peers here have had on me is undeniable, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to learn from them,” she said. “They have become a part of us, and we will carry them with us into life after graduation. I’m so excited to see how my classmates make their mark on the world.”
After graduation, Mukherjee will move to New York City to work as a commercial banking analyst for Citibank.
Blessing Nnate
Blessing Nnate grew up in Northwest Indiana, but now calls Chicago her home. She is graduating with a degree in biological sciences, on the pre-med track.
During her time at UChicago, she has greatly enjoyed working as a research assistant with the Pocivavsek Lab, volunteering at nearby La Rabida Children’s Hospital, and serving as a residential assistant for UChicago’s Summer Session program.
In her free time, she enjoys cooking with friends and exploring Chicago’s coffee shop scene.
Nnate said her speech will reflect on the importance of finding community, which she said was a vital part of getting through the rigors of the UChicago curriculum—and overcoming the self-doubt that many students face when they start college.
“My time at UChicago has been a continual exercise in humility,” she said. “Being surrounded by wildly successful people can be very intimidating, but I’ve realized over the years that no one is performing side-by-side comparisons between people (or at least, no one should be). We’re all just trying our best to get through the Core, pursue our passions and hopefully get job security post graduation.”
Hoping to pursue a career in academic medicine, Nnate will be moving to Michigan after graduation to attend medical school.
Nell Rydzewski
Nell Rydzewski is an economics and cognitive science double major who will proudly graduate on June 1 alongside her twin sister, Sophie. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, she will leave UChicago with honors in cognitive science and a partially completed MBA from the Booth School of Business through the Accelerated Booth Scholars Program.
Her extracurricular involvements include the Blue Chips and Catholic Students Association, serving as treasurer for both the UChicago Quantum Society and the UChicago Skeptics Society and acting as both president and treasurer of the Polish American Students Association.
Rydzewski’s speech will focus on all the things she loves about UChicago, the reasons she chose this school to be her home and how it has chosen her back.
“This school has never been afraid to go against the grain in order to preserve its ideals and act as a place for intellectual exploration, and I've gotten the chance to benefit from that firsthand,” she said. “From the joys and triumphs to the small, quiet moments of my time here, I wanted to highlight the many gifts UChicago has given me—gifts in which our whole class has shared.”
She said the friends and memories she has made as a UChicago student will continue to shape her long into the future.
“UChicago has given me four full years of happiness, and as I embark on my career and a future I owe to this school, I will think of my time here as I have since the very first day of my first year: with gratitude,” she said.
After graduation, she will be returning to Morgan Stanley Mergers and Acquisitions Group, where she has previously interned, in New York City.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
