Seniors Celebrate Their Achievements

As the Class of 2008 was busy showcasing their senior projects and studying for finals, senior Rebecca Kolberg was also tying up any loose ends for the Senior Ball, a major event of Senior Week. What is Senior Week? It's an exciting tradition that involves the whole graduating class in seven days of carefully balanced adventure and relaxation. "Everyone is going, going, going all year long, and most are taking heavy loads so they can't go out and have fun yet," says Kolberg. "Senior week is so great since it begins after all the hard work is done. You now have the time to relax and spend it with friends, many of whom you might not see for a while."

This year Senior Week began on Wednesday, May 14th with a cruise along the Hudson River. For three hours the members of the Class of 2008 sailed along the waters they are so accustomed to seeing from Castle Point, while enjoying dinner and DJ dancing too. Graduate Natalia Chabebe says the kick-off event was "a wonderful way to unite the senior class and let us relive the memories we made at Stevens. I can't think of a better way to have spent one of the last days before graduation than to be with friends cruising around the beautiful city that overlooks Hoboken."

The next evening was spent at local watering hole Willie McBrides of Hoboken-a perfect pub atmosphere for friends to unwind. Friday featured a sold-out bus trip to Atlantic City, the nightlife capital of South Jersey. Many students took in the sites, especially at the new and extravagant casinos, and most tried their hand at lady luck.

Over the weekend the class headed over to Medieval Times, a live action dinner experience that takes you back to a time of chivalrous knights and damsels in distress. The Stevens crew divided into two teams of lords and ladies, each cheering on their brave men through a battle of jousting and sword fighting.

The following morning was an early rise and shine for the annual whitewater rafting adventure of a lifetime. Kolberg remembers it being "hysterical! There we were on the Delaware, with the weather at a chilly 50 degrees and major overcast. At first no one wanted to get wet," but with the aid of their wet suits, everyone finally jumped right in. "We were even given squirt guns to shoot at the other rafts and buckets to dunk and hurl water at one another" says Kolberg. "Then the rain began...it was pouring...I couldn't stop laughing!"

Monday was the piece de resistance-the Senior Ball-a formal event at Liberty House where seniors say a heartfelt farewell to the college years surrounded by your friends, along with the faculty and administrators you've gotten to know so well during your time at Stevens.

After a night like that, sleeping in was the first priority on Tuesday. After lunch, the class spent the remainder of the day at videogame destination Dave and Busters where you "Eat, drink, and play hard!" The finale to the week was the annual President's Award Dinner with honors given by Stevens President Hal Raveche to a wide range of the Class of 2008 achievers.

By the close of the festive week, seniors knew the end was near. The following day they were graduating and then parting ways. Being from Hinkley, Ohio, Kolberg doesn't know when she will see her peers next. "Two are staying in the metro area: one using her dual degree in art and technology along with electrical engineering to focus on marketing at a tech company; the other is a financial analyst in the city. Four are mechanical engineers heading to Hamilton Sundstrand. Another is going to Seton Hall Law on scholarship while she serves on the Stevens Board of Trustees as the graduate representative, and another is going to serve a three-month tour in the Peace Corp." Quite the array of pursuits, but not unusual for well-rounded Stevens graduates.

Graduation Day
On May 22, New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine addressed one of Stevens' largest graduating classes ever. Approximately 370 undergraduates marched outdoors in a beautiful setting that respected tradition but included some technology flourishes such as live video from the stage displayed on a large screen.

"We are extremely pleased that Governor Jon Corzine addressed our seniors," said Stevens President Hal Raveche. "His words provided our graduating class with wisdom and memories that they will carry forward into the worlds of industry, research and post-graduate education, and draw upon for years to come." The Class of 2008 featured not one, but three students graduating with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages: Anthony Najem, Kresti Pecani, and Amanda Rogers.

After the Diploma
Now that the school year is officially over, where is the Class of 2008? Their achievements are quite impressive in this very competitive recruiting environment. Approximately 89.8% have told us that they are employed or plan to begin graduate or professional school in the fall. Overall, recruiting activity increased and starting salaries kept pace this year. The average starting salary for a Stevens 2008 graduate is $60,200. An increase is reflected across all academic disciplines with the average starting salary per discipline ahead of national averages.

Stevens graduates continue to be highly sought after by industry leaders. Approximately 63% of graduating seniors were able to choose from more than one job offer and an impressive 34% received 3 or more offers! The top employers of the Class of 2008 are:

• Accenture
• ADP
• BAE Systems
• Deutsche Bank
• Fort Monmouth
• Goldman Sachs
• Hamilton Sundstrand
• JPMorgan Chase
• Lehman Brothers
• MarketAxess
• NAVSEA
• Picatinny Arsenal
• Schering-Plough
• Schiavone Construction
• UBS Financial
• URS - Washington Division.

Approximately 11% of the Class of 2008 plans to further their education at prestigious universities including:

• Columbia University
• Lehigh University
• Rutgers Law School
• Seton Hall Law School
• Stevens Institute of Technology
• Temple University Medical School
• University of Michigan
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Lynn Insley, director of the Stevens Office of Career Development, thanks the families of the Class of 2008 for entrusting Stevens with their daughters' and sons' undergraduate education. "We enjoyed working with this class and are proud of their success in securing impressive career outcomes," says Insley. "They are off to a great start, and we look forward to hearing of their future accomplishments. I know they will continue to make us proud!"