(WSVN) - For the first time in its 274-year history, Princeton University has named its first black valedictorian.
Nicholas Johnson, an operations research and financial engineer from Montreal, was named valedictorian of the university’s Class of 2020, a press release announced.
“It feels empowering. Being Princeton’s first black valedictorian holds special significance to me particularly given Princeton’s historical ties to the institution of slavery,” Johnson told CNN in an interview.
The university says Johnson plans to spend his summer interning as a hybrid quantitative researcher and software developer at D. E. Shaw Group, an investment and technology development firm.
He’ll eventually begin his Ph.D. studies in operations research this fall.
Johnson will attend a virtual commencement on May 31. An in-person ceremony will be held next year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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