Engineering Major Named One of Six Valedictorians

At Sunday’s commencement ceremony, six valedictorians and four salutatorians will be recognized for earning the highest grade point averages in the Class of 2019.

“These exceptional students exemplify the curiosity of mind and intellectual engagement with the world that are among Dartmouth’s highest values,” says Kathryn Lively, interim dean of the College. “They have made Dartmouth proud.”

To become a valedictorian, students must earn a 4.0 grade point average. This year, Liu “Nicole” Chen ’19, Andrew Liu ’19, Anant Mishra ’19, Siyuan “Sonia” Qin ’19, Alexander Sullivan ’19, and Ruoni Wang have achieved this distinction. At commencement, they will march to the Green at the head of the class of 2019 and be recognized from the podium for academic excellence.

Alexander Sullivan ’19

St. Albans, Vt.
Engineering Sciences major modified with Economics

What’s next: Starts as an analyst at Philadelphia-based private equity firm Graham Partners in July

“Dartmouth gives you the freedom to explore lots of different interests. I was drawn to engineering because I’ve always liked problem solving and I like the creativity it requires. There’s always more than one way to solve a problem. But sophomore year I started taking more economics classes, which is how the modified major developed. With economics, I like the interconnectedness of everything—how you have to take into account so many different variables and aspects of human behavior. Another big part of my time at Dartmouth was being part of the alpine ski team, which was incredibly rewarding. You’re with a very driven group of individuals, all pursuing similar goals. Our team was great at supporting each other and pushing each other to be better every day. The tight bonds I formed with my teammates are really special. I love skiing for the freedom it gives you in general, but I also like being able to see improvements in technique over time and having something that I’m always pushing myself to do a little better each day. That’s something I try apply to other areas of my life.”