More than 500 Candidates Participate in May Commencement
Khan and Sweed recognized as 4.0 graduates
Dean Mark A. Smith with NSM 4.0 Summa Cum Laude Graduates, Wajiha Khan and Nathan
Sweed.
The College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) held its Spring Commencement on May 11 with more than 500 bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degree candidates crossing the stage. Held at 葫芦影业鈥檚 Hofheinz Pavilion, the ceremony also included UH鈥檚 Cullen College of Engineering and Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.
Nearly 40 doctoral candidates earned degrees in atmospheric science, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, geophysics, mathematics, or physics. In addition, approximately 120 NSM students were candidates for master鈥檚 degrees and 370 students were candidates for bachelor鈥檚 degrees.
During the ceremony, two NSM 4.0 summa cum laude graduates were recognized, Wajiha Khan, a biology major and psychology minor, and Nathan Sweed, a biochemistry major and chemistry minor. Khan and Sweed participated in the commencement opening procession serving as NSM鈥檚 Banner Bearers. As 4.0 students, both graduates had the honor of sitting on stage for commencement.
Khan, who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, graduated from Stratford High School. At the age of five, she decided she wanted to be a dentist and will pursue that lifelong dream in the fall when she enters the University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston. As a member of the UH American Student Dental Alliance, she was one of four students chosen to participate in the Texas Dental Association鈥檚 Legislative Day in Austin, where she lobbied for bills pertaining to dentistry and malpractice.
When asked about her experience at UH, Khan remarked that she loved being exposed to so much diversity. 鈥淏ecause of the many people I met here from different backgrounds, I鈥檝e learned so much about what the world has to offer, from different interests and career options, to the many ways people can impact the world,鈥� Khan said.
Sweed is from Sugar Land, Texas, and graduated from Hightower High School in Missouri City. He transferred to UH in 2009 from Bard College. Immediately after graduation, he will be conducting organic chemistry research with Dr. Benjamin Mosier at the Institute for Research, Inc., in Houston. He plans to attend medical school in the future.
While at UH, Sweed was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, a national collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, and received the chapter鈥檚 award for the highest GPA in his group of inductees. When he鈥檚 not in class or studying, Sweed works part-time as a caddy and maintains his 1974 Triumph motorcycle.
The experience that impacted him most at UH was working in the American Chemical Society Tutoring Center. Encouraged to become a tutor in 2009 by chemistry professor Dr. Simon Bott, Sweed has been the student in charge of the center since the summer of 2011. 鈥淩unning the tutoring center taught me how to work with people and how to take on responsibility and work without supervision,鈥� he said.
Sweed and Khan also served as keynote speakers at NSM鈥檚 Tribute to Scholars, Leaders and Partners in Excellence Luncheon on May 7.
- Kathy Major, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics