Four years later, as quickly as it began, graduation is almost here and our time together is coming to an end. I’m personally graduating in December, but all around me, my friends from the Class of 2005 have been sharing with me their plans, hopes, and dreams for the future. Some of my friends are going to graduate school, while others plan to begin careers in business, engineering, or science. Some are not sure where the next few years will lead them, but are nonetheless excited to begin the journey.

As we make the transition from the world of education to work I believe it is important to step back and consider the choices we are making about our future. Each one of us has an infinite number of possibilities in front of us. Our time and how it is spent, is the most valuable possession we have, we should spend it wisely. Scientists and engineers have the additional responsibility of creating technologies that have the potential for drastically affecting our world.

As part of this process of figuring out what is important to you, and how you plan to spend your time over the next few years, I would like to invite you to consider signing a pledge that will be circulating over the next few weeks on behalf of a coalition of student organizations. This graduation pledge asks students “to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and to try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.” We feel that it is important for students to consider these issues while making decisions regarding their future employment. Similar pledges are a common part of commencement activities at other universities across the country.

The future is not something which is impossible to change, we are the ones who have the power to mold it. We have not only the freedom, but the responsibility to create a better world in which to live. Rensselaer has equipped us with the necessary tools; it is now up to us to figure out what we would like each of our own individual contributions to the world to be.

Nathan Woodhull