Nearly four years ago, Will Smith made his first trip to Francis Olympic Field for Bear Beginnings orientation. Surrounded by the nearly 2,000 members of the WashU Class of 2025, he was hopeful, excited and a little nervous. On May 12, he returned — a new person overcome by the old emotions.
“I couldn’t know it then, but WashU was the right place for me,” said Smith, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the McKelvey School of Engineering. “I know it’s a cliche, but the people here really do get to know you by name and story. Whenever I needed help or support, my professors and friends were there. I feel like I’m leaving here a new person, a changed person.”
Smith and classmates Jenna Nguyen, Kate Sifferlen and John Yeldham chronicled the university’s 164th Commencement for The Source, capturing Olympian Simone Biles’ address, flying mortar boards and smiling friends. They were first profiled in 2021 for the story “Meet the Class of 2025” after they happened to sit near each other at Francis Field to cheer on the men’s soccer team.
“So much has happened between then and now,” Smith said.
During his four years, Smith discovered his passion for neurotechnology, joined the WashU Robotics Club and volunteered for Books and Basketball, tutoring local children. Smith has accepted a position as a design quality engineer in Abbott Laboratories and aspires to earn a PhD in biomedical engineering, perhaps at WashU.
Friend and classmate Nguyen also will graduate with an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering as well as a graduate degree in mechanical engineering. She is joining McMaster-Carr Supply Co. in Cleveland. At WashU, she served as a resident advisor, a leader in the Society of Women Engineers, a chair of the biomedical engineering student advisory board and received honors in innovation and entrepreneurship from the Skandalaris Center. Nguyen, of Phoenix, spoke at the first-generation student recognition ceremony about the spirit of resilience she inherited from her father, a Vietnam refugee who came to America in his fishing boat.
“He faced so many uncertainties and, as a first-generation student, I did too,” Nguyen said. “I found people here to help guide me. The BME (biomedical engineering) workload is pretty tough, so you need to develop resilience and to lean on your community. It has been challenging, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m leaving with great memories and great friends.”
Sifferlen, of Indianapolis, will leverage her studies in marketing and business analytics at Olin Business School in her new role at Fairlife in Chicago. She loved her Olin experience — serving for three years as a teaching assistant for Eli Snir’s managerial statistics class; working with local businesses and nonprofits in her experiential learning course; the practical support she received as she built her professional network. And, of course, Fridays off.
“I think one of the things I’ll miss most is hanging out with friends on Mudd Field on a beautiful day when everyone is out, having fun,” Sifferlen said. “Those moments are the one-of-a kind experiences you really only get in college.”
Yeldham, who majored in environmental policy and in Spanish in Arts & Sciences, will enjoy those moments for a few more years as a student at WashU Law. As an undergraduate, he participated in WashU Mock Trial and interned at the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and, later, as a Gephardt Institute St. Louis Fellow at the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center.
Yeldam also discovered new interests, taking African and African American studies classes in Arts & Sciences with Senior Lecturer El Hadji Samba Diallo and hosting a radio show on KWUR, the campus radio station.
Yeldham reflected on those experiences and the friends he made in and outside of the classroom in his address at the Arts & Sciences recognition ceremony. Like Smith, he recalls that soccer match on Francis Field and the person he once was.
“It feels like both a long time ago and not that long ago,” Yeldham said. “I remember meeting all of these new people. And that never really stopped. Throughout my time at WashU, I’ve continued to meet new people and do all of these new things. I am a different person now.”
