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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Thank you to all the faculty who voted!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>This year’s COE Valedictorian is Henok Tadesse, from the ECE Department.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>COE Commencement will take place on Saturday, May 17<sup>th</sup> at 5pm. Graduating students should begin arriving by 415; the procession into Viejas arena will begin promptly at 4:45pm. Rehearsal will be on Thursday, May 15<sup>th</sup> at 2:30pm in Viejas arena. I recommend that graduate students, especially any Ph.D.s, department chairs, outstanding student for each department, deans and participating faculty attend rehearsal. If we are expecting any Ph.D. graduates, let me know ASAP for inclusion in commencement script. In addition, if the commencement speaker is available, I recommend he attend rehearsal as well. This year’s commencement speaker is Mr. Douglas E. Barnhart, Chairman, Barnhart Family of Companies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Please let me know if you are planning to attend and participate in commencement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Thank you,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Theresa M. Garcia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Interim Assistant Dean<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>SDSU College of Engineering<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Theresa Garcia [mailto:tgarcia@mail.sdsu.edu] <br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, April 21, 2014 9:12 AM<br><b>To:</b> faculty@kahuna.sdsu.edu<br><b>Cc:</b> Monte Mehrabadi (mehrabadi@sdsu.edu); 'Nagy Nosseir'; 'Ken Walsh'; K Morsi (kmorsi@mail.sdsu.edu); tummala@egr.sdsu.edu; Donovan Geiger (dgeiger@mail.sdsu.edu); bwesterm@mail.sdsu.edu<br><b>Subject:</b> VALEDICTORIAN - FACULTY VOTE<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Greetings College of Engineering Faculty,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The end of spring 2014 is near and we are getting closer to commencement. It is time again for the faculty members to vote on the <b><i>COE valedictorian</i></b>. The valedictorian is selected from one of the four department level outstanding students. Below you will find the four outstanding students selected by each department (1 per dept.) with a short bio provided either by the student or by the department. Please submit your ‘single’ vote to me by replying to this email. <b><u>Your deadline to vote is 4pm on Tuesday, April 22, 2014</u></b>. I realize there are numerous activities going on in COE at this time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Your timely vote is important!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Theresa M. Garcia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Interim Assistant Dean<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>SDSU College of Engineering<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b>________________________________</b><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> AE CANDIDATE</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Candidate: Jeromey Suko</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>GPA: Major – 3.74; Cum – 3.63</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Remarks:</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:41.05pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In 2005 I enlisted in the United States Navy as an Avionics Technician.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:77.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Deployed to the Middle East aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln with Helicopter Combat Search and Rescue Squadron 12 in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:77.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Received a Commanding Officer Commendation Letter in2008, honorable discharge in 2009 as well as the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for outstanding service. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:41.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Internships at General Atomic Electromagnetic Division in 2010, Pratt and Whitney Power systems in 2011, and United Launch Alliance in 2012 & 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:41.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>President of Sigma Gamma Tau in 2011. During his tenure, the society volunteered to paint the AE Department floor and Jeromey led a major effort to recruit 15 new Aerospace Engineering Honors students into the society.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:41.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Manufacturing Leader of the AIAA Design Build Fly Team (2011) and Project Manager of the DBF team in 2012-2013. The team came in 2<sup>nd</sup> place among 80 teams in the 2013 AIAA International Competition. As a team manager, Jeromey oversaw numerous upgrades to the Aerospace Lab where the team does its building including the installation of the school’s new $10,000 dollar CNC Foam hot wire <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:77.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In fall of 2013, Jeremey continued his involvement with the DBF team as Assistant Project Manager in an effort to mentor a new group of students. He also continued his involvement with the S-STEM program in developing a simulation tool to rapidly validate preliminary aircraft design.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:77.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>o<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Awarded the Associated Engineering Student Council AE Student of the Year Award as well as the Outstanding Contribution Award for the SDSU local chapter of the AIAA during the 2012-2013.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin-left:41.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>·<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Accepted a job offer with United Launch Alliance as a Guidance Navigation and Control Engineer where he will start shortly after graduation.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b>__________________________________<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>CCE CANDIDATE</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Candidate: Alec Rivera</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>GPA: Major – 3.97; Cum – 3.93</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Remarks:</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In fall of 2012 I transferred to San Diego State University from Palomar College with a GPA of 3.92. Since transferring, I have achieved a GPA of 3.96, have been involved in ASCE, and have had three internships. I began interning with Flatiron Construction, a heavy civil contractor, in 2009 after winning their “Build-A-Bridge Competition.” I stayed with Flatiron Construction until the summer of 2013 when I decided to try a design internship with Dokken Engineering, a transportation design consultant. I am now interning with Quality Infrastructure Corporation, another transportation design consultant, and plan to continue with them full-time upon graduation.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b>__________________________________<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ECE CANDIDATE</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Candidate: Henok Tadesse</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>GPA: Major – 3.99; Cum – 3.99</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Remarks:</span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>He stood first in every class he has taken in the ECE department. Henok showed immense maturity in assignments and demonstrates outstanding capability in his thinking, analysis and execution skills. Henok would often come to my office to discuss the subject area of Computer Networks and his career goals. Those conversations brought out crucial aspects of Henok’s abilities. I was impressed with his ability to get into the groove of technical details to the extent that he did. Moreover, I believe, he has the tenacity and the eye for detail that is extremely crucial in achieving success as a researcher, obviously, along with technical clarity. In terms of his performance in class, Henok showed sincere dedication and tremendous hard work and achieved more than I thought he would be able to. The kind of questions that he used to ask in the classroom during my lectures told me that Henok had the ability to get to the heart of the matter very quickly. I was also impressed at how fast he would grasp (and not just absorb) a new idea/concept/algorithm. Henok is a smart individual and as per my interaction with him, I think he is very well suited and prepared to undertake the rigorous challenge of the graduate program at any institution.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Henok is an immigrant from Ethiopia and needed some adjustment to the American style of teaching. He also has to support himself by working while taking classes. In spite of this, he has achieved the highest GPA (3.99) in our department . Most of us know how difficult it is for any student to accomplish this. For these reasons, not only do I recommend him for an outstanding student from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering but also recommend him as an outstanding student from the College of Engineering.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b>__________________________________<o:p></o:p></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>ME CANDIDATE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Candidate: Sumedha Weerasuriya</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>GPA: Major – 3.98; Cum – 3.85</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Remarks:</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;border:currentColor'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Sumedha Weerasuriya, a mechanical engineering major from Sri Lanka, has viewed his time at San Diego State University (SDSU), as the ideal opportunity, to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of the surrounding world. “It is all about perspective”, says Weerasuriya, “If one goes to class and views the material being taught as the; knowledge gathered and preserved by the brilliant minds of the past generations, then, it is almost impossible to not want to try and fully understand it”. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In his years at SDSU, Weerasuriya has received Dean’s list semester honors for every semester, been elected for membership in all multi-disciplinary honor societies ( Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key and Mortar Board) as well as the engineering specific honor society of Tau Beta Pi, and has been the recipient of the Shiley Bioengineering scholarship. However, perhaps his two most notable achievements are, being the 2nd engineering student in the history of SDSU, to receive the Henry L. Janssen, honors council award, and being awarded a presidential award for his research in the Advanced Materials Processing Laboratory (AMPLE) at SDSU. He also holds a patent as one of the inventors of the technology developed through this research. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In the spring of 2014, Weerasuriya will be recognized as an outstanding student by the college of engineering and will receive Summa Cum Laude honors upon graduation.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p><b>__________________________________</b><br clear=all><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center;line-height:150%'><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Courier New";color:red'>Please vote for one (1)</span></b><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Courier New";color:#1F497D'> BY 4PM ON APRIL 22, 2014</span></b><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Courier New";color:red'>!!</span></b><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br />--
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