Class of 2022 Beyond Graduation

Our undergraduate Class of 2022 will embark on a new journey after graduation on May 24, 2022. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we interviewed a few students about their plans post-graduation.

The students featured come from diverse backgrounds, interests, and their majors span all five of Minerva’s undergraduate colleges. Their stories illustrate the breadth of options and opportunities for Minerva students after graduation, whether it be to pursue a graduate program at universities such as Oxford and the California Institute of Technology or to join innovative companies like Google.

A common thread for our graduates is the long-term commitment to positively impact the communities in which they live as well as the world. We are looking forward to what the future holds for the Class of 2022.

Meet Simon

Simon is from Sweden and majored in Computational and Natural Sciences, focusing on Earth Systems, Data Science, and Statistics. After graduation, he will attend the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to complete his Ph.D. in Geochemistry.

“I want to be a part of something new. I want to think long and hard together with a team to discover something that nobody has done before and then implement it. Not just knowledge for the sake of knowledge but knowledge for creating something that can be implemented that can benefit society. After Minerva, I will complete a Ph.D. in geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Geochemistry has an implication for our understanding of planet Earth in the context of the solar system but also for climate change. I decided to go to Caltech because I can become an expert there. I knew I wanted to do a Ph.D. after completing Earth Systems’ courses in my sophomore year and through conversations with Minerva’s Coaching and Talent Development Team.” — Simon

Meet Verina

Verina is from Egypt and majored in Computational Sciences. She will join Google as a software engineer after graduation. In the future, Verina hopes to launch an ed-tech business to make education more accessible for youth in Egypt.

“I am really passionate about making education accessible to everyone in my home country of Egypt. I received a full scholarship from the Al Ghurair Foundation, which made my education at Minerva possible. I feel it is my responsibility to give back and give the opportunity I had to other people. Through education, I believe that is how we can build countries, build economies, and solve a lot of issues around the world. After Minerva, I will be working as a software engineer at Google, but in the long-term, I want to start my own company, so I can make education accessible to everyone using technology.” — Verina

Meet Natalia

Natalia is from Brazil and majored in Social Sciences. She will continue to build on her Minerva studies as she joins the University of Oxford to complete her Masters’s Degree in Psychological Research.

“I care about the democratization of science and bringing science to more diverse sectors. I want to make cognitive science leave the lab and come into our lives. After Minerva, I will be a student at the University of Oxford where I will complete a master’s in Psychological Research. Part of my goal in going to Oxford is to have time to take a deeper dive into more specific topics that I am interested in and that I have started to explore at Minerva. I want to figure out what type of research I can contribute most to and where I fit into the discipline.”

Meet Anuungo

Anuungo is from Mongolia and majored in both Business and Natural Sciences. Her academic path sparked her interest to start a business at the intersection of fashion and sustainability.

“I care about sustainability. I believe climate change is one of the most pressing global issues that we face today. I feel responsible to act because climate change is so intersectional and urgent. My understanding of climate change has deepened through living in five of Minerva’s rotation cities. I learned how the impact and perceptions of climate change vary in different local contexts, adding nuance and complexity. After I graduate, I want to learn as much as I can about sustainable fashion, design, problem-solving, and community building because in the long-term I hope to start my own business that tackles climate change.”

Meet Camila

Camila is from Brazil and she majored in both Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities. She will explore a career in human rights law.

“I really care about human rights, and you can tackle these from so many different fronts. With the education, I got from Minerva and my aspirations, I want to work with human rights law. I like to think about what legal obligations countries have with international law and how we can get them to do more. I may not have a law education yet, but Minerva equipped me with the frameworks and basics of international law. My Capstone project is about the responsibility of states to protect populations against the worst types of crimes and human rights violations. Right after Minerva, I want to work with international organizations, think tanks, and nonprofit organizations to start creating the impact that I care about, specifically improving decision making, nudging countries and leaders, and creating incentives for the development of rights. In a couple of years, I want to go to law school to further my studies.”

We are beyond excited for the graduating Class of 2022. Although their paths are very different, they are all driven by strong purpose and the desire to be active citizens. We are inspired by the stories we have heard so far and we are looking forward to sharing more alumni stories in the coming months.