Syracuse University announced the spring 2019 commencement speaker for the College of Law, and convocation speakers for the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Information Studies.

Mary Spio, CEO and founder of virtual and augmented reality company CEEK VR, will speak at the College of Engineering and Computer Science and iSchool convocations on May 11, according to a SU News release.

Girls Who Code CEO and founder Reshma Saujani will speak at the College of Law commencement on May 10, per a different SU News release.

Born in Syracuse, Spio enlisted in the Air Force as a wideband and satellite communications technician before attending SU, according to the release. After graduating from the university with an electrical engineering degree in 1998, Spio attended Georgia Institute of Technology and earned a degree in electrical engineering and computer science.

Spio began her career working at satellite communications firms. During a project for NASA she designed and launched satellites into deep space. She later became head of satellite communication systems for the aerospace company Boeing, per the news release.

In 2017, SU presented Spio with the George Arents Award, according to the release. The award is given to “alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their chosen fields,” per SU’s website. She has also been recognized as one of NBC News 100 History Makers in the Making and received IEEE Design and Yueh-Ying Hu Memorial National Awards for Innovation.

Saujani, who will speak at the law school commencement, started Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that helps young women gain computing skills, in 2012. According to the SU News release, the nonprofit had worked with more than 90,000 girls from the U.S., Canada and United Kingdom by the end of 2018.

In 2010, Saujani ran an unsuccessful congressional campaign, becoming the first Indian-American woman to run for Congress, per the release. She was also a deputy public advocate for New York City.

Saujani currently serves on the Board of Overseers for the International Rescue Committee, which gives aid to victims of humanitarian crises, according to the release. She is also on the board for She Should Run, a nonprofit that encourage women to run for public office, and serves as an ex-officio trustee of the Museum of Modern Art.

She has published three books — “Brave, Not Perfect,” “Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World” and “Women Who Don’t Wait in Line: Break the Mold, Lead the Way” — and presented “Teach girls bravery, not perfection,” a TED talk on how girls are raised.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science’s convocation will start at 8:30 a.m. in the Manley Field House, and the iSchool’s will start at noon at Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center. The College of Law’s commencement will occur at 11 a.m. in the Carrier Dome.

Published on March 17, 2019 at 7:34 pm

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu