Meet the Wentworth Institute Students Headlining Summer Commencement and Their Advice for Student Success

Every August, families, faculty, and friends gather to watch a new class of graduates cross the commencement stage. This year, Wentworth Institute of Technology holds its Summer Commencement on Thursday, August 13 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts, with ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. At the center of those ceremonies are five members of the Class of 2026 whose achievements show what student success looks like in practice: two student speakers, two national anthem performers, and the recipient of the Institute’s highest undergraduate academic honor.

Their stories span computer information systems, construction management, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and biomedical engineering. They are scholar-athletes, first-generation college students, vocalists, and campus leaders who came to the university from across the United States and beyond. More importantly, each offered direct, practical advice for incoming students arriving in September—advice worth reading whether you are a prospective student weighing college options, a current student planning next semester, or a parent supporting a child through the college years.

If you want to see how a career-focused education comes together, explore Wentworth Institute of Technology’s degree programs and connect with the admissions team to learn where your own goals might fit.

Meet the Graduates Taking the Stage at Wentworth’s Summer Ceremonies

Hugo Hernandez Chavez: First-Generation Student Turned Student Speaker

Chavez, who speaks at the morning ceremony, graduates with a degree in Computer Information Systems. A first-generation college student and an immigrant from Mexico, he arrived at Wentworth interested in educational access and in using technology to help other students—a theme that ran through all four of his years on campus.

He completed three co-op experiences with Harvard University Information Technology as a technical support engineer, progressing from field support to the walk-in desk and back again. He also brought an entrepreneurial streak to campus, testing his ideas in Accelerate’s Rapid Pitch competition.

His advice to new students begins with a decision that redirected his own four years. “Don’t confine yourself within the walls of your major,” Chavez said. He recommends taking electives early that have nothing to do with your major, because it is the one thing you will not have room for later—and it is often where you stumble onto the people or ideas that end up mattering most.

Nicolas Patrick Cullinan: Beatty Award Winner and Two-Sport Scholar-Athlete

The Beatty Award, named for Dr. H. Russell Beatty—Wentworth’s third principal and first president, who led the Institute from 1953 to 1971—goes to the graduating undergraduate with the highest overall academic achievement. Cullinan earned it with a 4.0 cumulative GPA across four years, a perfect record built while competing on two NCAA Division III teams.

A four-year member of both the men’s ice hockey and baseball programs, Cullinan made the Conference of New England Baseball All-Conference Second Team as a junior and again as a senior. In his final year he was named Conference of New England Scholar Athlete of the Year in both sports, and when the baseball team reached the conference tournament, he took home the “Elite 21” award for the highest GPA in the field.

Academically, he concentrated in Commercial Real Estate with a minor in Business Management, was inducted into the Sigma Lambda Chi International Construction Honor Society as a junior, and served as vice president for this year’s induction ceremony. He also received the President’s Award for Academic Excellence and Co-Curricular Involvement in the Construction Management program. Both of his co-ops were spent at Gilbane Building Company, working with project management and field operations teams on the HarbourVest office renovation and the Shattuck Hospital replacement projects—and he returns to Gilbane full-time this fall as a field engineer.

His message to incoming students is straightforward: “Simply keep showing up every single day, through the good times and the bad.” There will be incredible highs and tremendous lows, he notes, but every moment and every lesson allows you to grow in ways you did not think were possible. Find the people who will stand by you in the tough times, and be there for them when they need you.

Dylan Brandano: Mechanical Engineer, Vocalist, and Morning Ceremony Singer

Brandano graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Manufacturing—and he will sing the national anthem at the morning ceremony. During his time at Wentworth, he developed as a vocalist and a self-taught guitar player while remaining a fixture in club and intramural athletics, playing rugby and competing across Wentworth and the Colleges of the Fenway.

After graduation, he plans to work in mechanical engineering and eventually pursue a master’s degree in the field. His advice to new students is to say yes to everything. “It is a privilege to be busy,” Brandano said—meet up with friends, play club sports, participate in school events, and take every opportunity to get involved, because four years from now you will look back and wish you had said yes more often.

Amanda Zweifler: Civil Engineering Speaker and Volleyball Record-Holder

Zweifler, the afternoon ceremony’s student speaker, spent her co-ops in the construction industry, building hands-on experience in project engineering, field operations, and project management. On the volleyball court, she earned Libero of the Year honors as a senior and became just the sixth player in Wentworth history to record more than 1,000 career digs. She is a member of Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi, and the Wentworth Honor Society.

When asked what she will carry forward, Zweifler points to the team atmosphere: the support, the energy, and the people who come together to celebrate each other’s success. Winning the conference for the first time in five years showed her how much hard work and belonging to a close team can mean—a memory she describes as one she will always carry with her. She will pursue graduate studies while serving as an assistant coach for the Wentworth women’s volleyball team.

Jocelyn Salzman: Biomedical Engineer and A Cappella Leader

Salzman came to Wentworth from Vancouver, Washington, and graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering. She sang with The Sirens a cappella group for three years, including five semesters as vice president, and will perform the anthem at the afternoon ceremony. After graduation, she joins the Biomedical Engineering Department at Massachusetts General Hospital—one of the leading academic medical centers in the USA.

Four Lessons in Student Success from the Class of 2026

Read together, these five stories offer more than ceremony highlights. They offer a playbook that any student—current or prospective—can apply.

Look Beyond the Boundaries of Your Major

Chavez’s advice to take unrelated electives early reflects a broader truth about how careers actually unfold. Technology problems intersect with psychology, business, design, and communication. A computer information systems graduate who took a course in ethics or entrepreneurship often discovers interests that shape an entire career. Early semesters are the only window when elective space is genuinely abundant; requirements tighten as majors progress. Treat those early electives as strategic exploration, not filler.

Consistency Beats Motivation

A 4.0 GPA is impressive on its own. A 4.0 GPA maintained across four years of Division III hockey and baseball is a study in systems over willpower. Cullinan’s advice to keep showing up points to the real engine of academic achievement. High performers are not uniformly motivated; they are consistently present. They attend the 8 a.m. lecture, they keep their office-hours appointments, and they submit drafts on schedule even when the work feels routine. Over four years, that consistency compounds into results that talent alone cannot match.

Treat Involvement as a Privilege, Not an Obligation

Brandano’s “say yes” philosophy reframes a packed calendar as an opportunity rather than a burden. Students who join clubs, play intramural sports, and attend campus events build three things simultaneously: a network, a resume, and a store of memories that make the hard semesters worthwhile. Research on college retention consistently shows that students who feel connected to campus communities persist at higher rates. The involvement itself is the retention strategy.

Find Your People Before You Need Them

Both Cullinan and Zweifler emphasized relationships—finding people who will support you in tough times and celebrating shared wins together. Whether it is a volleyball team winning a conference title for the first time in five years or an a cappella group rehearsing week after week, belonging to something larger than yourself provides accountability, encouragement, and perspective. Build those connections in your first semester, before challenges arrive.

Which of these lessons resonates most with your own experience? Share your best piece of college advice in the comments below—your insight might be exactly what an incoming first-year needs to read.

How Co-op Experiences Build Career-Ready Graduates

A pattern runs through every graduate profiled here: real professional experience before graduation. Chavez completed three co-ops at Harvard University Information Technology. Cullinan spent two co-ops at Gilbane Building Company on active construction sites. Zweifler rotated through project engineering, field operations, and project management roles. Salzman steps directly into Massachusetts General Hospital’s Biomedical Engineering Department.

This is the defining feature of a Wentworth education. The university’s co-op model places students in professional positions related to their field, often for full semesters, before they graduate. The benefits are concrete: students test career directions before committing to them, graduate with resumes that list real employers, and build professional networks that frequently convert into full-time offers—Cullinan’s return to Gilbane as a field engineer is a textbook example.

For prospective students comparing universities, this model deserves close attention. Ask how many co-op rotations a program includes, which employers partner with the school, and how the careers office supports the search. The answers will tell you more about post-graduation outcomes than any ranking. Have questions about how a co-op-based education works in practice? Schedule a campus visit to see the labs, studios, and career support services firsthand, or reach out to the admissions team directly.

Balancing Academics, Athletics, and the Arts

It is worth pausing on what these graduates managed simultaneously. Cullinan earned the highest academic award in his class while carrying the demands of two varsity sports. Zweifler recorded more than 1,000 career digs while completing rigorous civil engineering coursework and multiple co-ops. Brandano pursued an engineering degree while teaching himself guitar and singing publicly. Salzman led an a cappella group’s executive board for five semesters while completing a biomedical engineering degree.

The lesson is not that students should do everything at maximum intensity. It is that time management is a learnable skill, and that structured commitments—teams, ensembles, honor societies—often improve academic performance rather than detract from it, because they impose rhythm and accountability on unstructured time. Students who struggle in their first year frequently benefit less from dropping activities and more from adding structure: fixed study blocks, regular advising appointments, and communities that expect them to show up.

Planning Your Own Route to Commencement

Commencement ceremonies mark an ending, but the habits that carry students to the stage begin years earlier. For students and families starting that process now, the experiences of the Class of 2026 suggest a practical sequence:

• Explore broadly early. Use your first year to take varied electives and test interests, as Chavez recommends.
• Build your support network immediately. Identify teammates, lab partners, and mentors who will be there during difficult weeks.
• Pursue hands-on experience relentlessly. Treat co-op searches and internships as core coursework, not extras.
• Show up consistently. Attendance and steady effort outperform bursts of motivation every time.
• Say yes to reasonable opportunities. Involvement compounds into skills, friendships, and stories.

A Celebration Worth Studying

Thursday’s ceremonies at MGM Music Hall at Fenway will honor hundreds of graduates, but the five students at the microphones embody something instructive: student success is rarely the product of a single talent. It is the compound interest of showing up, reaching out, taking unexpected courses, and treating every opportunity as worth the effort.

For the incoming class arriving in September, the advice is already on the table—delivered by students who just lived it. For prospective students still deciding where to enroll, consider what these news stories reveal about the environment that produced them. Request more information or submit your application today to take the first step toward your own commencement day, and browse more news articles about student success at Wentworth Institute to see how graduates turn their education into careers.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026—and to the first-year students reading this: your version of that stage is closer than it looks.