Department celebrates end of the school year at annual banquet
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The third annual Department of Chemical Engineering End of the Year Banquet in April celebrated the end of the school year, student achievements, and the graduating class of seniors and graduate students.
The banquet featured remarks from students, faculty, and alumni. The keynote speaker was department alumna Emily Seriruk ‘24, who talked about her experiences, opportunities, and the lessons learned throughout her time at UIC.
“Looking back now, there’s one thing that connects almost every meaningful opportunity that I had in college, as well as in my career so far—that being I said yes before feeling right,” she said. “Confidence is often a prerequisite, and we see it as you need to feel capable before you take an opportunity, but I’ve learned that confidence typically comes after action, not before. One of the first big ‘yeses’ I said was prior to even coming to UIC. As a senior in high school, I chose chemical engineering as the degree I was going to pursue without having some lifelong dream of becoming a chemical engineer.”
Despite the stability that a career in chemical engineering provided, Seriruk said that pursuing a degree in chemical engineering felt like taking a big leap.
“Looking back, it was really a two-part bet that I was placing,” she said. “Firstly, I was betting on myself that I could survive difficult classes, and figure things out even when I felt like I was falling behind. Secondly, I was also unknowingly betting on this department.”
Seriruk not only expressed her gratitude for those who have supported her but explained that taking that leap of faith led to building a big sense of community and strengthen her own skills in professional development and seeking out opportunities—to both better herself, navigate discomfort and challenges, and grow.
She added that when starting her first internship, she thought that she was the only one learning along the way when everyone around her also was. Her internship experience became valuable because she took to the opportunity and was curious throughout and worked hard. The internship paid off; it led to her current position as an associate scientist for product R&D at Kraft Heinz.
Senior Joshua Olusoji, one of three hosts of the banquet, spoke about the importance of events hosted by the department and the UIC student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
That included such events as bowling, karaoke night, de-stress night with a visit from Pawfficer Ham (the UIC Police Department therapy dog), game nights, and volunteering opportunities – including the Chicago marathon, the Shamrock Shuffle, and more.
Chemical Engineering Department Head and Professor Vikas Berry gave remarks as well as current AIChE President and Vice President, Servando Casillas-Gabarito and Sophia Johnson, respectively, and current Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association President Zach Adesanya also spoke about their organizations.
Sophomore Vianey Gonzalez and senior Anna Cai helped Olusoji MC the event. The event was hosted by ChemE Connect and AIChE.
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This year’s banquet also included awards such as student superlatives, faculty and staff awards, and classroom awards.
Winners from this year’s banquet include:
Student Superlatives
- Most Likely to Engineer a Bright Future
- Freshman: Chris Parra Costih
- Sophomore: Joshua Frost
- Junior: Naya Majauskas
- Senior: Joshua Olusoji
- Graduate: Nadia Nikolova
- Most Dedicated ChemE
- Freshman: Thuy Tram Dang
- Sophomore: Joshua Frost
- Junior: Quan Huynh
- Senior: Joshua Olusoji
- Graduate: Pegah Sadeh
- Friendliest ChemE
- Freshman: Angel Alcala
- Sophomore: Myesha Rafi
- Junior: Servando Casillas Garabito
- Senior: Jazmin Aca
- Graduate: Pegah Sadeh
- Most Navier Stoked for Class
- Freshman: Angel Alcala
- Sophomore: Joshua Frost
- Junior: Anthony Ortiz
- Senior: Qussay Suleiman
- Graduate: Debjani Bhakta and Bailin Feng
- Best Reaction Catalyst (Funniest)
- Freshman: Chris Parra Costih
- Sophomore: Oscar Rojo
- Junior: Bryan Samayoa and Brian Garcia
- Senior: Aaron Casas
- Graduate: Louis Edano
- Super Stylish ChemE (Best Dressed)
- Freshman: Chris Parra Costih
- Sophomore: Joshua Frost
- Junior: Liv Lyons
- Senior: Adil Faratovic and Anna Cai
- Graduate: Ece Nur Bayraktar
Faculty/Staff Awards
- Kindest Professor: Betul Bilgin
- Most Engaging Lecturer: Michael Caracotsios
- Most Dedicated Professor: Korosh Torabi
- Funniest Professor: Louis Wedgewood
- Staff Member of the Year: Jan Sagun
Classroom Awards
- CHE 201 Introduction to Thermodynamics Award: Caitlyn Pacholec, Omar Khudeira, and Ruth Thieme
- CHE 301: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics Academic Excellence Award: Lama Alsurakhi
- CHE 341 Chemical Process Control Award: Qussay Suleiman, Omar Zaruk, and Kendall Johnson