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ME Spring 2023 Outstanding Graduating Senior (OGS)

Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Graduating Senior Spring 2023 Acceptance Speech

Tyler R. Maruno
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Aloha faculty, staff, students, and guests. I would like to start off by saying thank you to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for providing me with an unparalleled education. To my professors, thank you for all of the knowledge and wisdom you have passed down and for the glorious curves that have saved my GPA on multiple occasions. To my advisor, Dr. Hihara, thank you for all of the opportunities you have granted me and truly, for not firing me despite being weeks behind on my master’s research. To my fellow race car designers, thank you for always putting a smile on my face and for teaching me that there is more to life than academics. There’s no other group of individuals I would have rather had surround me as we got our first D on an assignment. To my parents and extended family, thank you for always loving and supporting me and for not kicking me out of the house just yet. Lastly, to my beloved sister, thank you for keeping me grounded and for reminding me that after sixty seconds, people stop listening. Jokes aside, my fellow mechanical engineers, I would like to be the first to congratulate you on all of your achievements thus far.

Just think about it. This past year, each and every one of us did something truly remarkable. From a high-powered rocket, an autonomous delivery robot, and a mars rover, to a precision telescope, an unmanned

surface vessel, an aerial drone system, and an electric formula race car, we’ve all taken part in projects most would never imagine possible. If we can do this now, I can only imagine what we will all accomplish in the future. For this reason, I do not accept this award on my behalf. Instead, I accept this award on behalf of every mechanical engineer sitting here today. Please give yourself a round of applause because you are all outstanding graduation seniors. Mahalo.

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