Manhattan College Names Hongbin Xu ’19, ’20 (M.S.) Spring Commencement Valedictorian

A mechanical engineering student, Xu plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering.

Hongbin Xu smiling in front of Manhattan College's main entrance.A student in Manhattan College’s graduate mechanical engineering program, Hongbin Xu ’19, 20 (M.S.) has been named the Spring Commencement valedictorian.

Currently a laser engineering intern for Rhode Island-based Aerocyonics Inc., Xu has also worked on campus as a research assistant in the mechanical engineering department and as a teaching assistant and 3D printing lab manager. He has been accepted into the University of Connecticut’s Ph.D. program in biomedical engineering, where he plans to study femtosecond lasers and their interaction with various materials, including biological samples, such as brain tissues.
 
Born in China, Xu moved to Queens, New York, as a teenager. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in mathematics from Manhattan in 2019, graduating summa cum laude. As an undergraduate, Xu participated in the Jasper Summer Research Program and was inducted into the national honor societies Tau Beta Pi (engineering) and Pi Tau Sigma (mechanical engineering), as well as Manhattan’s highest scholastic honor society, Epsilon Sigma Pi. He was the recipient of the National Science Foundation STEM Scholarship and the Brother Aubert Medal for Mechanical Engineering. 
 
“As someone who came here at the age of 16, I could not even imagine a day that I would receive the honor of being a valedictorian for the College’s graduate class,” Xu said. “This is really the manifestation of the American dream for me. It really convinces me that as long as I work hard, I’ll go as far as I can.”
 
The Spring Commencement awards master’s degrees to students graduating from the School of Engineering, School of Science and O’Malley School of Business; master’s degrees and professional diplomas to students from the School of Education and Health; and bachelor’s and master’s degrees to students in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
 
Xu will deliver the valedictory address on behalf of his classmates at a ceremony to be held at a future date.
By Cecilia Donohoe