Commencement Speakers
Life Trustee Carole Segal
Carole Segal is the co-founder of Crate and Barrel, the founder and former CEO of Foodstuffs, and the president of the Segal Family Foundation. She is a trustee of Rush University Medical Center and chair emeritus of the Board of Governors at Rush University. Carole is a board member of the University of Global Health Equity. She is a life trustee of Illinois Tech, a trustee of Catholic Theological Union, and is on the Board of Overseers of Colorado Mountain College. She is on the Board of Forest Trends, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. Carole is a co-chair of the American Business Immigration Coalition.
John W. Rogers Jr.
John’s passion for investing began at age 12 when his father began buying him stocks as Christmas and birthday gifts. His interest in equities grew while in college and over the two-plus years he worked as a stockbroker for William Blair & Company. In 1983, John founded Ariel at age 24 to focus on patient, value investing within small- and medium-sized companies. While Ariel’s research capabilities have expanded across the globe, patience is still the disciplined approach that drives the firm today. Early in his career, John’s investment acumen brought him to the forefront of media attention and culminated in him being selected as co-mutual fund manager of the year by Sylvia Porter’s Personal Finance magazine as well as an all-star mutual fund manager by USA Today. Furthermore, John has been highlighted alongside legendary investors Warren Buffett, Sir John Templeton and Ben Graham in the distinguished book: The World’s 99 Greatest Investors by Magnus Angenfelt.
His professional accomplishments extend to the boardroom where he is a member of the board of directors of Nike and The New York Times Company as well as lead director of Ryan Specialty. He also serves on the board of trustees of the University of Chicago and the Obama Foundation. In 2008, John was awarded Princeton University’s highest honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award, presented each year to the alumnus or alumna whose career embodies a commitment to national service. He served as co-chair of President Obama’s Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2009, and in 2023, John received the Order of Lincoln, the highest honor for professional achievement and public service in Illinois. John received an AB in economics from Princeton University, where he was also captain of the varsity basketball team.
Student Speakers
Derrick Hill
Candidate for the Degrees of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Engineering in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Derrick Hill (ME/M.Eng. MAE ’26) always knew that he wanted to be an engineer, but it was the words of his high school physics teacher that drove him to pursue the field.
“My teacher was telling us about all the problems that the world is facing and how they have changed over the last 30 years,” says Derrick. “He argued that engineers were the most well equipped to help solve these problems, and that really spoke to me.”
With a growing interest in applied physics, Derrick saw mechanical engineering as an ideal path to understanding the practices, skills, and knowledge that drive impactful solutions.
“I think that a lot of people are incredibly sad or disillusioned by the future because there are so many problems. I see it as a great opportunity to help solve those problems,” he says.
Arriving at Illinois Tech, Derrick dove into academic and campus life headfirst as a Camras Scholar, volunteering with several community-based initiatives, including cleaning up trash around the Chicago River and volunteering at the St. James food pantry.
Derrick also served two terms as Student Government Association’s vice president and participated in undergraduate research opportunities, including assisting in the XPRIZE Rainforest competition by helping to develop an insect trap design.
In addition to the leadership skills and knowledge that he gained from each of these experiences, Derrick says that perhaps the most empowering part about his time at Illinois Tech has been the relationships he has built with students, alumni, and faculty.
“Those relationships mean a lot to me,” he notes. “They’re like mentors to me. It’s a very tight-knit community of people encouraging you to keep going and get to the finish line.”
Looking back, Derrick says the friendships he made and “the idea that after we graduate, we get to work in a field we’re passionate about” became his biggest motivators.
“The degree is one thing, but what you do with your life is another,” he says. “What kept me going was the drive to do something that means something to someone. You’re given this life—don’t you want to do something that matters?”
After graduation, Derrick plans to move to Los Angeles to start his new position as an aerospace engineer for JetZero, a startup working to develop the world’s first commercial all-wing airplane that burns 50 percent less fuel and produces 50 percent fewer carbon emissions compared to existing commercial airliners.
Adam Shalabi
Candidate for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Biology
Adam Shalabi (BIOL ’26) was just a kid in middle school when he decided to become a doctor someday.
“I was really obsessed with superheroes, and I considered medicine the most akin to that,” Shalabi says. “I really liked the idea of saving a life directly.”
After he started attending Illinois Tech, Shalabi got involved with the American Medical Student Association and attended a talk by alumni emergency room doctor Saniya Rizvi (BCHM’12). After discussing the culture of the emergency room with her, Shalabi found a new passion and was soon shadowing Rizvi during her rounds at Advocate Shermann Hospital in Elgin, Illinois.
He also grew involved with the Medical Student Association, becoming the co-president of the Illinois Tech chapter.
Preparing for a career in medicine has only solidified Shalabi’s middle-school desire to fight hard for the underdog. After volunteering as a research assistant at the Clinical Nutrition Research Center, he later volunteered at the university’s Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research (CHEER), researching methods to reduce health disparities through community-based projects. The research focused on identifying patient “peer providers”: people who have or had similar illnesses and life experiences who can then support patients as they navigate their treatments.
Additionally, Shalabi worked to help those with inadequate medical care beyond the United States. He joined the Illinois Tech chapter of Medicine, Education, & Development for Low-Income Families Everywhere [MEDLIFE], a nonprofit that organizes international “medical brigades,” where students work with doctors in clinics serving disadvantaged populations with limited access to healthcare in Latin America and Africa. Shalabi served as co-president of MEDLIFE’s local chapter, worked at a mobile clinic in Peru, and plans to serve at another mobile clinic in Tamarindo, Costa Rica after graduation.
“The MEDLIFE brigade was without a doubt the most impactful experience I've had as a pre-med at Illinois Tech,” Shalabi says. “It gave me direct perspective on health care disparities that textbooks could never encapsulate. Even better, it gave me hands-on involvement to assist in patient care.”
This experience, he says, has engendered another goal: to work for the international nonprofit Doctors Without Borders.
Shalabi has also volunteered as a medical assistant for his pediatrician, Dr. Henry Abusharif in Oak Lawn. He is a member of the Muslim Student Association’s executive board and a Camras Scholar, signifying his focus on leadership, service, community, and research. This coming fall, Shalabi will be attending Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in Downers Grove, Illinois.
After graduation, Shalabi hopes to continue channeling his volunteerism into other health care efforts.
“My goal is to, on the side, really invest in my community and enhance the experience of care,” Shalabi says.
That includes being part of not only Doctors Without Borders, but also the National Health Service Corps, which targets underserved communities across the United States.
“We need to foster more youth involvement in the field, give them more opportunities to do internships, shadow, and bond—what I was able to do with my own pediatrician. I know those experiences are very hard to come across,” Shalabi says.
Shalabi notes he will be the first in his family to become a physician.