Nick Nolan Gharabaghi wins Governor General’s Academic Silver Medal
Nanotechnology Engineering student Nick Nolan Gharabaghi was presented with the Governor General’s Academic Silver Medal for achieving the highest academic standing upon graduation in an undergraduate degree program by President Vivek Goel at the Spring Convocation.
For Gharabaghi, receiving the medal has given him a huge confidence boost for future challenges. Gharabaghi believes however, that people can achieve many accomplishments that don’t show up on a transcript.
He says there’s no secret to getting good grades. He prioritized accomplishing marginal improvements to his grades because it was important for his personal career goals.
“If I had to pick one thing to highlight, the hardest part of keeping good grades is staying motivated. An undergraduate degree is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s easy to burn out,” says Gharabaghi. “The best way I’ve found to stay on track is to surround myself with motivated people, both in my class and outside of it.”
As a teenager, Gharabaghi liked many technical subjects and was attracted to the Nanotechnology Engineering program because it was the “coolest-sounding” program with the most leading-edge buildings and facilities.
Gharabaghi felt that the “something for everyone” structure of the subjects covered in the undergraduate program introduces students to new fields and allows them to hone in on their individual interests by the end of the program.
Gharabaghi benefitted by being part of a single, large cohort. This model offers significant benefits in terms of social interaction. It increases the chances of finding like-minded individuals with whom students can form lasting friendships and work with effectively throughout the degree program.
“As for the Nanotechnology Engineering Program itself, perhaps its greatest strength is the flexibility it gives you to pursue your interests post-graduation,” says Gharabaghi. “With such a broad knowledge base, nano graduates have a huge number of open doors in a way that those from other programs simply don’t. I know that I, personally, wouldn’t have been able to achieve my own goals had I been in a more rigidly structured, traditional engineering program.”
Gharabaghi will be pursuing his graduate studies in the Applied Physics PhD program at Stanford University. His research interests focus on the intersection of experimental AMO (atomic, molecular, & optical) physics and quantum information processing. Although he comes from an engineering background, he is excited about the challenge and thrilled to work with some of the world's most talented researchers.