Baruch College Announces the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for Class of 2018

May 16, 2018

Baruch College has named Patrycja Koszykowska and Kevin Savarese as the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively, for the Class of 2018. Both students will join their fellow graduates during the College’s Commencement Ceremony on May 30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Koszykowska will deliver the valedictory address to students during the Commencement exercises. On May 16, Savarese will give the salutatory address at the College’s Student Achievement Awards at Baruch College.

‘Grateful for Being Exposed to Diversity of Thought’

Koszykowska is receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Political Science and Economics from the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences.

She was a 2017 Rhodes Scholarship nominee, received a 2016 Phenomenal Woman Award from the Baruch College Women’s History Month Committee, and was a recipient of the 2014 Comptroller’s Achievement Award in Economics and Finance in Nassau County.

During her time at Baruch, Koszykowska said she was “grateful for being exposed to the diversity of thought” while studying with classmates from all over New York, the United States, and the world. She added that “this experience has transformed my perspective on social and business issues and has deepened my sense of empathy. The drive and perseverance of fellow classmates, along with the passion and dedication of my professors, have pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and to pursue a myriad of philanthropic and academic opportunities.”

As a student, Koszykowska has been an active participant in many campus organizations, as well as having served as secretary and then president of the Polish Culture Club at the College.

She has additional experience as an advocate for the HeForShe Movement, a United Nations initiative dedicated to the global gender equality cause, and as a member of the non-profit Forte Foundation, a consortium of companies and business schools working together to empower women. Koszykowska also volunteered for bay summer cleanups with local businesses in Long Beach, New York.

Her most recent internship as a Risk & Analytics Summer Analyst at BlackRock, Inc., resulted in a full-time offer of employment upon graduation. Instead, Koszykowska will be attending graduate school at the University of Cambridge to obtain a Master of Philosophy in International Relations and Politics.

Her long-term goal is to pursue a career in corporate social responsibility or in international development consulting. Additionally, she is aiming to form a non-profit focused on providing globalization studies to the youth.

‘Future Success is not Taken for Granted’

Savarese, a Macaulay Scholar, will graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Economics and a double minor in Business Law and Interdisciplinary Honors in New York City Studies from the Zicklin School of Business.

He was on the Dean’s List in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.

Savarese said “future success is not taken for granted” at Baruch. He added that the College “instilled in us (Baruch students) hard work and perseverance, and graduates have a hunger to succeed. This success would not have been possible without the support of my peers and the mentorship of devoted professors.”

On campus, Savarese has been an active participant in the Max Berger Pre-Law Fellows Program in the Starr Career Development Center, co-founder and vice president of the Photography Club in the Macaulay Honors College, and a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. He participated in many Macaulay co-curricular activities including the pre-Law Club, the Business Club, and the Outward Bound program.

Savarese also had internships including in the Office of the Special Advisor to the Chancellor of CUNY, serving as a research intern, and was a legal intern at Duane Morris LLP.

From 2014 through 2016, Savarese volunteered in his former elementary school, PS 185 in New York City, where he provided hundreds of hours of tutoring services in mathematics and English language arts to help students prepare for state exams.

Upon graduation, Savarese will enter Fordham University School of Law with a merit scholarship. Afterwards, he wants to begin a career in regulatory or compliance legal functions to “play a part in ensuring fair and honest business practices.”

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