(CNN) – Princeton has named its first black valedictorian in the university’s 274-year history.
Nicholas Johnson, a Canadian student majoring in operations research and financial engineering, is the valedictorian of the class of 2020.
Johnson says the honor is empowering because of the university’s historical ties to slavery.
The coronavirus pandemic prompted Princeton to cancel its in-person graduation ceremony, but the school is still holding a virtual one on May 31.
Johnson has an internship over the summer, then begins his PhD at MIT in the fall.
He’ll be studying operations research.
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