Olympian, data scientist & journalist to speak at Michigan Tech commencement

HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) - This weekend’s commencement ceremonies at Michigan Tech University will be full of speakers.

Three of them made time to speak with me today: a graduate, an undergraduate and an Olympian.

Deedra Irwin, a 2022 Winter Olympian, professional biathlete and U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program member will be the keynote speaker at both ceremonies. She graduated from the university in 2015. Through her address, she wants graduates to keep giving their dreams a shot.

“As I was writing it, a lot of what I was trying to encourage was the experience I had, which was giving myself a chance at my dreams,” Irwin said. “I think a lot of the times when I was met at a road of ‘Should I start going to the next logical step of life and get a career or should I keep chasing this dream of becoming an Olympian and becoming a professional athlete,’ it was always a hard choice to make. I’m really happy I kept giving myself another chance at chasing the dream.”

Joining her at their respective ceremonies will be graduate representative Tabasum Hamdard and undergraduate representative Mary Christine Stevens. Both have thoughts they want to impart to their fellow graduates during their moment.

“Education is a very basic right of every single person,” Hamdard said. “It is not a privilege that would be given to someone. It shouldn’t be this hard for someone to pursue their education. We have the responsibility, now that we’re graduating, to be a hand of help for those who need us.”

Hamdard was evacuated from Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover in 2021. At the time, she had completed her bachelors in IT and was working on completing her MBA degree but could not finish it in time. When she started attending classes in the U.S., she decided to pursue a road between her two interests: data science.

Now, Hamdard is a member of the university’s undergraduate computing research journal editorial board. She is graduating with her master’s in data science. During her time at the university, she also joined the Women in Data Science Worldwide organization. After graduating, she will be the organization’s ambassador at the university and will also hold an internship as a strategic improvement intern.

“We’ve accomplished a lot in the last four years,” Stevens said. “I have no doubt my fellow classmates will do amazing things. They’re so dedicated and intelligent and passionate. I’m excited to see where everyone goes.”

Born and raised in the U.P., Stevens says she was originally interested in marketing but decided it wasn’t for her, looking for more creativity. Last summer, she interned at the Daily Mining Gazette, developing an enjoyment for journalism. She also worked in the university’s humanities department, including the department’s writing center.

Now, Stevens is graduating with her bachelors, majoring in English and minoring in French. Once she graduates, she will be working full-time at the Gazette. In the future, she says she hopes to work for a national outlet, covering politics and additional reporting.

Combined, more than 1,240 students will graduate this weekend. The graduates’ ceremony is at 3 p.m. Friday. The undergraduate’s ceremony takes place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Both ceremonies will be held in the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.