NYIT Commencement speech of student from Nagaland goes viral

Dominica with NYIT President Hank Foley, Ph.D., and Rozina Vavetsi, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Digital Art & Design. Dominica donates a copy of VRWorldTech magazine to NYIT for archival purposes.

Dominica with NYIT President Hank Foley, Ph.D., and Rozina Vavetsi, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Digital Art & Design. Dominica donates a copy of VRWorldTech magazine to NYIT for archival purposes.

Dimapur, May 30 (MExN): Tiajungla Dominica Jamir on May 23 last, through her commencement speech at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) 2021 Graduation Commencement Ceremony in New York, has drawn the global spotlight on Nagaland in a video clip that has since gone viral.

As an outstanding student graduate with an MA summa cum laude in UX/UI Design and Development from NYIT College of Arts & Sciences, Jamir was the only Indian selected as an orator and delivered her globally streamed speech as a Naga Indian to over 3,000 fellow graduating and international students, a press note received here stated. 

In her address, Jamir said, “Far from New York City, my journey began in Nagaland, India, where I grew up among the gorgeous green hills and mountains,” adding, “For Indians, in the world’s largest democracy and, by landmass, the highest population on earth; it is easy to get lost among its almost 1.4 billion population – but not for me.  Sticking out like a bump on a log, I was labeled ‘different’, and mistook that for something negative.”

Jamir explained her burning desire to learn, absorb information, understand, and grow as an individual and computer engineer increased which led her to choose New York Tech for the UX/UI master’s program that aligned perfectly with her objectives.

Jamir’s announcement that she traveled 27 hours from Dimapur in India to JFK airport in New York City in 2019 for her master’s program may have taken a few viewers by surprise at the lengths Indian students go to get education in the US.

She went on to share the awakening she had upon landing in NYC but was unprepared for when she was asked an insightful question: “What is the biggest room in the world?” Upon hearing the correct answer, “The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement,” Jamir soon understood what made New York the greatest city on earth – and helped open her mind and continue striving for excellence.

“Campuses in New York City, unlike in some developing countries,” she suggested, “are not defined by their walls.”

Adding, “Unique experiences in the capital of the world, happen the second we set foot outside the front door. These experiences, including the positive relationships and connections we form with people around us, can inspire us in incredible ways.”

Jamir explained her view that New York Tech provides students with opportunities to create proverbial keys that open doors and determine career trajectories.  

Jamir takes her next career step as Co-Founder and Creative Director of a New York company: