RMI Class of 2021 Graduation by Brooke Eldridge '23
RMI celebrated a graduating class of almost 50 seniors with a virtual graduation service on June 3rd. The class of 2021 is the 40th class to graduate from SCU's RMI. The service included a speech from Executive Director Kirthi Kalyanam and Vice President Eugene Choi as well as a virtual graduation ceremony read by Gail Kirby.
The RMI Class of 2021 has encouraged unprecedented growth for the program. Choi explained that the general perception of RMI as an academic organization has changed a lot since his freshman year. He even admitted that, before joining, he thought that retail pertained only to apparel or fashion. The Class of 2021 has definitely proven that retail is not just restricted to those categories. In the heart of Silicon Valley, the Class of 2021 has gained invaluable retail experience in tech, e-commerce, and beyond. RMI has provided an environment for the graduating class to explore dozens of different careers within retail.
During his portion of the event, Kalyanam reflected on how the RMI Class of 2021's unconventional senior year mirrors the same tumultuous time that the retail industry has experienced over the course of the past year and half. Like the retail industry, the Class of 2021 has had to quickly adapt to rapid changes in technology due to the pandemic. As retailers move from brick and mortar stores to ecommerce, the Class of 2021 traded in person classes for zoom. Kalyanam explained that retailers have always been at the center of these technological changes. The RMI Class of 2021 is all the more equipped for this landscape as a result of this past year.
Though they endured cancelled internships, a virtual senior year, and graduating within a pandemic, the RMI Class of 2021 is leaving SCU to join a world that has an extremely bright future. As the country begins to reopen, retailers nationally are gearing up to apply what they have learned and continue to innovate within the industry– RMI alumni will without a doubt be at the heart of this growth.
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