2020 Grad Spotlight: John Klich

For commencement week, we’re featuring some of the students from the SEAS Class of 2020. Today, we feature John Klich, who majored in Chemical Engineering:

What advice would you give to incoming students?

Be fearless and be humble. Yale is playground of opportunity, and you are responsible for taking ownership of your own education. Remember that there is no singular right way to navigate your college experience; make time for the people and things you care the most about, readily embrace failure, and be generous in sharing your time and passions.

What are your post-graduation plans?

I will be pursuing my Ph.D. in bioengineering at Stanford. I hope to develop biomaterials for drug delivery, tissue regeneration or diagnostic applications.

If you were to pick one thing that you most enjoyed about your time at Yale, what would it be? 

The community, the people. When I was first admitted to Yale, I don’t think I really understood what a Yale education meant. Four years later, I am graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering. I know a thing or two about chemistry and thermodynamics. But really, at the end of the day, my education happened outside the classroom. To my peers, my friends, my Morse community – you have all pushed me to become a more critical thinker, to give of myself generously, and to become a better person.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Even though we’ve all turned in our last papers and assignments, I believe we have one more final exam: as we prepare to start our next chapters, how can we do the most good? How can we continue to make this experience we’ve all shared these last four years matter? The world sits in a precarious place these days, but our problems are not insurmountable. Yale is not over. I hope we all carry the lessons we’ve learned, the values we’ve developed, and the communities we’ve loved with us as we continue to navigate our own personal journeys. With that, I extend a huge congratulations and thank you to the Class of 2020.