Dr. Vivek Murthy is first Surgeon General of Indian descent
Asking graduates to put their hands over their hearts and close their eyes, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, of Indian descent, told the crowd of graduates at ASU’s commencement ceremonies this week to acknowledge the love of the people that brought them to this point. He also advised them to put people first in their lives in his inspiring 18-minute keynote speech.
Murthy is the first Surgeon General of Indian descent and the youngest active duty flag officer in federal uniformed service. He helped lead the national response to a range of health challenges, including the Ebola and Zika viruses, the opioid crisis, and the growing threat of stress and loneliness to Americans’ physical and mental well-being.
1500 students from India graduated from ASU
More than 1,500 students from India graduated during ASU’s Spring Commencement ceremonies. The Ira A Fulton School of Engineering had the most graduates from India with more than 1,200, including Ananay Arora, from New Delhi who taught himself to code when he was 11. Indian students also graduated from the W.P. Carey School of Business, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and the Thunderbird School of Global Management. A total of five students from India received multiple degrees, including one from two colleges.
A total of more than 19,000 students — a 6% increase from spring 2022 — graduated at ASU this spring, earning more than 20,000 degrees. Of the overall total of students, more than 13,000 are undergraduates and over 6,000 are graduate students. This spring, ASU also had a 59% increase in International students earning degrees.