“Every one of you has what it takes”
MIT President L. Rafael Reif, greeting the Class of 2019 on a beautiful late-summer day that he said resembled the “year-round weather” in his native Venezuela, assured the incoming class that “you are joining a community that aspires to the highest standards of excellence and meritocracy.” He added, “We challenge one another to do our best — and to understand our strengths and to identify and overcome our weaknesses. … In coming to MIT, you are joining a community that is not satisfied with just learning what is needed to get a degree, but rather one that pursues learning in order to make a big difference and a positive impact in the world.” Under a large tent outside Kresge Auditorium on Monday, hundreds of incoming students also heard words of encouragement from three members of the faculty, who spoke of their own experiences in joining MIT. “When I first came here as a...