Princeton names first black valedictorian in school’s history

Princeton has named its first black valedictorian in the university's 274-year history.

Nicholas Johnson, a Canadian student majoring in operations research and financial engineering, is valedictorian of the class of 2020.

Johnson says the honor is empowering because of the university's historical ties to slavery.

The coronavirus pandemic prompted Princeton to cancel its in-person graduation ceremony, but the school is still holding a virtual graduation on May 31.

Johnson has an internship over the summer, then begins working on his Ph.D. at MIT in the fall. He will study operations research.