“Congratulations on completing your journey at Skoltech. Today is not an ending. It is the moment of separation from the launch tower. A rocket is not built for the launch itself. It is built to go beyond the limits of what is familiar. And so are you. During your studies, you moved from science to real engineering challenges — through calculations, mistakes, prototypes, deadlines, and teamwork. You learned not only how to design systems. You learned how to change reality. Now, your orbit lies ahead. Some of you will continue in science, some will go into industry, and some will build startups. But wherever you go, remember this: an engineer, a scientist, an innovator is someone who takes responsibility for the future. Do not wait for perfect conditions. Do not wait for permission. Do not wait for someone else’s mission. Create your own. Launch projects. Build teams. Challenge the impossible. Create systems that work not on slides, but in the real world. You know how to see the whole picture — how to bring together mechanics, intelligence, data, risk, will, and intuition into a working system. These are exactly the people our time needs. The launch has already happened. Now your task is not simply to reach orbit. Your task is to change the gravity around you. Step onto your own trajectory — and lead others forward.”

Tatiana Podladchikova, 

Director of the Center for Engineering Systems and Sciences at Skoltech and the Engineering Systems program