ITMO Alumni and Employee Among St. Petersburg’s Top Graduates of 2023

The ceremony, which was traditionally held in the atrium of the Commandant’s Office of the Peter and Paul Fortress, was opened by Vladimir Knyaginin, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg. 

“We are proud of you! University leaders gathered here today to honor your success and remind you that the doors of your alma mater will remain open to you. They will also be happy to see you if you decide to join the boards of your university some day. We are eager for you to get a job in St. Petersburg or any other city, as well. We wish you all the best!” noted Vladimir Knyaginin. 

This year, the ceremony was attended by 61 graduates, including Andrey Suvorov. Within six years at the faculty, the graduate managed to not only excel academically but also put together several large-scale events, like the the interfaculty stages of ITMO.Megabatte and the Mister and Miss ITMO 2019 contest.

He was also the chair of the Student Council for two years, during which he and his team developed the mobile app ITMO.Students to assist other students with administrative issues (e.g., during the pandemic, students could submit an application for financial aid in the app).

Over time, the app evolved, and staff members of the Faculty of Infocommunication Technologies reached out to the developers to build a novel system for choosing optical courses – as well as join the faculty’s team. A year and a half later, Andrey Suvorov was appointed the head of ITMO’s Corporate Services Development Center.

“Event planning helps boost your soft skills. When you organize events, you learn to manage teams, build relations, attract partners, and give presentations. I also worked on some other cool projects, like my.itmo. Now, over 7,000 people use the app, which was once a simple student initiative. That’s amazing!” said Andrey Suvorov. 

At the end of the ceremony, Varvara Markina, a graduate of St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, and David Zyuzyunov, a graduate of the northwestern branch of Russian State University of Justice, made a speech on the behalf of the class of ‘23 followed by a traditional midday cannon salute from the Naryshkin Bastion.

The awards ceremony has been held annually by the Committee for Youth Policy and Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organizations and the Rectors’ Union of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast since 2003. The mission of the event is to promote higher education institutions in St. Petersburg and award graduates who have academic, scientific, and social accomplishments.