March 26, 2025
Kiruba "Rupa" Shanmugam, a 1995 Trine University electrical engineering graduate who now serves as president, chief executive officer and majority owner of SoPark Corporation in Buffalo, New York, will present the keynote address to graduates from the university’s Detroit, Phoenix and Reston, Virginia, education centers on Saturday, May 3.
The afternoon Commencement ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. in the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletics and Recreation Center (ARC).
“Rupa’s journey as an international student to become a successful engineer, businesswoman and now business owner is an inspiration to us all,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine University president. “We’re excited to welcome her back home to Trine University and know our graduating students will greatly benefit from the insights and guidance she will provide.”
The university will present her with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the ceremony.
Distinguished engineering career
After earning her Trine University degree in 1995, Shanmugam worked as a quality engineer at Wabash Technologies and then as quality support and industrial engineering manager for Crown International before joining SoPark as the company's only female engineer.
She serves on the regional United Way Board of Directors and Women's Advisory Board. She is also a committee member with the University of Buffalo Women, where she initiated a program to create student employment opportunities at SoPark and provide them with exposure to STEM programs.
She was instrumental in the formation of the first Western New York Chapter of Engineering World Health at the University of Buffalo.
She received Trine University’s Outstanding Achievement Alumna Award in 2018. The annual award recognizes an alumnus or alumna who has attained a high level of achievement in his or her profession, is well thought of in his or her community, and who upholds the ideals of Trine University.
She also has been honored with the Women in Leadership Award by the Buffalo Niagara Chapter of New York State Women, a group of professionals working to build powerful women personally, professionally and politically.
She dedicated many hours to volunteering at Putra International College, an international partner of Trine University in Malaysia, as well as speaking at the 2018 Women in Engineering program on Trine University's main campus.
Morning Commencement
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun will present the keynote address to graduates from Trine University’s Angola campus, Brooks College of Health Professions and TrineOnline during the morning ceremony.
That ceremony begins at 10 a.m. in the ARC.
Isabel Soto, instructor, and her Spanish students have created an ofrenda (decorated altar) honoring Ana Boman, who taught Spanish in Trine University’s Department of Humanities and Communication for 16 years before she passed away last year.
Trine University has launched Dual Advantage, a new program that gives undergraduate students multiple pathways to earn both a bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree in less time than completing both degrees separately.
Trine University student organizations and the McKetta Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering recently offered activities for girls interested in science and engineering at the 2026 STEM Expo hosted by the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana (GSNI-M).