A True Capstone
Stephen DiEugenio ’24 takes care of unfinished business.
Steve DiEugenio '24 points to his poster during Senior Capstone Experience presentations for the political science department in December, 2023.
They say the best gifts come in small packages, but what about one 40 years in the making? This past semester, Stephen DiEugenio ’24 completed his Senior Capstone Experience (SCE) and will soon receive his undergraduate degree from Washington College, nearly four decades after attending classes. The SCE was a Christmas surprise for his father.
DiEugenio’s father worked for most of his life as a high school teacher and college professor, paying for his three sons to attend college. Stephen was the only one who did not graduate. After losing much of his work on his senior thesis to an incident involving a floppy disk falling into an open can of paint, he opted not to complete the project and started applying for jobs without a degree in hand. The decision left him on non-speaking terms with his dad for nearly three years.
Still, DiEugenio attributes his successful career and life since his undergrad days to all that was imparted to him during his time at Washington.
“I love Washington College,” said the retired tech expert. “It’s been a long 40-year journey from 1984 till now, but the qualities instilled in me here helped me become who I am.”
That journey, which started in the computer lab on campus when Macintoshes first hit the market, led him to work on tech projects, including servicing the space shuttle Aries and licensing technology for banks in Manhattan and abroad.
"It all came from Washington College,” said DiEugenio. “Messing around in the computer lab and the classes I took in political science.”
After retiring, DiEugenio reflected on his life and felt a need to “fix” the things that had been left unfinished—namely, obtaining his incomplete degree. Not knowing where to start, he reached out to the College and asked to see his transcripts. Learning that the only thing he hadn’t done was his thesis, DiEugenio felt renewed hope and decided to see if he could pick up right where he had left off.
DiEugenio reached out to Michael Harvey, who was serving as provost and interim dean of the College at the time, to find out if he could earn his degree by completing the thesis. Harvey reacted with enthusiasm and encouragement. Professor Flavio Hickel offered to serve as his thesis advisor, and work got underway “Part of the healing for me was not to change my thesis question,” he said.
His original topic, on politics surrounding the development of Atlantic City and gambling, would be his road back to redemption. If he could complete the project in time for the holidays, the resulting degree could be a Christmas present for his 82-year-old father. This gave him the added impetus he needed to finish.
A few months later, DiEugenio once again found himself on Washington’s campus, this time successfully presenting his Senior Capstone Experience (SCE) in a poster presentation alongside current Washington College students. With the completed thesis in hand, he had earned his long-sought degree.
Come Christmas time, his father was asked to unwrap a present that contained a Washington College sweatshirt.
“My entire family was at my parents’ house to share Christmas dinner and to open gifts.
I gave my dad the sweatshirt, and he said thanks but seemed a bit puzzled,” DiEugenio
said. “Then, after another round of gifts, I gave him the SCE poster. I rolled it
open for him, and he just started reading out loud. He got to ‘Dr. Flavio Hickel,
Thesis Advisor’ and started to realize what it was. Then, I presented him with a copy
of my thesis and showed him the dedication to him. The family applauded, and Dad gave
me a big hug.”
DiEugenio noted he got slightly misty-eyed when his father hugged him, knowing he had completed the degree his father had worked hard to enable him to earn.
A newly minted graduate, DiEugenio plans to walk in this spring’s commencement ceremony.
— Dominique Ellis Falcon