UT Dallas Commencement - School of Interdisciplinary Studies Ceremony

you you okay you you you um sound guys a picture thank you ladies and gentlemen please rise [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] please be seated welcome to commencement i'm dr tanya whissinger i'm the associate dean of interdisciplinary studies uh before we begin uh the formal ceremony let me remind you to silence your cell phones and be courteous to those around you by quietly attending to the speakers throughout the ceremony during the presentation of graduates we encourage you to express your pride by applauding and cheering for this wonderful day we want to congratulate everyone the graduates parents family and friends thank you for being here and enjoy the ceremony now it's my pleasure to introduce dean george fair um to the podium [Applause] welcome students family and friends my name is george fair i'm the dean of the school of interdisciplinary studies first and foremost i would like to extend a well-deserved congratulations to our graduates and their families on this joyous occasion [Applause] this is a tremendous achievement each of you have faced unprecedented hurdles to arrive at this moment not only not only have you succeeded in your academics you've done it while simultaneously navigating a pandemic and all the uncertainty it brought with it uncertainty of how you would interact with classmates and professors in virtual environments or how you would navigate internships and work you have accomplished all of this while maintaining friendships and your physical and mental health you persevered and your degree represents all of the work you've done it will remain a permanent reminder of what you're capable of accomplishing for many of you this day marks a completion of your college studies but you've just beginning your journey into the world many of you would will go into teaching health care or other professions that have potential of making a major impact on people during crucial times of their lives it's important that you persevere in these endeavors and maintain empathy and courage be of service both personally and professionally to your friends co-workers those who teach and care for make an effort to improve your own life and the lives of those around you even small interactions can make an impact it may feel as though the years ahead stretch out in front of you forever but they'll go by faster than you think so please use each day to set up to set in motion what you want to accomplish life is all about managing expectations most of them your own don't be dissuaded by mistakes and don't make perfection the goal sometimes there is no perfect solution provide leadership celebrate your hard work keep alive your joy of learning most of all continue to contribute in meaningful ways to your community wherever your career and life may take you you've certainly learned how to adapt to these past in these past few years and there are still challenges to be met but today we are so proud of you that you are part of the ut dallas legacy congratulations i now have the privilege of introducing colleagues that are joining us today i ask them to stand and remain standing as i ask the audience to hold your applause until introductions are complete first dr inga musselman vice president for academic affairs and provost dr tanya wissinger associate dean professor of interdisciplinary studies and the council of undergraduate education dr jillian duquesne watson program head and professor for masters of interdisciplinary studies dr kathleen burns program head and professor for health care studies dr kaz knoxville professor for american studies dr neil pogue professor for american studies dr lynn winstead lecturer for american studies dr susan chizik lecturer for interdisciplinary studies and internships dr david wright lecturer for inter interdisciplinary studies dr barbara ashmore assistant director of student teaching and field experience in the teacher development center dr carolyn bray assistant director for certification and accountability in the teacher development center dr michelle mcneill lecturer for the teacher development center and make sure i've gotten everybody now let's give them all a hand please please be seated to introduce today speaker student speaker it's my great pleasure to welcome dr tanya wissinger undergraduate associate dean for the school of interdisciplinary studies welcome everyone it's my pleasure to introduce our student speaker salaam abadi salam abadi is graduating laude with a bachelor's degree in health care studies she came to the university of texas at dallas from north north lake college where she earned her associate degrees in science she joined utd in august 2019. since then she has been involved in several organizations on campus including the arab student association transfer leadership program transfer mentor program and friends inspiring friends she is proudly a first generation graduate and will continue her education by pursuing her medical degree please welcome your classmate salaam ahmed abadi [Applause] [Music] got to make sure i can see good afternoon distinguished faculty staff friends families and of course our graduating class of 2021. my name is salaam badi and i am graduating today with a bachelor's degree in healthcare studies to which i will further pursue my dream in becoming a first generation doctor in my family i want to give an enormous thank you to provost musselman dean fair associate dean wissinger and dr dequaine watson for being given the opportunity to speak on today's graduating class i want to take a quick second to commend you all for getting through these undergrad and graduate years never did we foresee that half of our degrees would be conducted online whether that be in our own homes in the dfw metroplex or halfway across the world i also want to give a thank you to all the professors who had to adapt to teaching in a virtual setting i know that this shift was not also easy so thank you all of us here today have gone through hardships within the last two years whether that be losing a loved one due to covet 19 losing yourself or struggling with mental health but look at us now we are here today we made it and are thriving i want to begin by introducing an analogy i have always gone by your life is like building a home my own father builds homes and buildings and once asked me to assist him with a project now i don't know the first thing there is about building a home from scratch yet the first thing he asked me to do was to go find some sheetrock despite my willingness to figure it out i had no idea where to start you know eventually i gave in and reached out to my dad i told him hey i don't know what shoot rock is can you help me out he told me it's okay not to know things i wanted you to come and ask me so that i could help you the lesson behind this story was that it is more than okay to admit that you have no clue what you're doing in this life you are not always going to have a solution to every problem that occurs but that doesn't mean you should give up it's what you do about it that matters oh and baba i still don't know what sheetrock is as i mentioned before life is like building a home so begin with creating a blueprint your blueprint is what you want your own plan and life to look like no yes plans change and things happen unexpectedly just like it would when you're building a home rainy days occur not enough workers or even lack of supplies but that still does not discourage you from finishing that home just like it shouldn't discourage you from quitting what you have envisioned your life plan to look like when i graduated high school i had my own blueprint i was set on attending a different school with a different major i was not fully committed to but then a few obstacles occurred occurred resulting in a new blueprint to be created i felt really discouraged because of those obstacles yet that did not stop me from moving forward i began at a community college not knowing where i would transfer to next or what major i wanted to pursue i talked to during my time at community college i talked to a good friend of mine that attended utd and encouraged me to come visit the campus i ended up falling in love with the campus the greener of the trees leading to the plinth the little bunnies and squirrels roaming around i know you've seen them all and the architecture of the buildings and even the little secret spots people tend to overlook when exploring through the campus you know i'd like to think that the things i fell in love with about this campus made it more comforting to attend if it wasn't for utd then i would not have become an officer for the autumn student association join the transfer leadership program become a transfer mentor or even have met lifelong friends that helped me acknowledge that i'm actually terrible at playing volleyball from the nights we would spend here at utd i would like to believe that there is no such thing as perfect timing some of us went straight into college while some of us took a break whether you are in your 20s or in your 50s time does not matter so please please do not let that discourage you into furthering your academic career a lot of us have mistaken college as a solid four years but that is not the case at all there is no such thing as a set time to finish school unless it's 11 50 p.m and you have an untouched assignment that's due at 11 59 which i don't recommend at all but then again my best work has always been under pressure moral of the story it does not matter how long it took you to get this degree whether that be four years seven years or even 10 years because in the end you can probably say that you accomplished it so congratulations graduates you did it both [Applause] thank you thank you thank you [Applause] both my mother and father migrated from across the world to provide a better life for my siblings and i my family sought the opportunity of raising their children and a country of freedom opportunity and expansion there were certain points throughout my collegiate pathway where i was wanting to quit but i reminded myself that they have sacrificed everything for me to get where i wanted to be and that to build a pathway for myself and that pathway is the path to success and i want you all to remind yourself of that when you are on the verge of quitting so mama and baba thank you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] michael jordan once said i have missed 9 000 shots in my career i've lost almost 300 games 26 times i have been trusted to take the game-winning shot and i have missed i have failed over and over and over again and that is why i succeeded the only obstacle in this life that is stopping you from reaching what you want to accomplish is yourself don't worry about how many times you failed take those failures and convert them into lessons that you can learn so you can move forward to conclude my piece of advice for you all is to learn not to dwell on the past but to think of the present and take it day by day to build the foundation for your future thank you all and congratulations once again once a comment always a comment woosh it is now my pleasure [Music] it is now my pleasure to welcome to the podium provost ingall musclemen thank you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you salama body thank you for being our speaker for sharing your story and for the leadership you've provided ut dallas good afternoon everyone welcome to our 2021 commencement festivities at the university of texas at dallas how delightful to see all of you here today that is as it should be this is a big day for you and utd we live and work in a world that never ceases to change none of you are the same today as you were the day you first enrolled ideally while students you have discovered how to meld your interests with your passions i also hope you have been challenged during your studies here and i hope that you have bonded with your classmates and the faculty with your internship partners with our librarians and coaches and program directors and all of the university community who have supported you mentored you affirmed you and believed in you when you accepted our challenge and guidance you were changed your family and friends and significant others are discovering that you are different now you have grown both personally and socially you have acquired knowledge and experience to continue to adapt and grow in an ever-changing world that is often unpredictable but there is additional good news some things are indelible like today's popular tattoos a utd diploma will stamp you for life within the hour you will be utd alumni and that immutable fact will be part of your identity for the rest of your life yes this is a big day so it is right and proper for me to thank you thank you for choosing ut dallas for your studies thank you for enriching our campus thank you for changing us a bit these past years thank you for gracing the faculty the staff and your fellow students by your presence finally i encourage you to use your education from the university not only for yourself but also for the well-being of texas america and in the world beyond we look to you for leadership in our complex and rapidly evolving world you are our hope for the future please stay connected with us and with each other as alumni you are always welcome here congratulations ut dallas class of 2021 [Applause] [Music] i now invite to the podium dr tanya wissignor thank you provost musclemen i would like to offer a special recognition of those students graduating with honors today to earn major honors in their disciplines students must meet criteria set by the faculty within their school latin honors are based on a 45-hour residency requirement and grade benchmarks set within each school a minimum grade point average of 3.4 is required for all latin honors students graduating with major honors may be wearing a stall well all the students who have earned major honors please stand as you are able and be recognized candidates please be seated laude is an honor for students whose g grade point average represents the top third of all graduates in their school and is considered the threshold for awarding laude honors these students can be recognized by their medallions with green ribbons laude graduates please stand as you are able and be recognized [Applause] [Music] [Music] okay candidates please be seated magda laude is an honor for students whose great grade point average represents the top the top 15 percent of all graduates in their school and considered the threshold for awarding magna laude honors these students can be recognized by their medallions with green and white ribbons magna laude graduates please stand as you are able and be recognized [Applause] candidates please be seated summa laude is an honor for students whose grade point average represents the top five percent of all graduates in their school and is considered the threshold for a warning summa laude honors these students can be recognized by their medallions in orange and white ribbons students graduating summa laude please stand as you are able and be recognized [Applause] candidates please be seated collegium 5 is utd's four-year honors program cv admits honors students must graduate with 3.5 grade point average take 24 hours of honors related work and complete an honors capstone thesis or project posters for this project are displayed in the atrium of green center outside the collegium five lounge for the next academic year i would like to invite all cv5 graduates here today to stand as you are able and be recognized [Music] candidates please be seated it is now my honor to serve certify the candidates for undergraduate degrees well all candidates who are to receive the bachelor's degree please rise as you are able and remain standing [Applause] [Music] provost musselman on behalf of our faculty i certify to you that the candidates who have completed all of their academic requirements are entitled to receive their respective degrees candidates please be seated it is now my pleasure to welcome to the podium dr jillian de kane watson program head and professor for the masters in interdisciplinary studies today's commencement ceremony is the highlight of the academic calendar and a culmination of countless hours of hard work from this group of students we gather to recognize and celebrate your dedication and the glorious achievement of earning your degrees we know you've gained a great deal of knowledge at utd but more importantly you've gained the ability to think critically about and to apply that knowledge we hope you will use both the knowledge and critical thinking skills you've gained here to pursue new directions to continue to challenge yourselves and to contribute in positive and meaningful ways to your communities i would also like to recognize the tremendous contributions and sacrifices of the families of our students including parents grandparents spouses and even children i hear a few of them here today i would also like to recognize the friends of our students all of these people have helped make this day a reality we know that students succeed not only because of their own efforts but also because of the acceptance the encouragement and the guidance they receive from those who love and care for them to our graduates i offer my warmest congratulations and best wishes for your dynamic futures will all candidates who are to receive master's degrees please rise as able and remain standing [Applause] [Music] provost muscle men on behalf of the faculty i certify that the candidates have completed their academic requirements and are entitled to receive their master's degrees joshua envy i'm so proud of you you may please be seated i now return the podium back to provost musselman thank you [Applause] [Music] thank you dr duquesne watson now by the virtue of the authority vested by law in the board of regents of the university of texas system i confer upon each of you the respective academic degree for which you have been recommended with all the rights privileges responsibilities and obligations appertaining thereunto and i offer my sincere congratulations i now turn the podium back to dean fair for the formal recognition of degrees thank you provost musselman as dean it is my privilege to congratulate and formally recognize the graduating class of 2021 for the school of interdisciplinary studies i now invite all graduates to cross the stage audience please listen carefully to your graduates name as they cross the stage by degree not in alphabetical order so we're going to have our graduates come across our stage now and we're going to recognize each one graduates receiving a baccalaureate degree please come forward as your name is called salam ahmad abadi [Applause] maheret cassahoon [Applause] brooklyn paige garrett [Applause] misha emmett siddiqui [Applause] dallin alexander blackman [Applause] cody michael leach [Applause] khan [Applause] abigail lynn brokers [Applause] monica vera decho [Applause] alex mondo moulay [Applause] melissa alexandra andres aravalla [Applause] hannah hassan awad [Applause] mytia denise davis [Applause] vincent bean lee [Music] [Applause] dana qureshi [Applause] shyla lila kumara sacram [Applause] blanca nelly miranda martinez [Music] [Applause] natalie claire nickel [Applause] natalie hernandez rivera [Applause] matthew joseph mcgee [Applause] [Music] alexander gabrielle maddox [Applause] sahir hussein [Applause] [Music] ashish amir lakani [Music] [Applause] erica mobley [Applause] [Music] j gillespie [Applause] jacqueline sarah e holguin [Applause] catherine and tawny [Music] [Applause] stephanie ann stahl [Applause] anna gabriela ortiz tiffany noctat [Applause] tia renee trevino [Applause] tyler min lee heller [Applause] tiffany d tranveau [Applause] james maxwell eroy [Applause] david rodriguez [Applause] ball chin song [Applause] mitchell ray hearn [Applause] courtney justine turner [Applause] taylor rae thielen [Applause] sarah athena dunn [Applause] muhammad ke abol here [Applause] omar allah [Applause] kalechi victory ajugar [Applause] [Music] ann augustine [Music] [Applause] miriam azeem [Applause] rishabh vaughan [Applause] and katherine chan [Applause] victoria ann brady [Applause] anya turabali [Music] [Applause] sure [Applause] janelle c boyce [Music] shaylyn khalidis [Applause] and kodwang [Applause] maheen faisal [Applause] a dorian johnson [Applause] melanie non-dao [Applause] como jacko [Applause] yes mean jamelle garbia amina khadija elbaz [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] brandon p who [Music] [Applause] [Applause] jasmine isabel juan dk [Applause] victoria k and yannick [Applause] [Music] mckenzie lauren may nabiyah faroese mohammed [Applause] sandy guaye mcdonald [Music] [Applause] hannah ye koizu abahan [Applause] [Music] joshua david monk [Music] [Applause] dana nettle nasser [Applause] melinda e miller [Applause] [Music] elizabeth she liu [Music] [Applause] anthony moreno [Applause] [Applause] jasmine amy lay [Applause] leslie martinez [Applause] jennie meinwin luchagorn rohoten [Music] [Applause] darien nicole neely [Applause] francisco tontom winvo jeremiah we fam [Applause] steve dewey hugh win [Applause] [Music] win [Applause] joanne fung winfam [Applause] catherine may percival [Applause] hiran sanil rana [Applause] [Music] [Applause] alicia arun patel [Applause] [Applause] f norway [Applause] shaya chandresh stocker [Applause] monique stacy spence [Applause] hannah nicole stevens [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hamad siddiki [Applause] elizabeth nicole sandon [Music] [Applause] manure shahzad [Applause] mackenzie ray solmanson [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] sharon elizabeth shaji [Music] erica villanueva [Music] [Applause] young men knew [Applause] [Music] tran [Music] [Applause] taylor r wilson [Applause] [Music] kelly michelle skinner [Applause] [Music] [Applause] pablo andre chavez-palacios [Applause] gidget [Applause] [Music] stephen endugu [Applause] alifia f vora [Applause] levi w chilton [Applause] jenny lynn walsh [Applause] [Music] tristan s thompson [Music] [Applause] amy guadalupe cruz [Music] hafsa siddiqui [Music] dana catom [Applause] graduates receiving a master's degree please come forward as your name is called v ton nguyen [Applause] joshua seth minitree [Applause] this concludes the presentation of degrees [Applause] congratulations one and all i'd like to thank the you can you can sit and have a seat i'd like to thank the the university staff who planned and executed the commencement ceremonies today and expressed my appreciation to faculty and administrators who gave their time today to participate and now comments we have the final assignment for you would you please rise as you are able please rise move your tassels from the right side to the left side [Applause] for those of for those of you with class rings i invite you to turn them so that they face away from you and point to and and point outward toward your future symbolically pointing to your place in the larger world as a ut dallas alumni let me be the first to offer my warmest congratulations to you and my best wishes for a prosperous and joyous joyful future in addition to earning your degrees conferred upon you today you have earned the right to be associated with a very special group of individuals you may now call yourself alumni of the university of texas at dallas [Applause] i know for a fact that we have some alumni with us today i'd like to ask all ut dallas graduates in the lecture hall to join our new alumni and stand and be recognized alumni out there please stand and be recognized [Music] [Applause] this day marks a wonderful milestone not only in your lives but also in the life of the university i wish that you all the best as you go into your new lives as graduates of the university of texas dallas enjoy your day of celebration with your family and friends and return to us soon and now i ask all to please rise and be able as able and join us for the singing of the ut dallas alma mater led by the recording of the university's premier acapella group novice [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] join us [Music] tt graduates please remain standing will the audience please be seated i now turn it back to associate dean wissinger for parting instructions [Applause] [Music] thank you dean fair you can be seated before i move on to partying instructions i want i too want to thank provost musselman and faculty members on the stage for being here today i especially want to thank the interdisciplinary studies staff and the teacher development staff members who ran the show today they were an important part of the process i especially want to thank aurora becerra and dante jaramillo they were great they spent a lot of time on the ceremony so let's give them a round of applause [Applause] in a moment the administration and faculty will recess off stage after which our graduates will recess out of the back of the lecture hall graduates please pay attention to the staff as they ask you to recess one row at a time once the graduates have left friends and family may also exit we invite everyone to join us in the lobby for reception where we'll have refreshments and we can mix and mingle with each other and meet each other's friends and families lastly you are welcome to visit the memories on the mall following the reception to pick up your graduation gift um the memories of the mall actually is in the davidson gundy alumni center presently and thank you very much [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so so [Music] you

Channel: UT Dallas Media

Views: 790

Keywords: UTDallas, UTD, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, is, commencement, fall 2021

Id: a_2Y3ffIXLY

Length: 91min 50sec (5510 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 17 2021