Fariha Rahman

Good morning, dear faculty, families, friends and, of course, our graduates. I am honored to be speaking with you here today. But before I start, I would like to congratulate ATEC’s graduating Class of 2022! We made it!

While I was extremely honored to be given the opportunity to speak today, I must admit that writing this speech was even harder than working on my final rigging assignment.

When I walked through these doors four years ago, I did not know what to expect. It was all so new, scary and unknown. I remember attending my first animation course, and I’m not joking when I say I was shaking in my seat thinking to myself, “what did I get myself into?” I had no prior knowledge about design, the industry was foreign to me and, to be honest, I knew nothing about animation. But I left that class with the biggest smile on my face and literal butterflies in my stomach. My excitement was through the roof. I finally found a place I belonged, a place packed with people who love what they do just as much as me, a place that would soon become my second home. From its quirky yellow lockers to the widely anticipated Halloween Spooktacular, to the amazing people that make it feel like family, ATEC is not an institution, it’s home. Although with “TEC” in the name, you would think we would at least have more outlets in the building.

Here at ATEC, collaboration is what we do best. It is one of the only places that can actually make group projects fun. Sitting next to us today are some of our closest friends, and, as we all know, a wise sponge once said “F” is for friends who do stuff together. These friends who made this journey not only enjoyable but extraordinary. I can proudly say I have never met a more welcoming and hardworking group of people. We might have complained about the sleepless nights, crunch times and dreadful assignments. But, hey, at least we had Lemma Coffee and the coolest space on campus to help us get through it.

But all jokes aside, it is time for us to step into the real world. Every single person in this room is a pioneer in their own right. We are all here today because art has played a central role in our lives. We know the magnitude of influence that art has, and now we have the privilege to create in those same spheres. This is no small feat. But if anyone can do it, it’s us.

Today, as we walk out these doors for the last time, we will start a new chapter of our lives. Today, we will step into the real world as professionals, as leaders and creatives. I don’t know what the future holds or where life may take us. But I know that each and every one of us is destined for greatness. The future may not always go as planned, and failure is inevitable. It is a necessary part of our journey toward growth and success. So when life gets hard, I hope you can come back to this very moment and remember all that you have achieved.

I mean, think about it, we lived through a pandemic, kind of still are, survived Microsoft Teams, all the while making it through college. The Class of 2022 is a different breed, the creativity at ATEC is infectious and we’ve all definitely been infected by it. Who knows, there just might be some super spiders lurking around, but, hey, a little radioactivity never hurt anyone. Because with great power comes great responsibility.

Thank you, and congratulations, Class of 2022.

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Fariha Rahman came to The University of Texas at Dallas in 2018 and is graduating today magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in arts, technology, and emerging communication with a concentration in animation. She is a first-generation graduate who has been on the dean’s list and is involved in several campus organizations including Animation Guild and Women in Animation. She has been an ATEC peer mentor for the Undergraduate Advising Office since 2019. In addition, she has worked on multiple ATEC lab courses along with student projects. After graduation, she plans to contribute to the animation and games industry as a visual development artist.