Swami Sadanala

Esteemed faculty, mentors, proud families and fellow graduates, it is my honor to stand before you today and represent this graduating class as we celebrate our success. A few years ago, when I traveled across the country to attend UTD without even a campus visit, I never would have imagined I’d be standing here today. It was a risky decision, but I’m grateful I made it.

As you prepare to cross the stage today, I hope that you acknowledge not only your growth over the past few years but also the family, friends and mentors who fostered that growth. In my case, I know I wouldn’t be here without the boundless support of my family. But there are others who played a role. Not long ago, I was told to reconsider a career in science, but my friends and mentors at the De Nisco Lab, namely Dr. Nicole De Nisco and Dr. Namrata Sawant, helped mold me into the scientist I am today. I grew significantly during my time here, and I’m sure you have as well.

My fellow graduates, let’s reflect on the hardships we surmounted to reach this point — not as an empty exercise or an excuse to wallow in our suffering — but to remind ourselves that we will face hardships, and we will overcome them. For example, I’m sure I’m not the only one in this audience with loved ones we expected to be in this room with us today, who are instead cheering us on from above. For me, this past year has been especially challenging, after unexpectedly losing two of my grandparents, whose blessings have taken me so far. Today is a day not only to celebrate ourselves, but to thank our loved ones for making us who we are, and to remind ourselves that those who raised us, loved us and guided us, will have authorship in our successes, today and always. And in our success, may the ones not here today live forever, as with their blessings, we march forward.

With that in mind, I want to take a brief moment to honor my old roommate and our fellow Comet, Aryan Raghunath Orampati, who is no longer here with us. He graduated just this past spring, and I hope with this message, I can make sure he is remembered as the thoughtful, cheerful, friendly soul that he was and thank him for the positive impact he had on me during my time at UT Dallas.

As you’ve made your way through many years of education, I’m sure you’ve all heard the word “leader” used a lot — often as an expectation placed on you. Two years ago, when I took the class Intro to Public Service, we had an open discussion with the prompt, “What is a leader?” This turned out to be one of the most difficult, thought-provoking questions I encountered during my college career, and that includes Organic Chemistry I. Maybe not OCHEM II, though. But anyway, I took this question home and thought about it. Asking myself, “What is a leader?” I sometimes pictured a great orator before a podium, a quarterback in the huddle or the captain of a ship. I couldn’t form a clear idea of what the word meant, and a simple online search would give a vague, broad set of personality traits, all of which rang true. But when people use the term “born leader,” what does that make everyone else? How do we know if we’re born leaders? And if we’re not lucky enough to be born leaders, does that automatically make us followers?

Today, I will share with you my understanding of this question. Just delivering a speech does not necessarily make someone a leader. I say this as I put everyone here in an unskippable cutscene on one the most important days of their lives. There are many contexts and archetypes of the word “leader,” but a key aspect, at least when addressing such a talented group, lies in taking initiative. If a ship is sinking, we think of the leader as the captain who steers the ship. But what about the person who rushes to plug the hole? What about the person who cuts the anchors loose? What about the person who motivates those around them to remain hopeful? Are they not leaders? There was a moment, a moment of crisis, when each member of the crew could step up into a new role; and because each of them did — because each of them led — the ship floats.

Through taking initiative, no matter our backgrounds, skillsets or personalities, we all have equal opportunities to be leaders. Looking into the audience, even though many of us share the same degrees, we represent a broad range of cultures, backgrounds and experiences. No two paths in this room are exactly the same, but they all crossed here. Being able to learn from all of you made my time at UT Dallas deeply meaningful and emphasized the importance of diversity. There are countless fields in the real world that need leaders, and just in this room we have the variety of talents, personalities, experiences and skills to provide them. As you step out into the world with your degrees, don’t hesitate to be the problem-solver — take the wheel, cut the anchor, plug the hole, inspire change around you. This is how the ship floats, and this is how leaders are made.

And, as most of us embark from campus for one of the last times, may the skills and knowledge we acquired over our time here at UT Dallas translate from the classroom to the real world. Our reputation as Comets relies on us pushing the boundaries of our fields and deciding to become leaders, as the alumni before us have.

After all, the beauty of a comet lies in the trail that it leaves behind.

My final message to the many leaders before me — I kindly request: take care of yourselves, take care of each other and take care of your communities.

Congratulations, Class of 2024!

Swami Sadanala is originally from New Jersey and graduates today with a bachelor’s in healthcare studies with both major honors and Collegium V honors. As an undergraduate researcher on campus, he delivered a podium presentation at the American Urological Association and won a first-place presentation award at a state conference. He served as a leader on campus in the club Hindu YUVA and is a frequent volunteer at his temple. He plans to follow his passion for research through new projects.