Aratrika Sanyal
We have all grown as Comets, and it’s largely because of the place we are in. We achieved what we dreamt of. We have built things that seemed impossible before. And we have chartered paths that were once unwalkable.
– Aratrika Sanyal
Good afternoon, Dean Pirkul, Vice Dean Jacob, Senior Associate Dean Powell, members of the faculty, staff, families and my dear friends. We made it!
I am Aratrika Sanyal, and it’s my profound honor to represent you all today at one of the most important days of our lives. When I look at you, I see people who supported me, people who guided me and people who walked with me to the end of the finish line.
From those many faces, a special mention to my parents, my uncle and aunt, and my sister.
As I stand before you, I cannot stop thinking about how my mom taught me to cook. She never asked me to follow a recipe but made me focus on the taste of individual ingredients instead and asked me to visualize them together. Imagine how confused my 8-year-old self was!
Fast forward many years, I opened the big transparent doors of the Naveen Jindal School of Management to the Master of Science in Information Technology and Management program. And just like that, I was back to doing assignments, soaking in the Texan sun at the Plinth, participating in various events, doing all this while still feeling at home in UT Dallas.
The best part of UTD is that the platforms offered here are so versatile that one doesn’t need to change themselves to fit in. There is an opportunity, a community, a club, and a place for everyone. Through the ITM Student Leadership Council and the various student organizations I was associated with, I had firsthand opportunity to engage with the diverse community of students and faculty here at UTD.
To my fellow members of the Class of 2021, you are patient, you are brave, and you are amazing. We have worked hard, survived a pandemic, and sacrificed in some way or other in the last 18-plus months. But we are here. We did it. And just the way we made it through the toughest times, we are ready to face all the challenges ahead of us.
And why is that? Because whatever recipe we want to create in life, YOU, my friends, and your core values are the ingredients that make it work. Never underestimate your worth. We have all grown as Comets, and it’s largely because of the place we are in. We achieved what we dreamt of. We have built things that seemed impossible before. And we have chartered paths that were once unwalkable.
As we stand today at the next chapter of our lives, we can definitely connect the dots backward to the point where we first stepped on this wonderful platform to find our purpose. In this journey, you all have proved that the most important letter in the word SUCCESS is U.
My father used to take inspiration from Abraham Lincoln’s letter to his son’s teacher. Here is my favorite line: “Let him have the courage to be impatient, but let him have the patience to be brave.”
So, congratulations, everyone! But we know that there is so much left to be done! So, let’s conquer the world!
Aratrika Sanyal is earning a master’s in information technology and management. She grew up in Kuwait but is originally from India. Before joining the Naveen Jindal School of Management, she earned an undergraduate degree in computer science from Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University). At UT Dallas, she has been very active as a student mentor and vice president of the ITM Student Leadership Council. She also was a social media lead for the Data Science Club and a graduate assistant with the Center for Information Technology and Management. She was an intern at Extreme Networks. After graduation, she plans to work in business intelligence and analytics.