Katrina Maggard

Some of you may not know me because I am a quiet person, but those who do, know me as Kat. Despite being introverted, I did want to speak today. I want to offer my sincere congratulations to my amazing classmates.

I love our school. I love Temoc sock days. I love the terrible parking, and I love the amazing opportunities we have all been given here at UT Dallas.

Few know that I come from a family of eight children. Being in the middle, I have older siblings to live up to and younger ones to set an example for. My older siblings were homeschooled for middle and high school and then continued their academics at Collin College. With them as the example, I knew I would begin at junior college before choosing a four-year university to complete my bachelor’s degree. This was the path I expected and the path I knew would please my parents.

Having seven siblings, it’s difficult to be your own person. For example, my favorite color has always been orange. I chose this color not because I love it, but because my siblings had already picked every other color in the rainbow. I made a similar choice when entering the School of Arts and Humanities at UTD — now known at the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology. My oldest sister went to UTD, so I chose a vastly different major from the one she chose. Which, in reality, is good because I do not think I could pass any more math classes to become an accountant like she has done.

Our UT Dallas experience has been more unique than perhaps any other class to graduate before us. Before the pandemic, we knew what to expect and a path to get there. We had an idea of what our future held, or we thought we did. None of us thought our lives would be filled with virtual meetings and hand sanitizer. I certainly did not expect to transfer to UTD during a lockdown, and none of us expected to take classes fully online. While the world seemed on hold, we kept moving. We registered for virtual classes, learned new technologies to be successful in an online world, and often laughed alongside our professors when they stumbled with mute buttons and cameras that wouldn’t turn on.  Everything seemed new, but we did it. We’re here now — at graduation!

My first semester at UTD, or on the computer at UTD, as it were, I felt alone. I had no idea who the professors were or how classes would run online. I was, however, lucky enough to enroll in two of Dr. Carie King’s classes, and she helped me through those hard times.

I remember being assigned a group presentation. On the day it was due, I overslept and was late to logging online. My group couldn’t present, and so another group had to go before us. I eventually made it into class and the presentation went well. Being anxious about my tardiness and the repercussions that may be imposed, I went back to watch the portion of the class I had missed only to hear Dr. King say that we all need to give grace to others. I so appreciated her grace and the grace of my classmates.

Dr. King and many others here at UT Dallas taught me to be kind not just to others, but also to myself. A little grace can go a long way! Were it not for Dr. King, I might not be here attending my own graduation today. We ARE graduating!

Friends, faculty, parents: Each of us are now turning a page to begin a new chapter. Some may know exactly what they will encounter while others may wander. But no matter how long it takes, we will all keep going with the knowledge and growth gained here at UTD.

Cherish this journey and remember we made it this far. There is so much more to come!

Thank you and congratulations, Class of 2022!

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Katrina Maggard home-schooled through high school, attended Collin College and transferred to UTD during the pandemic. Today, she is graduating summa cum laude with a degree in visual and performing arts with a concentration in communication. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and has been on the dean’s list. Her honors senior capstone, supervised by Dr. Carie King and professor Maribeth Schlobohm, is a podcast series called “The Industrialized Woman.” She interviewed women from different backgrounds to promote a critical discussion of values and societal problems under a feminist lens. Additionally, she branded the series, edited the episodes, composed introduction music and published the series online. While attending school, she also worked full time as a case assistant at a local law firm. She plans to pursue a career in entertainment law.