Nicole Peters

My fellow graduates, we did it! For some of us, we always knew we would be here, walking across this stage receiving our degree without question. For others, being here may have seemed like an impossible dream that you kept having to fight for day in and day out. No matter which category you find yourself in, I commend you on all your hard work to get here and accomplish what you once thought was so far away it seemed out of reach. I am so very proud and honored to share the stage with each and every one of you. Today we officially become alumni of The University of Texas at Dallas and join the thousands of other people who shared the same walk across the stage as we are about to partake in during this ceremony.

These last few years have been nothing short of challenging to say the least; however, they have also been rewarding in so many ways. We as students have had to overcome circumstances that very few others have had to encounter while pursuing their undergraduate and graduate degrees. I’m sure most, if not all of us sitting here in this gym would say we have not had what others would consider a “normal” college experience. We have juggled the demands of both virtual and in-person learning, worked to reunite our campus community from online Microsoft Teams meetings to face-to-face interactions with our friends, cohorts and professors, and fought for our mental health and the interpersonal relationships we so desperately needed to protect and keep with us. Through it all, we persevered. We have showed immense determination, strength and resiliency as we navigated each and every curveball that was thrown at us these last few years. After countless hours of completing homework, studying, collaborating, writing and test-taking, we can finally say it was all worth it. The life lessons and skills we have learned during our experiences here will stay with us for the rest of our lives and I believe we are stronger and better equipped for anything the real world decides to throw at us.

Now as we all embark on our separate journeys, I would like everyone to take a second and think about those who have helped us get to this moment. I encourage all of you to take some time after we leave here this morning and thank the people who came to mind and tell them how much you appreciate them. For me, I would like to thank all of the staff and faculty in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing for all of the support and guidance you have given me these last two years in the graduate program. To the athletic directors, staff and my coaches, thank you for pushing me to be the best student-athlete I could be, both on and off the softball field. And lastly, I want to thank my parents and sisters for always supporting me in everything that I do and for encouraging me to chase after my dreams, no matter how big they were.

As we close out our time here at UTD and move on to bigger and brighter things, never forget all that you have accomplished, the lifelong relationships you have built and all the Temoc, Tobor and Enarc encounters you have had while calling this campus home.

Congratulations to each and every one of you and to the rest of the December Class of 2022. Once a Comet, always a Comet. Here’s to the future.

Thank you.

Nicole Peters began her journey here at UT Dallas in fall 2017. In May 2021, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in both speech-language pathology and audiology and child learning and development. During her senior year of undergrad, she joined the fast-track program to begin her master’s degree in speech-language pathology, which she is graduating with here today. While at UT Dallas, she has been involved with many organizations on campus, including Residential Life as a peer advisor in Residence Hall West, UTD Athletics as a member of the softball team and the Freshmen Mentor Program. She has also held multiple leadership roles as the historian and later president of the Student Diversity Advisory Council, as well as community service liaison and vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In this last year, she had the prestigious opportunity to represent UT Dallas Athletics at the national convention for the National Collegiate Athletic Association, where she was able to interact with students, faculty and athletic administrators from all over the country. After graduation, she will work as a pediatric speech-language pathologist at a clinic in the DFW area.