Al Scott
Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination, and looking back, I needed to go through what I went through. It was my journey. You will have your own journey. And as you take this journey, cherish the people alongside you.
– Al Scott
Hello everyone! My name is Al Scott, and it’s a pleasure to be here celebrating with you today. I have to warn you, my talk will be a little different than what you might be expecting. That’s because the path I took to get here is different from most of yours. I imagine most of you are in your 20s, which makes me the “old man’’ of this graduating class. I decided to take a break from school right around the time some of you were born.
By the time I had my associate degree, I had already quit the college basketball team, found a beautiful girlfriend and was expecting my second beautiful baby girl. Besides being a father, I had no idea what I wanted to do in life, and I was absolutely living in the moment. I was going to school because it was something that I was “supposed” to be doing. However, there are two things that happened during that time that subtly laid the foundation for who I am and why I am here today.
The first thing is this: When I quit playing basketball in college, my coach told me that if I wanted a passing grade, I had to take over coaching a team that had lost their coach. But here’s the catch: the team was made up of middle school girls. I had no coaching experience and knew nothing about dealing with middle school girls. But coaching that team became my passion, and now, I have been coaching basketball for more than 20 years. Interacting with children and helping them grow on and off the court also piqued my interest in becoming a teacher.
The other thing that laid the foundation for who I am is, believe it or not, taking time away from school. My time away allowed me to grow and experience life in a way that may not have been possible otherwise. I had to become an adult. I had to provide for children and be a man their mother could depend on. I had to work a little harder and lean on my resources and relationships, which allowed me to get into the mortgage industry and provide a decent life for my family. But I realized that I was not doing what I really wanted to do, which is teach and coach. While I have been successful, I have not been happy with where I am. Getting this degree today allows me to reset and chase a dream that I have put on the back burner for years.
My path from when I first started school to graduating today at the tender age of 42 is probably very different from yours, but you can learn from it. The route I took allowed me to become the man I am today. It helps me appreciate the life I lived and look forward to the upcoming chapters that have not been written. But I also hope that it shows you that life is not as linear as we hope. The plans we make are not always going to work out. Life sometimes presents you with an alternative path to your goals because it is what you need at the time. It does not mean that you give up, but it may mean that you need to reevaluate your path. Or it may mean that you need to gut it out and refuse to give up.
I have learned things in my time away from school that make this moment even more beautiful. There is a level of confidence I now have that I did not have before. And of course, there is the dark side to my decision. For example, I can’t even tell you how many times a college degree would have gotten me a second look at a job that I was interested in. I can’t tell you how difficult it is to preach the meaning of getting an education to a group of kids who believe in you when you do not have the very thing you are asking them to shoot for. But despite these hardships, I would not go back and change anything. Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination, and looking back, I needed to go through what I went through. It was my journey. You will have your own journey. And as you take this journey, cherish the people alongside you.
The best part of getting the news that I would be graduating was texting my family and friends and reading their responses. It warmed my heart to know that my loved ones were happy for me. However, I did not take a moment to congratulate myself like I should have. I had to wait for family and friends to explain to me the importance of what I accomplished. Please do not do this to yourselves. Bask in this moment. Take the time to celebrate yourselves and your classmates today, with all those who supported us along the way. Each of us deserves to be proud of this achievement. Post it everywhere on social media, and for the next few days, put “college graduate” after your signature. When you leave here today as the Class of 2023, I hope this accomplishment is only the beginning of a world of opportunity that allows you to be everything that you hope to be. Congratulations to you all, and enjoy this day to the fullest.
Thank you.
Al Scott graduated from Dallas College Richland Campus in 2003 with an associate degree. He then spent over 15 years raising a family and working as a mortgage industry professional before returning to school at UT Dallas. Scott has two children, one in college and the other a senior in high school. He graduates today with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. His goal is to earn a teacher certification and begin his second act as a history teacher and basketball coach.