Madilynn Pinson

Good afternoon fellow EPPS graduates! It is an incredible honor to stand before you all today as we celebrate one of the most significant milestones of our lives — graduating college. My journey to this moment has been anything but ordinary. I somehow managed to stretch a four-year degree into 6 ½ years. Some might call this “dedication to maximizing the college experience.” Others will more accurately call it “poor time management.”

When I first set foot on this campus as an 18-year-old, my future seemed clear and well-lit. I had just graduated high school with honors and was blessed to have my college completely paid for by family. To achieve my goal of becoming a lawyer, all I had to do was focus on school. That is exactly opposite of what I did. After 16 weeks of intense “networking” (or, let’s be honest, too much partying), I ended my first semester of college on academic probation with a .08 GPA. Yep, you heard that right: point-zero-eight. I shook it off but made no changes to my priorities. For the next year, I failed to earn a GPA above 2.0, despite even moving back home to attend the local university for support. At this point, graduating from UTD — or anywhere for that matter — felt like it was not in the cards for me. Yet, I kept enrolling. In March 2020, my grades were looking great, and due to the pandemic, I no longer had in-person classes or a fun cocktail waitress job, one of the few things I enjoyed about living in my small hometown as an extrovert. I took this as a sign, secured a temporary position working at a drugstore and moved back to Dallas. That May, I ended my first of many semesters in good academic standing.

In July 2020, looking for job stability and experience in the criminal justice system, I made a life-changing decision to become a county jailer, where I would discover my strong passion for criminology. With the guidance and support of my wonderful academic advisor, I was able to transfer back to UTD as a criminology major in the summer of 2021. Juggling a difficult profession and school, I fought relentlessly for today. I made it, and so did you. If there’s one takeaway from my story, it’s this: anything is possible when you refuse to give up on yourself. My presence here is a testament to that truth.

My journey through adversity is not unique. All of us have faced obstacles on the path to walking across this prestigious stage. I invite you to take a moment, think back on those challenges and thank yourself for never giving up on you. Yes, we owe gratitude to those who supported us — family, friends, pets, school faculty — but ultimately, it was you who brought yourself here.

Remember, as you soon walk out of this lecture hall into your future as a college graduate, that you will always be the person who gets yourself there. You will always have yourself, and that is enough. You are enough. You owe it to yourself — the one who persevered and brought you to this day — to continue striving for and building a life you are proud of. Thank you, and congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment, fall Class of 2024! Go Comets!

Madilynn Pinson is graduating with a bachelor’s in criminology, and her journey is one of resilience, determination and commitment. Since 2020, Pinson has been building her professional experience with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, where she has found and pursued her passion for criminology. Through this role, she earned her Texas Commission on Law Enforcement certification, a significant milestone as she pursues a career dedicated to justice and community safety. Balancing her studies with the responsibilities of a working professional, Pinson has shown exceptional dedication, setting an inspiring example of what young professionals can accomplish when they follow their passion with purpose.