Khushboo Madan

Thank you, Dean Pirkul. And thank you to President Benson, Provost Musselman, distinguished guests, family, friends, and graduates. WELCOME! We thought this day might never come. We prayed for its quick delivery, crossed days off our calendar and counted every hour, minute and second. Now that it is here … I’m sorry … because it means leaving behind friends who shaped my life and professors who mentored me, all the people who helped me and my fellow graduates become better and more responsible versions of ourselves.

Our graduation year was historic – full of challenges and uncertainty. I remember us being thrilled when our 2020 spring break got extended by a week. But who knew that our last day on campus would come just like that – unannounced and a total surprise! As the world has braved the challenges and losses of COVID-19 over the past year, I am thankful that we can finally gather and celebrate our success and hard work.

Throughout our two years in graduate school, our families have supported us, encouraged us and motivated us. Like me, there are many graduates whose parents are not present today, but we know that they are all swelling with pride in watching us over Zoom!

All my life, my parents have tried giving me role models from Jane Austen to Michelle Obama, Serena Williams to Roger Federer. But what they do not know is that with each passing day, all that I have ever wanted to become was more like them – selfless and achievers. My sister, whom I can see cheering for me from the audience, is my backbone and my most important pillar of support. Thank you for being my voice of reason and my loudest cheerer always! Thank you to my aunt, my second mother and my guide. I could not have survived college without her care packages and cooking and laundry hacks! A special thanks to my mentor without whose support and guidance, these two years of college would not have been possible. I’d like to thank the administration and faculty for their untiring dedication and hard work on behalf of all graduating students … and especially over the last year. From quickly moving our classes online to setting up virtual office hours, you made sure that we completed our coursework on time so that our dreams would not have to wait.

I’m sure that every graduating student today is reflecting upon the important lessons in their life. For me, those reflections include two that I would like to share with you today. The first lesson is that self-confidence is the best accessory we can adorn. Life is always unpredictable and full of surprises. We may not know what is to happen tomorrow but, especially after last year, we do know that if we have faith in ourselves, courage and resilience, we can overcome any obstacle – big or small. Having faith in ourselves is just as important as having faith in others, and it can really help move mountains. Our self-confidence is really our own. No one can take that away from us. If we have this secret weapon with us, we can shatter any glass ceiling, achieve any dream and ambition, deal with any loss and claim any victory. We all are unique in our beliefs, in our dreams, in our ambitions and even in our flaws, and if we are that unique, why can’t we have a little faith in ourselves and believe that we can fight any battle, solve any problem, overcome any obstacle? Self-confidence may not be something that we are born with, but it is surely something that we all can teach ourselves along the way. If we believe in ourselves, the world will believe in us.

The second lesson is that failing is inevitable – this too shall pass. There will be times in our lives when we will fail and faulter. But instead of feeling disheartened and depressed, if we can remember to pick ourselves up and once again move along the journey, the failures can be turned into important life lessons. Failing is inevitable, but every failure teaches us something very important and valuable about ourselves. Because it is in these low times that we recognize our hidden strengths, our capabilities, our endurance, our optimism and our limits. So instead of fighting to not fail, if we can see failures as necessary learning opportunities, failing will no longer be a taboo. And just like the night ends in day and winter ends in spring, the lows end in highs. There is a silver lining behind every cloud. If only we can be patient and not lose our self-confidence, we will get to the end of the tunnel. Failing is not bad, but accepting your failure as your fate, that’s bad.

Michelle Obama once said, “Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.” So, my fellow graduates, let’s pick up our pens and write our stories. As the world heals, let’s step out today with a vision and zeal to make this world happy and healthy once again.

Congratulations, Class of 2020, we did it!

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Khushboo Madan came to UT Dallas in August 2018 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and graduated with distinction with a master’s degree in business analytics and information technology and management. She was a Dean’s Excellence Scholarship for Graduate Students recipient and served as a member of the Dean’s Council, Business Analytics Leadership Council and ITM Leadership Council. She sat on UTD Discipline Committee 2019-2020 as a student representative for cases pertaining to misconduct and academic dishonesty. She served as a college mentor in the Young Women in Science and Engineering Investigators program, a UTD outreach program focused on inspiring young women from underrepresented communities to pursue careers in STEM fields. She also served as the general secretary and the vice president of Women in Technology International UT Dallas Chapter from 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, respectively. In addition to her classwork, she worked as a graduate intern at Intuit. After graduation, she plans to pursue her MBA.