Tiffany Page Carter

Hello esteemed faculty, staff, friends, family and graduates. It is an absolute honor to have the opportunity to speak to you today. I would like to begin first by saying that under ordinary circumstances I might shout “congratulations, we made it!” and move on. Yet I want to acknowledge the extraordinary circumstances under which I congratulate you today.

This past year has been like no other before it. We experienced an ongoing global pandemic, a catastrophic winter storm and, amidst it all, heightened economic and racial injustice. Yet in spite of the arduous path that lay ahead of us, we proved resilient. We crafted new paths where none had existed before, learned new virtual environments and worked together as a team with the best faculty, staff and University leadership in the country. We took canceled experiences and turned them into new opportunities, and we refused to give up: not on ourselves and not on each other.

I don’t know what each of your stories are, but I have a feeling that many may be a bit more “nontraditional” like mine. And, if so, it’s not only our stories that change today, but perhaps that of our entire families. I stand in front of you today as a first-generation graduate in my 30s, the daughter of two (amazing) teen parents, and the proud mom of two perfect little boys: Jack, my 7-year-old who loves math and science; and Sam, my 13-year-old who loves music, words and also lives with severe autism — this day is yours. To each of you listening right now, no matter your story, know that you are here because of your brightly shining, beautifully resilient, Comet spirit. Today, I would like to leave you with one piece of advice: Go after the opportunities that you think you will never get; doing so may completely change your life. I know it has mine.  And on that note, I will now say congratulations to The University of Texas at Dallas graduating class of 2021 — we made it.

Tiffany Page Carter is graduating summa cum laude, with Collegium V honors and ATEC Major Honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in arts, technology, and emerging communication, with a focus on critical media studies and a minor in creative writing. She is a proud first-generation graduate, Terry Scholar and mom of two boys, Sam, 13 and Jack, 7, with husband Jonathan. She served on the ATEC Social Justice Initiatives committee, as the Terry Scholar Student Organization transfer enrichment coordinator and as the Phi Kappa Phi student vice president. In the pursuit of giving back to parents of children with autism, like herself, she founded a Texas disability support group and volunteers as a parent mentor with The Autism Community in Action. During her time as an undergraduate at UT Dallas, she has worked as an orientation leader with the Student Transition Programs, as a communications and alumni engagement intern for the Terry Foundation, and in the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College. She is currently the 2020-21 Texas Instruments Founders Leadership Fellow, working closely with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, learning all facets of nonprofit fundraising and donor-centered philanthropy, with the goal of becoming an experienced nonprofit community leader. After graduation, she will continue her fellowship and plans to work in higher education while attending graduate school.