Lilly Guerra

Hello, faculty, friends, family and graduating Class of 2022! My name is Lilly Guerra. What an honor it is to speak to you all and to be a part of this momentous occasion. It makes me feel so empowered to see all your faces and to be a part of the UTD community for life.

I must admit, college has not been my favorite period of life so far. I had a lot of trials thrown at me. I went to two different colleges before finally transferring to UTD. I lost my father in January 2020; he was my best friend and my biggest supporter. He means everything to me; he taught me to be courageous, enjoy life and surround myself with people I aspire to be like. I am constantly reminded about the values he instilled in me.

When he passed away, it was difficult for me to focus on my studies. I did not want to continue on the path toward my degree; it felt useless. Luckily, my father always said to me that getting your college degree is important because nobody can take that accomplishment away from you. He also taught me that you must have ganas. Ganas is the will and desire to take the necessary steps to achieve a set goal for yourself. We all have to figure out what we desire, and we must be willing to learn how to reach our goals.

We’ve all faced challenging times in our lives that make us question the journey we are on. These road bumps in our lives force us to stop and ponder whether we’re on the right path or not. And it’s the people around you and your community that help you to navigate through it. The UTD community has been a major influence in helping me get back on track. This community has allowed me to regain my focus in finishing my degree. It has also allowed me to pick my head up, look around at the opportunities and participate with my classmates. Most importantly, I now feel clearer and more passionate about my chosen educational path. I would like to recognize the diverse student organizations that embraced me and connected me to others. I thought I was the only one who felt alone, who had hesitations about my future, who was unsure of the next right step forward for me. But discussing my struggles with others allowed me to heal and open up. Being alone can make you feel disconnected, but a community will let you attach to something bigger than yourself. Our continued resilience and strength allowed us to achieve this goal. There will be many more struggles in life, but you can rely on your degree and the stamina that helped you get it. A degree is much more than just a piece of paper; the path to earning a degree is a journey filled with lessons and new discoveries about ourselves.

Thank you, UTD, for the community you provided for all of us, and thank you for the long-lasting memories. Congratulations, Class of 2022. I’m so proud of us. We did it!

Lilly Guerra is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in gender studies and brain and behavioral sciences. She came to The University of Texas at Dallas from Texas Christian University in January 2020. Since then, she has been involved in the Latino Fellowship at UTD organization. After graduation, she will move to Arizona to start a career in social media.