Kaeyla Hulsebus

Hello faculty, friends, family and graduating Class of 2023. It is an honor to speak to you all and share this very special moment today. I feel so encouraged standing here, knowing I will forever be a part of the UTD family and community.

Well, those were the fastest four years of my life. We all accomplished one of the major milestones of our lives: college graduation. I really learned a lot about myself these past four years of college; I finally learned how to properly take notes, how to take an online course, and how to write a five-page paper the night before the due date. But most of what I learned was not academic, but personal. I learned how to make friendships in a brand-new environment, how to navigate difficult times, and most importantly, I learned that the people and communities you surround yourself with are the ones who are going to push you to do things greater than you ever imagined. Who knew that in just four years you could learn so much?

Before finding my home at UTD, I questioned even pursuing higher education. I went back and forth with several career paths before landing at community college. I finished a year and a half there and, again, questioned what I wanted to do. Then, in the fall of 2021, I had a professor who strongly encouraged me to keep going and to follow my educational path. He pushed me to apply to UTD, and within weeks I was in the process of choosing my courses for my first semester here. I was so eager and excited that I refused to take my first semester at UTD online. I remember being one of three people in person at Dr. Tonja Wissinger’s Women in Management class; that was a great course, by the way.

In the same way, I think we all have moments in life when we question if this is really what we want to do. We hit a speed bump too hard along the way and think that our vehicle of success is ruined. We get a year and a half in and a tough life event hits us and, suddenly, we are questioning the path we are on. In these last four years, a lot of us have lost a lot. Maybe some of you here have lost a family member you loved dearly. Maybe others lost their passion for what they were pursuing. And maybe others have just lost a lot of pencils. It happens. But in those tough times, we find what really matters most to us. What matters is that we find those people who are going to pull us up when times are hard and will remind us of the purpose of our path. With some encouragement from the people around us, we are able to conquer anything.

The people you surround yourself with are the ones who will help you navigate those difficult times in life; like the people in the audience sitting here with you. For me, I have never felt more encouraged and challenged than I have at this university. Because of my professors, I have left every class feeling like I can do anything I put my mind to. Although our experiences might be different, I think we can all agree that there was at least one professor who really cared for you. The one professor who was just eager to get to know you, encourage you and challenge you in the best ways possible. I walked into a lot of my classes eager to tell my professors about my week and update them on exciting life events, like emailing my professor that I accepted a job.

I also have to thank my family and friends for always being there to remind me of my “why” and my “how.” Without those reminders, I wouldn’t have done a lot of those essays I always complained about. So, to all those who have pushed me in the right direction and encouraged me to keep at it, I say thank you.

Now, scholars, look to your left and to your right. These are the people you got to do life with for the past several years, whether you knew it or not. There are so many different stories sitting next to you. We all worked hard to get to this day, and our hard work did not go to waste. A college degree is a wonderful tool in this world, one that opens many doors of opportunity for anyone who is fortunate enough to have one. There is a purpose for each of your paths, whether it be education, health care studies, American studies or interdisciplinary studies. There is a reason you are sitting here right now — because you were made for such a time as this. You are here to make an impact in your workplace, your community and in this world, so choose to believe that. Our graduation should serve as a launching point to wherever our futures are meant to take us. The people sitting in the crowd today are the ones who encouraged you to get where you are. You can just feel the joy and excitement in this room.

So, Class of 2023, I’ll leave you with a quote from Michael Josephson: “Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”

Congratulations, Class of 2023!

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Kaeyla Hulsebus came to UTD in 2021 from Collin College and is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies. She has earned both magna cum laude honors and a teacher certification. She is in the running for the Texas Directors Field Experience award for Student Teacher of the Year. After graduation, she will be educating the next generation of young minds as a middle school math teacher.