Nhu-Quynh Clarisse Dizon

Good afternoon, Class of 2025. Today will be a day full of goodbyes, but it’s important to remember: not all goodbyes are sad.

Goodbye to the late-night study sessions that turned into early morning exams. Goodbye to juggling work shifts, group projects and somehow finding time to sleep. Goodbye to wandering from JSOM 1 to JSOM 2 and wondering how a four-story building could possibly have 12 floors — especially when your class is listed as JSOM 12.201. Goodbye to the moments of self-doubt, the, “Can I really do this? Will I ever make it to graduation?” and the challenges that felt impossible at the time but shaped us into who we are today. Goodbye means we made it. It means we are ready and it means we are resilient for the future.

Now, in our business communications classes, we learned that resilience, like leadership, isn’t something we’re born with, and it isn’t built alone. It’s passed down, taught and shaped by the people around us, our parents, our families, our teachers and our communities. And so today isn’t just a celebration of us, it’s a celebration of those who got us here. The ones sitting behind us, cheering us on, because in truth, none of us made it here alone.

To the families, friends and supporters who cheered us on, and sometimes had to drag us forward, this is your moment, too. To the faculty, staff and leadership of the Naveen Jindal School of Management, thank you for guiding us, preparing us and giving us so many resources to succeed. To our professors, advisors and mentors, thank you for not just teaching us, but for believing in us, even when our midterm grades suggested otherwise.

And now, a few personal thank-yous:

First, to my partner, thank you for always believing in me and supporting me through everything – no matter what.

Next, to my Mommy, Daddy and to my siblings ­— surprise! Hopefully you’re not all hiding your faces right now, dying from embarrassment. At least look up long enough to record me on the big screen.

For me, just like many of you, resilience has always been personal. My parents immigrated to America from Vietnam and the Philippines with nothing but hope. They learned a new language, worked long hours in healthcare, and through grit and sacrifice, built a successful private medical practice, and, more importantly, a loving family of 10. Watching them build something from nothing taught me what resilience really means. Thank you both for supporting my decision to transfer to UTD. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I am proud to be a forever Comet.

Today isn’t just about the degrees we’ve earned, it’s about the journeys that brought us here. In my Healthcare Financial Analysis class, we learned about key concepts that we’ll carry into our careers — things like Revenue Cycle Management, also known as RCM. But a byproduct of what I learned from my classes is something I like to call ACM, also known as Assignment Cycle Management:

1. View an assignment due date.
2. Procrastinate like any responsible college student.
3. Procrastinate some more.
4. Realize it was due at 11:59 a.m. and not 11:59 p.m.
5. Panic.
6. Email the professor.
7. Cry.

And yet … somehow, we still made it.

For every hour of sleep lost, there was an hour of knowledge gained. For every assignment submitted, another lesson was earned. For some of us graduating with our undergraduate degree, this is our first real graduation. Our senior year of high school wasn’t in a classroom; it was on Zoom, where “class participation” meant unmuting once a week. We never got a traditional send-off. Instead, we were thrown into college, learning how to be adults and students at the same time. And now, we finally get the moment we’ve worked for. For my fellow nontraditional students, this journey may have looked a little different. Some of you balanced careers, families, and responsibilities but still came back to the classroom, proving it’s never too late to learn and to grow. Today, we all wear the same cap and gown.

And so, to the Class of 2025, I offer a heartfelt congratulations. This isn’t just a graduation. It’s proof that we’ve faced uncertainty and pushed through. It’s proof that we made it. To the students who worked extra shifts to finish their degrees. To the students who commuted for an hour each day. And let’s not forget the students who survived the semester-long group projects, where we truly learned the meaning of “teamwork.” So, if we can make it through that, we can make it through whatever comes next. And if life throws us another 11:59 a.m. deadline … well, at least now we know how to read directions.

Today, we say “goodbye” to what was and “hello” to the opportunities ahead, the careers we will build and the challenges we will face, but this time, knowing we can handle them.

Today, we say goodbye. Tomorrow, we say — and say it with me:

Hello.

Nhu-Quynh Clarisse Dizon is originally from Fresno, California, and is graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in healthcare management and biology. At UT Dallas, she served as president of both the Healthcare Management Association and the Professional Program in Healthcare Management. She co-led a research team for the Center for Healthcare Leadership & Management and was the marketing chair for the Healthcare Undergraduate Leadership Council. She is graduating with major honors through the Davidson Management Honors Program and is a Nash Honors Fellow with distinction as a Nash Leader. A multiple-time dean’s list recipient, she has mentored fellow transfer students as a transfer mentor and tutored healthcare management courses. She volunteers at Texas Health Dallas as the executive leader of SERV, Students Engaged in Rounding and Volunteering, and as a volunteer in the Emergency Department, earning both the UTD Service Honors Award and the THD Undergraduate Volunteer Award. This year, she was also named Healthcare Management Student of the Year by the Jindal School. After graduation, she will begin a full-time role as a LEAD associate with HCA Healthcare’s Parallon division, continue her fast-track path MBA at UTD with a concentration in healthcare leadership, and plans to apply to medical schools in Texas.