Yash Varma

Standing here before you, I am honored to share this special day of celebration with you — the individuals who will define what comes next. We’ve spent the last few years speaking different academic languages — finance, marketing, supply chain, technology — but today, we all speak the same one.

Good afternoon, Class of 2025!

My high school graduation was on a YouTube livestream mid-pandemic — cap, gown and no audience. So, standing here today, in person, with all of you, feels like my first actual graduation.

I want you to think back to your first semester in college. You showed up to campus with some kind of plan. And most of you, at some point, had to rewrite it.

At JSOM, we’ve survived enough acronyms to last a lifetime — but I’ve got one more for you: SDLC. As a CIS Tech major, I learned that the software development life cycle is used to build and improve systems over time — step by step, phase by phase. And looking back, I don’t think that structure is limited to software. It mirrors how we’ve grown here: learning, adjusting and constantly refining who we are.

I want to focus on three phases today: planning, testing and deployment.

Phase 1: Planning

Before anything significant is built, it starts with a plan.

Some of us started college with a clear vision. Others — myself included — realized along the way that our original plan wasn’t quite the right fit.

My pivotal moment came when I stepped back from petroleum engineering and started asking deeper questions — about the kind of work I do and the kind of person I want to become.

That search led me here — to UT Dallas. A place that now feels like home.

And I know I’m not the only one. Some of you changed majors. Some of you explored new interests. Some of you took on leadership roles, started businesses or discovered strengths you neverknew you had. Whatever your journey has looked like, I can say without a doubt: we didn’t just follow a path — we created one.

One thing you and I have learned about building something — whether it’s a career, a passion or a group project that seemed to always wrap up at 2 a.m. — is that it rarely works perfectly on the first try.

Phase 2: Testing

You’ve been doing it all along. And yes — sometimes that meant failing. But failure isn’t the end of the process — it’s part of it. It’s how you learn, adjust, and figure out what actually works for you.

Testing is messy. It’s uncomfortable. It’s the phase where the plan meets real life, and that’s when growth really happens. When life forces you to pause, reevaluate, and ask yourself, “Is this still the direction I want to go?” That’s the moment when your progress starts to mean something.

I asked myself this question when I took a semester off school, unsure of what would come next. But that space — uncertain as it was — became a turning point. It was a moment to reflect, realign and go after something I wanted.

Being here today means you’ve already done the hard work of testing and figuring things out. And in a few moments, crossing this stage will prove that you’re still moving forward.

And today, we reach phase 3: Deployment. Not as a finished product, not with every question answered, but as people ready to take the next step.

What comes next isn’t about following a set path — it’s about taking ownership of your choices. You and I have already done that at UT Dallas. Some choices were easy, some difficult and some didn’t make sense to anyone but ourselves. But that’s what ownership looks like. It’s about deciding what matters to you, what’s worth your time, your energy, your effort. And now, as we move forward, that responsibility grows.

For some of us, that next step is a career. For the rest, it could be more education, traveling or taking time to figure out what comes next. Whatever it is, one thing is clear — this moment is not about having all the answers. It’s about knowing that you and I are the ones who get to figure them out.

Today is deployment — not as a final step, but as the emergence of everything we’ve been working toward. We are not just graduates today — we are builders, innovators, leaders. And as Comets, we know that the future doesn’t just demand more. The future demands different.

So, as we step into this next chapter, let’s remember:

• Plans will change: We’ve seen it happen before, and we’ll adapt again.
• Challenges will come: And just like before, we’ll find a way through them.
• Growth never stops: Because today isn’t an ending, it’s a launch!

I also want to thank the people who got us here — the ones who stood by us when plans changed, challenges hit and growth seemed impossible. Your support made this moment possible.

Congratulations, Class of 2025!

Thank you.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Yash Varma transferred to UT Dallas and quickly found his stride as a standout student in the Computer Information Systems & Technology program. Graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree, he has consistently demonstrated academic excellence — earning multiple dean’s list honors — and staying actively engaged in the campus community. He’s been involved in the Professional Program in Computer Information Systems & Technology, through which he has represented UT Dallas at national and international business case competitions. He also served on the Undergraduate Dean’s Council, contributed to UTDTV, and co-led the Case Competition Committee on the CIS Tech Leadership Council. Beyond campus, he’s also dedicated time to serving the community through his work at the Wilkinson Center. After graduation, Yash will begin his career as a software engineer at a financial institution.