 |
| Zeta Tau Alpha- University of Texas member Mallory Garcia was chosen by the Dean of Students Office to be one of the university commencement speakers. Our grads are going places! |
Commencement is the
final ceremony of graduation weekend where everyone gathers in front of our
beautiful tower one last time. We sing The Eyes of Texas, yell “TEXAS FIGHT”
and soak up our last moments before officially becoming Texas Exes. According
to some people I have spoken with, it’s one of UT’s best shows of the year… and
now I completely agree with them! Looking back on the entire experience, it
still seems so unreal but it will forever be one of my favorite memories of the
40 Acres.
When I first received
the e-mail invitation a few weeks before graduation, I was in complete shock.
Had I really just been nominated to speak at this year’s Commencement ceremony?
What would I say to thousands of graduates and family members? Luckily for me,
I have some amazing sisters who helped me feel more excited than afraid about
this incredible opportunity. I will never forget the look on Kate Onofrey’s
face when I told her about my upcoming speech. Nor will I forget the excitement
of Ashley Carlisle, who’s also always been one of my biggest supporters. It was
through their excitement and the excitement of others that I began to find
excitement in myself to overcome the nerves.
My nomination to speak
at commencement came from The Office of the Dean of Students. I have worked for
their office for the past two years as a Student Assistant in the Student
Organization Center and as an Orientation Advisor for New Student Services. My
time with DOS has brought me closer to the university and helped make UT feel
more like home. I am beyond grateful for all the amazing mentors and
professionals I’ve met who work everyday to improve our experience at students
while at UT.
My experience as a
commencement speaker was amazing. I spent my final week in Austin getting to
know the other 6 incredible student leaders who were speaking as well. Their
contributions to both the university and to their own personal education are
beyond anything I could have imagined. They each had their own personal story
to tell and I felt a little more connected to them after hearing their wise
words in preparation for Saturday.
On Thursday, May 16
during our dress rehearsal I was able to calm my nerves by reading my speech
out loud for the first time. Although it was helpful, I was reading to a bunch
of empty chairs and couldn’t even fathom speaking in front of thousands of
people. As Saturday approached I was excited to know that so many of my sisters
would be out there listening and supporting me along with my family and
friends. The fact that I was wearing this beautiful teal graduation sash,
probably helped a little too J
While giving my speech
I looked out to find my family and then immediately focused on the beautiful
capital building ahead of me. “…..As we
leave here today, I challenge all of you, class of 2013, to understand how
capable you are of changing the world, one world at a time.” And just like
that, it was all finished. I walked back down to meet all my sisters in line
for our final procession into the Main Mall for the ceremony.
I was extremely honored to be one of the seven students chosen to represent the graduating class of 2013. UT has changed my life, which is no surprise because here at the University of Texas at Austin,
“What Starts Here Changes The World”
Zeta Love Forever,
Mallory Garcia PC '09
0 comments:
Post a Comment