Oh
[Applause]
Oh
oh my god what oh my god this is okay oh
my god Wow um oh my oh my god okay thank
you, President Fenves for such an
introduction. I, I’m up here well um this
is really awesome.
I, I can't believe that I'm up here in
front of all of you. Thank you for the
introduction as well from y'all. So I
could have never imagined myself here.
Right here in the spot proudly wearing
my Latinx Grad Stole.
A stole symbolizing my identity as a
Latina woman. When I think back to the
past ten years, it dawns on me that none
of the speakers were wearing a Latinx
grad stole or even a black grad stole. I
start to ask myself “Why? Why does it take
so long for this to happen? Why didn't I
ever see myself speaking, let alone
attending, the University of Texas at Austin?”
For many of us, attending college is a
far-away dream — many times even impossible.
As a proud daughter of immigrants and a
first-generation college student, I know
I know that I am beyond lucky to have
been a student on the Forty Acres. But
these past five years at UT didn't
happen all on my own.
My parents had to make immense
sacrifices. My dad has worked tirelessly.
From working at Domino's Pizza
driving out at 3:00 a.m. for his shift
to start at 5:00 a.m.
to working outside in 100 degree
weather, he has never failed to provide
for his family. My mom has been sacrificing
since day one. The doctors told my
parents I wouldn't be able to walk. But
my mom took that as a challenge. When I
was three, she would practice with me
every day to help overcome my fear of
falling. And although I used my
wheelchair across this 400 acre campus,
I'm able to walk because of my mom.
Gracias mami y papi por tu amor.
When I came to UT I was nervous that I
wouldn't fit in, that I wouldn't find my
place on campus. But College has been an
amazing experience because of the
incredible people I've been blessed to
be surrounded with. From my professors,
mentors and friends, I wouldn't have been
able to do it without all of you. For
example, my sophomore year my front left
wheel on my wheelchair suddenly broke
off as a storm was rolling in. My closest
friends came immediately to help me when
my chair all of a sudden collapsed. We had
to find a way to transport the 250 pound
wheelchair in the middle of North Campus
all the way to West Campus and beat the
severe thunderstorm that was about to
hit. But we figured it out, and we found a
way. And for the next 12 days, I was
without my electric wheelchair, but I was
still able to feel independent all
because of my friends that cared enough
to help me. On this day of celebration, I
think it's important that we take a
moment to practice gratitude for all of
the people that have helped us get here.
The reality is that I am up here now
because of those who paved the way for me,
those who sacrifice for me and those who
continuously empowered me to persist.
This was all an impossible dream, and
here we are all gathered together. Your
presence matters. In everything you do,
you have an entire group of people
supporting you. As I shared my story, I
know it's only one of many
across campus. Continue moving forward, own
your story on how you got here and
always be bold in your passions. As we
move on to the next chapter of our lives,
as we become teachers, doctors, engineers,
accountants and lawyers and educators, let's
realize that we have the power to
elevate those around us. Let us start
planting our seeds of knowledge in the
world. As the Mexican proverb goes: “They
tried to bury us, but they didn't know we
were seeds.” Congratulations, Class of 2018!
I'm so proud of us. Let's celebrate
tonight.
see you on Sixth, and Hook Em, Horns!
[Applause]