A Glimpse of Graduation

Profile Photo of Julie Kangas Dr. Daniel, Dean Coleman, distinguished faculty and staff, my fellow graduates and all of our loving supporters, I am honored to be here with you today.

I am so proud to be part of UTD’s graduating class of 2009. I would like to congratulate every one of you on your achievement and thank all the families and friends who made this possible.

Many of you do not know me, but I am a person who ponders over what-ifs. That’s not to say that I live my life with regret, because I try my hardest not to. I just like what-ifs. In these weeks leading up to graduation, I thought a lot about one specific what if. What if I had never come to UT Dallas?

Would I still have studied psychology? Maybe not, but I would still try to analyze your families after the ceremony.

Without UT Dallas, would I still consider green and orange a valid color combination in my wardrobe? Maybe not, but I will say that it has grown on me.

Without UT Dallas, would I still be the person I am today? Maybe not, but I'm glad I'll never have to know.

My fellow graduates, I know that we all have families, friends, faiths and philosophies that unite us to others outside of UT Dallas, but I pray that you will not simply recede into what is familiar and convenient. Please continue to live as an active member of the UT Dallas community because we are better when we are connected.

The truth is that the community of people who live and work here has transformed my opinions and my character. When I first arrived at UT Dallas, I was shy, fiercely opinionated and a little bit lonely, but I was immediately enfolded into a group of people unlike any I had ever seen. The people around me were so diverse, gifted and kind. My best friends have been future computer scientists, biomedical engineers, artists and performers. They have been Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and agnostic. They have been figure skaters, composers, extreme-sports junkies and authors. I have been blessed to know them all.

I want to celebrate UTD’s community today because I am so sad to be leaving it. I hope I will be able to find a new community that can match the beauty and diversity of UT Dallas, but I know it's not going to be easy. There is no Comet Camp in the real world. No one is going to put me on a bus, give me a free T-shirt and help me find my place. From here on out, a community of people who challenge you and build you up will be hard to find.

My fellow graduates, I know that we all have families, friends, faiths and philosophies that unite us to others outside of UT Dallas, but I pray that you will not simply recede into what is familiar and convenient. Please continue to live as an active member of the UT Dallas community because we are better when we are connected. I know this to be true because I am better when I am connected to you. I am better when you take me to the place where you worship and when you speak to me of philosophies different from my own. UT Dallas is also better when you stay connected to it, are proud of it and give back to it.

Standing here and seeing all of your faces, I know that I can claim friendship with all too few of you. Regardless of whether or not I ever meet you or share a meal with your family, every one of you impacts me. The things you have done in our last few years together have made me proud of this school. Even though I never met half the members of the chess team or the basketball team, I cheered for them as if they were my friends. I never met any of the students working in our research labs to cure sickle cell, but I bragged about them as if I had. My fellow graduates, everything you have done and are going to do impacts me and everyone in this room. I selfishly hope that when you leave here today you will go out and show the world your extraordinary selves so that everyone who’s watching will think I'm just as extraordinary as you.

My fellow graduates, in the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking of another what if. What if you had not come to UT Dallas? I don't even want to imagine what I would have lost.

Congratulations, class of 2009!

I look forward to seeing great things from you.

Julie Kangas graduated summa cum laude with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and a degree in psychology from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Kangas was a member of the dean’s honor list, a graduate of the Collegium V Honors Program, a Behavioral and Brain Sciences Honor Graduate, president of the Psychology Coalition, president of the Golden Key International Honor Society, a Student Ambassador, a member of Psi Chi and a member of the Student Government Election Board.

In addition, she interned in a number of faculty research laboratories, worked on several outreach projects, and participated in Alternative Spring Break and the Summer Language Program at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico.

Following a service summer in Asia and a transitional year working for AmeriCorps, Kangas intends to enroll in a doctoral program in clinical psychology.