On Friday, May 10th, the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin celebrated the graduating Class of 2024. Excited graduates, their families, faculty, staff, and friends of the iSchool gathered at Bass Concert Hall for the event, which was also live streamed on the iSchool’s website for guests who were unable to attend or preferred to watch virtually. This event was particularly special for undergraduate seniors and their families who were experiencing an in-person graduation for the first time as many of their high school graduations were interrupted by COVID in 2020.
Live music provided by a trio from Austin Civic Orchestra accompanied the processional, led by Dr. James Howison, who served as marshal. Dean Eric T. Meyer provided opening remarks and congratulated students on their academic accomplishment. “I hope that each and every one of you graduates will pursue your passion and use your education to make the world a better place,” Dean Meyer said. “In this world of information, you have valuable expertise, knowledge, and skills. On behalf of the iSchool community, I wish you all the best as you set about changing the world.” The dean then introduced this year’s guest speaker, Dr. Danielle Smith, a technology leader with over twenty years of experience in technology research and user experience design strategy.
“I have been a science fiction and fantasy fan since always,” Dr. Smith said. “The gist for me lies in the power of imagining a future where all sorts of people – humans and otherwise; friends and enemies – come together to make a society work. Where main characters go on quests with teams to accomplish big things…on some very cool spaceships. So, with bold missions in mind, there are two things that I’d like share with you today: First – a bit of advice. Your plans can be made so much richer when you have teams and partner with people who are different from you. And the second is more of a mantra: You are in charge, so dream big and persevere.” Dr. Smith encouraged graduates to look for work or parts of their work that let them work on themselves as well as look for people that can help them see the important things more clearly and together.
Finally, all the graduating students in attendance were honored: 33 Informatics students, 152 MSIS students, 28 MSISP students, and two doctoral students. Congratulations to all our information graduates. Go forth and change the world!