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|School of Social Work Commencement
12:30 p.m., Sunday, December 17, 2006
Texas Hall
I’ve often said there’s no place I’d rather be than on a University campus. There is no place as satisfying, engaging, or intellectually rewarding. And truly, there’s no occasion that embraces all of these qualities better than a celebration of commencement. And so it’s a privilege to be here today with the Class of 2006. What you’ve accomplished is not only impressive, it’s extraordinary. But your true achievement is much greater than receiving a degree—it’s earning your education.
Your education is the foundation upon which you’ll build your life, and it will always be the greatest tool you employ. And so you’re fortunate to have an education from one of the best schools of social work anywhere, at any university. We are highly ranked by U.S. News & World Reports and others. We are the largest School of Social Work in the Southwest. But excellence and value are more than what rankings represent or size signifies. And that’s what we celebrate today. Your excellence and your accomplishments.
You are the latest in a lineage of excellence. UT Arlington’s School
of Social Work is outstanding, in part, because those who came before you used
their great education for great causes. Now, it’s your turn. The torch
of responsibility
and of excellence is passed to you, a new generation of social work professionals.
Maybe one of you will follow in the footsteps of Missy Walls. Just a few years ago, Missy was right here, studying for her master’s degree in social work at UT Arlington. Today, she directs an organization called Teen CONTACT, a ’round-the-clock crisis hotline and help center based in Dallas. Missy is using her education—the education she received at UT Arlington—to help curb teen violence, educate teenagers about depression, and raise awareness of numerous other problems. Her goal, she says, is to take a message of strength and healing into every middle school and high school in the area. We all know that young people face problems and crises that many of us, as adults, can’t even imagine. This is a tragedy. But the good news is that they’re not facing them alone. There are people like Missy Walls and like you—Maverick social workers—who make a difference.
Maybe there is another Gene Hintz among you. Some of you know Gene; he just graduated in August. But before he did—while he was still a student at UT Arlington—he coordinated food and clothing drives that benefited more than 1,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina. And he made certain that hurricane evacuees and the workers helping them had the mental health support they needed. In doing so, Gene Hintz was named Tarrant County social worker of the year.
Missy Walls and Gene Hintz are only two examples—two of many. In fact when alumna Betty Noyola visited a local adoption agency as part of her coursework, she noticed all of the diplomas on the wall had something in common. “Almost all of the caseworkers had degrees from UT Arlington,” she said. “That said a lot to me about our School of Social Work.”
In a few minutes, you too will have a diploma from UT Arlington to hang on your wall. Armed with that credential, I know many of you will enter careers in academe or in public service. And these are noble destinations. Our country needs its best and brightest citizens in public service, working toward a common good; and in academics, training and educating our leaders of tomorrow. You are all to be commended, and I thank you for everything that you will accomplish for all of us.
But let me remind you that your trail was blazed by alumni, by the faculty who mentored and taught you, and perhaps even by a classmate with whom you’re sitting today. Learn from them as you make your own way. Always remember them, and always remember UT Arlington.
You learned much in your time at this University, and you’ll soon discover how much more there is to know. One thing I hope you will always remember is that social services like counseling our children, keeping our charities running, and ensuring social stability are among our society’s most noble causes. As vital as these missions are, they’re often overlooked and undervalued. Social workers don’t seek headlines; they do what needs to be done, and perhaps what others won’t or can’t do.
And so the fact is that many of the women and men who make the biggest contributions to their communities, state, and nation do so quietly and behind the scenes. But they are true heroes, in every sense of the word, because they put others first and reach out to those who need it most. I know you will do the same.
I am reminded of a commencement speech I read that was only one sentence long. I’d like to share it with you because it’s poignant and appropriate for this occasion. The commencement speaker simply said: “The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.” Let me say it again: “The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.”
That’s it. That’s the whole speech. Simple but profound. It speaks
to our hearts
and calls us to action. It reminds us that the best thing we can do is to comfort
the uncomfortable and to be a friend for the friendless. If you stop, reach
down,
and pull others up, you touch another’s life in an extraordinary way.
You put your education into practice.
And so, I want to leave you with those words. Every story I’ve shared today is an example of someone reaching great heights by reaching down. I urge you to do the same. Find a place where you can help, a place you can reach down and pick someone else up in your own way. It might be the comfort you provide the family of an Alzheimer’s patient to ease their feelings of guilt, grief, and abandonment. It may be the child whose home life is a wreck, but you intervened. Or it may be your own family member, friend, or neighbor who needs your guidance and support.
Whatever you do, find excellence in it. Wherever you go, remember what you’ve learned here, in and out of the classroom, from yourself and from others. Appreciate what’s around you, but never let anyone limit what you can accomplish—including yourself. And whatever you achieve, remember the greatest commencement speech ever given, and a great lesson for life: “The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.”
As social workers, it’s your calling. As human beings, it’s our duty.
Congratulations, good luck, and be Mavericks always.
