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X Marks the Spot

I was honored to be able to give the Instructional Design & Technology candidate address at the Education Department Hooding Ceremony.

Speaking in front of my family, friends, peers, and mentors was a challenge for me, but I can’t think of a more appropriate end to my greatest ‘leap of faith’ ever.

Below is the transcript of my speech and links to the excerpted media clips used during the address.

   Like every great graduation speech, I’m going to begin with a quote, “I guess I might be interested. So, “yes”; I think.” That was my response to Dr. Romero Hall when the email went out for a graduate to speak at this event. She replied if there were multiple volunteers, we would have a vote. I breathed a sigh of relief as I planned to pass on the opportunity as soon as the final candidates were announced. As it turns out, her email was not flooded with students jumping at the chance. Thanks, guys. So, here I stand. It was at the moment that I received confirmation that I realized three fundamental truths about myself at the exact same time; I compulsively volunteer, I’m the queen of the unopposed election, and I’m terrified of public speaking. So, despite the absolute terror I’m feeling at the moment, I’m also incredibly honored to be able to speak on behalf of the 2016 Instructional Design and Technology graduating class. For those who don’t know what IDT is, I’d like to invite my father up to share a definition of the field…just kidding Dad. Earlier this semester I called my parents to ask them if they knew what I was studying, my mom (a teacher) gave a surprisingly accurate description and my father breathed a heavy sigh and asked, “Why are you doing this to me?” I’m sure many of my fellow graduates have had similar experiences of being asked to fix someone’s computer or being told at a baby shower that someone’s cousin is looking for an interior designer. To be completely honest, I’m positive that some of us weren’t 100% sure what we were jumping into 2 years ago. 

            Fun Fact: There are three Carleys in the IDT program. Military Karley, Glasses Carly, and me…blonde Carley? Carley who works at UT Carley? No…I was recently informed that I am Sorority Carley. For the past decade I have been volunteering for my sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, which brings me back to those fundamental truths. I compulsively volunteer and can’t say ‘no’, or more like won’t say no because of an opportunity that I might miss and regret. I try to apply this enthusiasm to all aspects of my life, which includes enrolling in a graduate program that I only have a surface knowledge of or standing in front of peers, mentors, and complete strangers to share some personal experiences. I’ve been living ‘Years of Yes’ way before Shondaland ever made the phrase popular. Not only has the IDT program given me the opportunity to use my previous experience with Sigma Delta Tau for a million solo projects and provided me with a framework to be able to give back to the organization in new ways, but has also given me so many opportunities to say ‘YES’. Through my experience at UT, I’ve been able to work on interesting and exciting real world projects with some truly amazing collaborators. We built a website for the instructional design program, created a change management plan for Prevent Child Abuse America, conducted research on mobile phone usage in rural Thailand through an international partnership with human trafficking advocacy groups, worked with local restaurants and breweries to create an online module for beer tasting, and designed training for a major ride share company (which I’m pretty sure they stole and I wish I had taken those lessons on Intellectual Property a bit more seriously). These are just my personal experiences; my colleagues would astound you with the amazing work they are doing both inside and outside of the classroom. It is because of these experiences and the superior education I received from the University of Tampa that I was able to say ‘YES’ to my dream career with a fantastic company months before graduation.

            One of the things I’m most proud of is having the opportunity to serve as President of the UT Graduate Instructional Design Association. As the ‘queen of unopposed elections’ I won the title in a landslide. The IDT program teaches you so much about identifying gaps and finding ways to fix them. A group of us saw that there wasn’t a way to get to know fellow students outside of the classroom, especially across cohorts. So, we created this organization to provide students with social and educational opportunities; the results exceeded our expectations. We hosted an alumni panel, had several guest speakers, shared work we were proud of, and ate a lot of donuts and mac and cheese. Last month we partnered with the Hive at the library downtown to host an Adobe Illustrator Workshop. I was shocked when I walked into the room and saw that every computer was taken; 15 students showed up on their own time to attend the event. I’m thankful for everyone who was a part of GRID’s successful first year, especially those who served in leadership positions; David, Tracy, Christina, Ayeza, Yael, Patricia, and Carly (with the Glasses). And of course our advisor, Dr. McKeown. I can’t wait to see this organization grow with the IDT program and hear about all of the wonderful accomplishments after I’m gone.

            In case anyone was wondering, I’m still terrified. This isn’t your normal 75% of the population, most common fear of public speaking. It’s actually deep rooted in a particularly traumatic 8^th grade graduation speech where other kids yelled out some not-so-nice nicknames as I walked to the podium. So, we’re off to a much better start today. I think it’s really healthy to be vulnerable and do things that scare you. One of the most frightening choices I’ve ever had to make was to leave my job with a company I had worked at for nearly 15 years to pursue my master’s degree at UT. The Instructional Design program has given me plenty of opportunities to push myself. Outside of public speaking through too many class presentations to count, we’ve been able to share our writing, receive constructive criticism, work with people from different backgrounds and experiences, tackle seemingly impossible deadlines, explore new technology, and trust others. We tested our limits and went outside our comfort zones knowing we were all in this together and that we have amazing support systems behind us:

Our Families: Who supported us through our whole educational journey and have shaped us into the people we are today. Who listened as intently as they could to us nerd out about a new instructional theory we just learned or an SME we recently interviewed. For believing us when we didn’t believe in ourselves.

Our Significant Others: Who missed out on a million date nights because of classes, homework, and group projects, but never ever complained. Who brought us provisions at the library when we procrastinated or took on too much and couldn’t break away for food or sleep. Who sided with us on every group project conflict and supported us during our irrational rage of losing .7 of a point. Or didn’t and talked us back down to earth.  

Our Friends: Who had to hear, “I can’t. I have homework,” way too many times. But still called to wish us a ‘Happy Birthday’ while we were celebrating with a night of needs assessments, checked in periodically to make sure we were still alive, and let us borrow a suit for the big interview. 

Our Professors: Both full-time, Dr. McKeown and Dr. Romero Hall; and those who teach in the program: Professor Frankich, Dr. O’Grady, Dr. Dennis, Dr. Harris, and Dr. Erben. Thank you for your guidance, mentorship, and wisdom.

Our Advocates: Thank you to the hidden instructional design gurus on campus, Dr. Baker in EdTech and Dr. Moore in the ICB, who took us on as interns, volunteered as guest lecturers at GRID meetings, and always came through when we needed additional resources and access to technology.

Each Other: For being forgiving as we stumbled through our first attempts at project management, for understanding when life got in the way and picking up the slack when needed, for always giving of both time and talent to create work we can be proud to include in our portfolios. I will be forever grateful for the friendships I have made through the instructional program and am proud to have shared this experience with each and every one of you.

            I think a lot about legacy; and not about how I will be remembered, but if I made a difference. I live by the guiding principle to try to leave every place a bit better than I found it. While trying to figure out a way to best express my feelings on during this address, I stumbled across this clip while listening to my favorite podcast. It’s a reading of a special ‘Local Bookstore Day’ addendum to the amazing children’s book, Rad American Women from A-Z.

https://soundcloud.com/rad-american-women-a-z/the-letter-x

            I’ve learned so much about myself over the past two years and have enjoyed this journey more than I ever thought I would. I can’t believe that the time has flown by so quickly and that Blackboard Submissions, discussion board postings, and group project meetings are a thing of the past. X marks the spot where we stand today. I hope we all continue to say yes more often, create opportunities for ourselves and others, face our fears, and find ways to make the world rad.

            Thank you and congratulations to the Class of 2016.