Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies (SPS) supports non-traditional graduate students who balance education with work, family, and other life responsibilities, emphasizing that diverse work experience, persistence, and real-world perspective are valuable assets rather than disadvantages in academic and professional success.
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Northwestern University SPS Convocation 2026 – Student Speakers
Added:Good afternoon, faculty, family, [music] friends, and most importantly, my fellow graduates.
My name is Alejandro Gutierrez, and it is an honor to be here with you today.
I want to start by being honest. When I was invited to speak today, my first thought was, "I'm not the most qualified person in this room to be given this speech."
And I mean that honestly, because amongst us, we have nurses, engineers, researchers, as and business leaders.
People who, while earning this degree, were running businesses, raising families, and keeping the world going.
Like many of you, I began this journey while working. At the time, I was an active duty Marine.
Managing missions, leading teams, and somewhere along the lines, I thought something to myself that I can only describe as a moment of pure insanity. I thought to myself, "You know what I really need right now?
Homework and exams."
I won't pretend I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.
Starting school while on active duty was very intimidating, and I wasn't sure if both worlds could coexist.
But what surprised me, and will stay with me long after today, was the faculty at Northwestern.
Professors who didn't just make time for who we were outside of the classroom.
They also challenged us rigorously.
They And they never dropped the standard for us. And that's not an easy thing.
However, it's everything that this school stands for.
Yes, we are an unusual group of graduates that don't fit into the traditional image of a college student.
We came to this degree with lives fully in progress, and somewhere along the way, the world may have made us feel like that was a disadvantage.
However, I want to offer a different interpretation.
Because the person with a diverse work experience, they're not scattered.
They bring a perspective that can't be taught in a classroom.
The parent on the team, they're not stretched too thin.
In fact, they're the most resourceful person in that team.
And the person that got their degree later in life, well, they're not behind.
They're persistent. And persistence, it turns out, is the most important quality there is.
Today, we close one chapter, but we close it having proved something.
That we can hold complexity, carry responsibility, and still show up, still grow, and still finish.
To our family and friends who supported us along the journey, thank you.
Because you carried this degree, too.
And to my fellow graduates, with my full heart, I can say that I'm proud to be walking this stage with you today. Because whatever's next, you've already shown that you can handle it.
Thank you, and congratulations, Northwestern Class of 2026.
>> [applause] >> Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Lydia Teshome, and I'm graduating today with a Master's of Science in Global Health from Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies.
To my fellow graduates, faculty, families, and friends, thank you for being here to celebrate this moment with us.
If there's one thing I've learned at Northwestern, it's that no journey looks the same.
And mine began far from here.
Born in Ethiopia, raised in the United States, and shaped by life lived between the two, never fully rooted in just one place.
That experience shaped how I see the world.
It taught me that people can live very different realities, and that those differences matter.
I didn't always have the words for what I was seeing, but over time, those experiences became questions.
Questions about equity, opportunity, and how we we better show up for one another.
At the School of Professional Studies, I found a place where those questions could grow, not just into answers, but into purpose.
Because SPS doesn't just teach information, it challenges us to think differently, listen more closely, and step into unfamiliar spaces with curiosity and compassion.
During my practicum, I had the opportunity to work in rural communities in Uganda.
One woman in particular stayed with me.
During a home visit, I sat with a woman as we discussed ways to support her health.
She quietly explained that what we were suggesting did not always fit her reality.
In that moment, everything shifted.
It became less about having the right answer and more about understanding the right question.
That experience reminded me that meaningful impact, regardless of our field, is not about having all the answers.
It's about being willing to listen, adapt, and meet people where they are.
I think that's something all of us here can relate to.
No matter what brought us to SPS or Northwestern, whether we were advancing our careers, changing paths, or pursuing a long-held goal, we all made the same decision to keep going, to keep learning, and to keep growing.
We balance responsibilities, deadlines, work, family, and life happening all at once. And somehow, we're still here.
What makes this moment so powerful is that every one of our journeys has been different.
No matter where we started or how long it took us to get here, this achievement belongs to all of us.
As we move forward into new roles, new challenges, and new chapters, I hope we carry this with us.
The spaces we enter next are not just places where we work.
They're places where someone is waiting to be seen, heard, and understood.
And now we have the opportunity to be that difference for someone else.
Not because we have all the answers, but because we're willing to show up.
So, wherever your journey takes you, build something meaningful.
Serve with intention, and never forget the people and experiences that brought you here.
Because this degree is not just a milestone, it's a responsibility.
Congratulations, class of 2026. Let's go make it count. Thank you.
>> [applause]
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