Peter Wolanyk, our student commencement speaker, graduated with a degree in Information Technology Infrastructure. Peter earned Dean’s List recognition for four consecutive semesters while balancing demanding coursework, professional responsibilities and an active social life. His academic focus is in DevOps, and he plans to build his career designing and supporting reliable, scalable systems that power modern organizations.
His educational journey, which he spoke about openly in his speech, is a story of perseverance, community and finding one's own path. Here is a condensed version:
I graduated high school in 2020. And to be honest with you, I didn't know if college was going to be the move for me.
I had plans. I was going to take a gap year, visit family in Denmark, mentally reset, and figure out where I wanted to go next. But the world had different plans for me. And I think a lot of people in this room know exactly what I'm talking about.
Instead of traveling, I worked 60-hour weeks at my local Culver's. I'm talking doubles in the middle of July, coming home smelling like fried cheese curds, feet aching, wondering what my friends who went straight to college were doing.
But somewhere in those long shifts, something clicked. I started showing up early. I started solving problems without being asked. What originally felt like a massive letdown ended up being something else entirely — a crash course in discipline, resilience and what it means to show up every single day even when it's not what you planned.
After a year, I enrolled at community college. Three semesters, a 3.7 GPA, and a lot of figuring myself out later, I transferred to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I chose Minnesota specifically for the Information Technology Infrastructure program. That first semester went smoothly. I earned a 3.4 GPA.
I remember thinking: "Three more years of this should be easy."
I was wrong.
That following semester, the workload hit differently. Short calculus. Java programming. Challenging coursework across the board. It was the first time I had truly struggled, and I didn't handle it gracefully. I called my parents every other day, questioning whether I was cut out for this.
I want to pause here because I think some of you know that feeling. That moment where the gap between where you are and where you want to be felt impossibly wide. Maybe for you it wasn't calculus. Maybe it was a failed exam, a class you had to retake, a semester where life just got in the way. Almost everyone in a cap and gown today has had their version of that phone call home. What got me through wasn't some sudden surge of talent. It was a decision to continue one more day. And then the next. And then the next.
During that stretch I also met Liz Hruska, a career counselor who helped me think beyond the classroom. I told her I wanted an internship and was willing to do whatever it took. Together we built a plan to revamp my LinkedIn, fix my resume and apply for a campus job to start building real experience.
That fall, I secured a position at the University IT Help Desk. The semester after that, I earned a 3.8 term GPA and made the Dean's List.
Over winter break, two things happened that I won't forget. First, I was promoted to Student Lead at the Help Desk, something I was told rarely happens that quickly. Second, I landed an interview with Daikin Applied Americas for an IT Support Internship. After two rounds of interviews, I got the offer. I remember sitting in my car in a parking lot reading that email and just staring at the screen for a second. It wasn't just a job, it felt like proof. Proof that the hard semesters, the late nights, the moments of doubt, all of it had been building toward something real. That internship grew into a role I carried through this entire school year, giving me real experience in a real professional environment while finishing my degree.
Before I close, I want to speak directly to the graduates sitting out there. Your path here was not linear. I'd be willing to bet that most of you transferred at least once, changed your mind at least once and questioned yourself more than you'd like to admit. Some of you balanced this degree with full-time jobs, with families, with responsibilities most people your age don’t carry. Some of you started this journey later than expected and finished it anyway.
That is not a detour. That is the story.
So, as you walk across this stage today, I want to leave you with three things I've learned along the way. The first is that persistence is a skill, not a talent you're born with. It's a choice you make on the days when quitting would be easier.
The second is to use the people around you. Your advisors, your counselors, your classmates — they exist for a reason. Ashley Cruz (academic advisor) changed the trajectory of my time here. Liz Hruska helped me see a future I hadn't mapped out yet. Don't try to do this alone.
And the third, take initiative, even when you feel under-qualified. Show up before you feel ready. Because opportunity almost always meets preparation, but you must put yourself in the room first.
To the families and friends in the audience: thank you. I mean that sincerely. You drove here, you flew here, you took time off work, you rearranged your lives to sit in these seats today. But more than that, you answered the phone calls. You believed in us on the days we didn't believe in ourselves. The graduates sitting in front of you didn't get here alone, and this moment belongs to you just as much as it belongs to them.
To my fellow graduates: I am so proud of every single one of you. What we built here, through late nights, hard semesters and all the uncertainty in between, is real. And it belongs to us.
Congratulations, class of 2026. You earned every second of today. Ski-U-Mah! Go Gophers!
