Photos by Dan Moore, University Photographer
UW-Green Bay 2025 December Commencement class speaker and Business major, Raquel Botbyl addressed a packed house at The Weidner, including close to 200 fellow graduates. She spoke of belonging; finding her place, people and success despite uncertainty and setbacks. She encouraged her fellow graduates to “…keep showing up, keep building, and keep becoming.”
Botbyl encouraged graduates to thank their family and friends, professors and others who helped them arrive at commencement. In closing, she asked her peers to go forward with confidence. “Go become everything you’ve worked for. Go out, and go be great.”
Please read Botbyl’s full remarks, below.
Hello everyone, my name is Raquel Botbyl, and I want to begin by thanking all of you… parents, families, friends, and loved ones… for being here today. Your encouragement, your sacrifices, your belief in us long before we believed in ourselves… it carried us here.It’s an honor to share this moment with you. It’s also a huge honor to speak today, especially among so many talented, bright students. I’m genuinely grateful for the chance to represent our class.
Now, I’ll be honest: I did not come into college with a perfect plan. Not even close. I came in with a color-coded planner I abandoned by week two and absolutely no idea what direction I was supposed to take. There were moments of nervousness, moments of loneliness and moments where it felt like everyone else had things figured out except me.
In those early weeks at GB, I felt like I was wandering around campus holding a map that was printed upside down. I didn’t know my major, I didn’t know what clubs to join, and honestly,half the time I couldn’t even find the right classroom. I didn’t have a clear path; all I had was a list of possibilities and the fear of choosing the wrong one.
But looking back, that season wasn’t failure. It was formation. And it taught me one of the most important lessons I’ve learned here: It’s okay not to have everything figured out. We’re not behind. We’re becoming.
And becoming doesn’t happen all at once. Growth isn’t loud or dramatic. It doesn’t announce itself. It builds quietly, step by step, choice by choice, in the small actions we take every day.
Along the way, I found my people. Friends who celebrated tiny victories, who made me laugh when stress got heavy, who reminded me to keep showing up on the days I doubted myself. Professors who challenged me, supported me, and guided me in ways I didn’t even know I needed.
And this university, UW-Green Bay, gave me opportunities that helped me discover not just what I could do, but who I could become. I still remember my first campus event during Welcome Week. I walked in alone, not knowing what to do, convinced I looked completely lost.
But one conversation turned into another, and slowly, I realized something: this community shows up for you even when you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. And when I finally allowed myself to be present,I realized how much life was happening right around me; friendships forming, opportunities unfolding, and a version of myself emerging.
So right now, I ask you to be fully present in this moment. Not worrying about the who, what, where, or when of the future. Those questions will answer themselves.
The reason you’re here today, your “why”, was built through every hard night, early morning, sacrifice, and quiet step forward. You’re standing in a place you once hoped you’d reach, even on the days it didn’t feel like it.
Of course, there were moments when things & didn’t go as planned. Times when the future felt like a giant question mark. But those moments taught a valuable lesson: growth lives in discomfort. Challenges are stepping stones, not roadblocks.
Consistency, showing up, and putting in the work, especially when you don’t feel ready, are what carry you forward. Because being ready isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision.
And with that, talent might get you noticed, but perseverance and character will take you farther than you ever imagined. Who you are as a person is what leaves the real impact.
And every part of who I have become is woven together by the people who stood beside me, because none of us got here alone.
To our parents, families, and friends thank you for believing in us through every season. To our friends: thank you for the laughter, the memories, and the late-night pep talks.
To our professors and; mentors thank you for your wisdom and for helping us grow not just academically, but as people.
And to my mom and dad, my loved ones, and my faith…you have been my anchor. I don’t know where I’d be without you. Your love, your support, your steady presence. This moment is as much yours as it is mine.
Graduates, sometime today, take a moment to thank your people. A hug, a sentence, even a simple “thank you.” It means more than you know. These are the people who carried us to this moment.
So today, Class of 2025, hold on to this truth:
Purpose doesn’t appear when you wait for the perfect moment. It comes alive in the doing. As we know, some of life’s greatest gifts come from detours, the very moments that shape us into who we’re meant to be. As we move forward, remember to keep showing up, keep building, and keep becoming.
Congratulations, graduates.
Go forward with confidence. Go become everything you’ve worked for.Go out, and go be great.
Thank you.