Father and Daughter Take Part in UTD Ring Tradition
By: Jeff Joiner | December 13, 2023
Steve Royer MBA’18 couldn’t hide his pride as he followed his daughter, Danielle Mariana Royer BS’22, across the stage where the two both accepted UT Dallas rings. The Royers marked the occasion alongside fellow recipients, alumni and families at the University’s fall Ring Ceremony on Dec. 7 at the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building.
“It was just so meaningful to have her walk ahead of me and have her name announced prior to mine,” Steve said. “It was an amazing experience and definitely worth the wait.”
A few years ago, the father-daughter duo decided that they would accept their UTD rings together at a ceremony that, for those in attendance, highlights the many traditions that come with receiving a University ring. The decision to wait came when Danielle was accepted at UTD at the same time her dad was finishing his MBA.
Danielle graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and continued her education as a master’s student in the school. She will graduate this December with a master’s degree in neuroscience.
“There was a real appeal to me to choose a ring style that would allow me to engrave both degrees on the ring,” Danielle said. “So waiting until just before my master’s degree graduation was also reason we decided to get our rings together.”
Steve said the decision to participate in the ceremony together was made easier because UT Dallas allows any qualifying alumni to purchase a UT Dallas ring no matter when they originally graduated. That benefit also includes participating in the Ring Ceremony.
Comments during the ceremony were presented by University President Richard C. Benson and Kyle Edgington PhD’13, vice president for development and alumni relations, who described his own deep academic and professional connections with the University and his respect for the traditions and history represented by the UT Dallas ring.
“The UT Dallas ring has a special history tied to the founding spirit of our University,” Edgington said. “When you put on your rings and dunk them in the reflecting pools outside later tonight, you will become a part of that history.”
The ceremony made coming to campus and accepting their rings even more meaningful, Steve said, adding that the family drove to campus from their home in Hurst, Texas.
“The whole ceremony and the ring itself were just so thoroughly impressive,” he said. “Just how the rings are presented, and the dunking ceremony was truly memorable.”
When Danielle was still attending high school and her dad was working on his MBA, she often visited campus with him. Those visits and her interest in one of the top neuroscience programs in the country sealed her interest in attending UT Dallas.
“I was beginning to look at colleges and we did a pre-advising meeting to learn more about the school,” she said. “Learning about the neuroscience program and how UTD scholarships would reward me for my work in high school really won me over.”
Danielle qualified for an Academic Excellence Scholarship, which covered her undergraduate education. Because she was able to graduate early, the scholarship then rolled over to cover part of her master’s degree.
Steve’s pride in his daughter’s accomplishment was obvious as the two compared their rings following the dunking ceremony in the pool of the Margaret McDermott Mall.
“Sharing time with Danielle on campus while I was going to school here was a wonderful experience,” Steve said. “And now we’ve gone through the Ring Ceremony together and shared that experience. Even though we both waited a few years to get our rings together, it was definitely worth the wait.”