New University of Texas at Dallas students officially began their Comet journeys on Aug. 21 with University Convocation in the Activity Center, where attendees enjoyed performances from the UT Dallas Power Dancers, cheerleaders and the Novis a cappella group. UTD President Richard C. Benson and Provost Inga Musselman formally wished the students well as they started the fall semester. “And we know that you will shoot for the stars.”Benson also shared a video featuring the story of UT Dallas’ origins and reflections from current and former students. Speakers representing the student body at the event were Student Government president and cognitive science junior Kruthi Kanduri, business analytics master’s student Megha Hooli, software engineering master’s student Don Wijesinghe, human resource management senior Rosemary Enoidem and biology sophomore Rana Abdelaziz. The convocation was followed by the Welcome Back Bash, an event sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs that kicked off the annual Weeks of Welcome.