The Terry Foundation exclusively features Terry Scholar Alumni as the main speakers during the Fall Banquets and the Fall Virtual Alumni Gathering.
If you are interested in sharing some wisdom and insights with our community, please read the following guidelines carefully and submit the Banquet Speaker Form between August 3rd and August 28th. You may save the information outlined on this page by downloading the Speaker Guidelines document below.
Speaker Guidelines
Goals for Speeches
- Banquet speeches should inspire and motivate our Scholars.
- The theme for this year’s Terry Banquet speeches is “Success and Failure.” (See the Speaker Guidelines for more information.)
- To accommodate the diverse crowd at each event, we request that speeches not be political or religious in nature.
- Speeches should be limited to 10 – 15 minutes long.
Information Session
Wednesday, July 29th
The Foundation hosted a virtual information session to answer questions from Alumni interested in speaking at the Fall Banquets or the Fall Virtual Alumni Gathering. Former speakers shared about their positive experiences, strategies for brainstorming speech topics, and how to overcome feelings of self-doubt.
REGISTERTo Complete the Speaker Form
- Reference the full Banquet Schedule and determine your availability for all events. (Banquets are 5:00pm – 7:30pm local time; Virtual Alumni Gathering is 6pm -7pm CST)
- Review the Speaker Guidelines and the list of suggested topics and prepare an outline of your proposed speech
- Locate your Terry ID# in our Banquet Speaker Invitation Email or look up your Terry ID# here.
2026 Banquet Schedule
On-Campus Event Schedule
Arrival time 5:00pm – 5:15pm
Reception 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Dinner and Program 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Week 1
Monday, September 28th – UT Dallas (Richardson, TX)
Tuesday, September 29th – Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX)
Week 2
Monday, October 5th – UT San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
Tuesday, October 6th – Texas State University (San Marcos, TX)
Thursday, October 8th – University of Houston (Houston, TX)
Week 3
Tuesday, October 13th – Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
Wednesday, October 15th – UT El Paso (El Paso, TX)
Week 4
Monday, October 19th – UT Austin (Austin, TX)
Week 5
Monday, October 26th – UT Arlington (Arlington, TX)
Tuesday, October 27th – Texas Woman’s University (Denton, TX)
Wednesday, October 28th – University of North Texas (Denton, TX)
Week 6
Thursday, November 5th – Fall Virtual Alumni Gathering (Zoom)
Virtual Alumni Gathering Details
Event Details and Schedule
Thursday, November 5th
Casual event hosted on Zoom
Appearances by family members and pets welcomed
- Foundation Update 6:00pm – 6:20pm CST
- Featured Speaker 6:20pm – 6:30pm CST
- Small Group Chats 6:30pm – 7:00pm CST
Speaker Recruitment Timeline
August 3rd – August 28th
The Foundation will open the Alumni Banquet Speaker sign-up form
August 31st to September 8th
The Foundation will contact potential speakers to request additional details, if necessary, and confirm speakers for the banquets and the Alumni Gathering.
- Goal: all confirmed by September 9th.
September 9th Onward
The Foundation will work with each speaker to finalize their presentation and travel itinerary.
Required Speech Proposal
All potential speakers must present a speech proposal to the Foundation when they complete the signup form. All speech proposals must contain the following:
- File saved with your first name and last name in the title (Microsoft Word Document or PDF).
- Your name, Terry school, and Terry year at the top of the page.
- A brief paragraph or outline of your speech’s main idea and why you chose your topic.
Your speech does not have to be completely finalized by the time you complete the sign-up form. The Foundation just needs a clear idea of what you would share at the banquet. If you are selected as a speaker, a Foundation representative will follow-up with you to confirm the specific details of your speech.
2026 Speech Theme
The theme for this year’s Terry Banquet speeches is “Success and Failure.”
We have each experienced the elation and satisfaction of succeeding as well as the disappointment and doubt when we believe we have failed.
The Terry Foundation frequently shares Howard Terry’s quote about success:
“Success is the accomplishment of goals you set for yourself in life…”
This statement should remind every Terry Scholar that success looks different for everyone. It should also remind us that “failure” is perceived differently by everyone as well. What would you tell fellow Terry Scholars, especially students, about “Success and Failure?” What lesson(s) should they take away?
Potential Speech Topics
- How do you approach setting goals to attain your version of success while giving yourself the flexibility to adjust over time? Share a “success” you are particularly proud of and why it is important to you. What about a “failure” that is also an important part of your story?
- Have you navigated pressure to demonstrate or maintain the appearance of success, especially in today’s social media culture, while having an internal perception of failure? How did you handle it? How do we benefit when we show vulnerability and allow others to see our authentic selves?
- How often is “failure” truly failure instead of an opportunity for redirection? Describe a time when a “failure” created a path that you previously did not have the opportunity or courage to pursue. What would you have initially told yourself when you felt like you had failed?
- How has your community supported you to achieve success and offered you redirection when you believe you have failed? How can sharing about our failures within the Terry Community enhance our opportunities for authentic connection?
- What would you tell your Terry Interview Panel and/or Mr. Terry about the way you have used the opportunities provided by the Terry Scholarship to pursue your version of success? What have you learned along the way?
Things to Consider
Speakers should bear in mind the fact that college students, like all Americans, have faced many challenges over the past few years. Our Terry Scholar community is very diverse at all campuses, with students coming from different areas of Texas, different backgrounds (race, religion, ethnicity, gender identity, etc.) and varying kinds of support systems.
Speakers should consider how their speech topics and remarks will be received by Scholars from all backgrounds and aim to be inclusive. Focus on the characteristics that all Terry Scholars have in common based on our selection process, which for over 35 years has resulted in a diverse background of highly driven and talented students who need help to accomplish their goals.