Steven Santoyo, ’19
Major: Communication Studies, Pre-Law
Hometown: Dallas
Steven Santoyo wants to bring out the best in young Texans.
Mirka Mendez, ’20
Major: Petroleum Engineering
Hometown: El Paso
Education and Energy: Two things Mirka will never take for granted.
Nathaniel Briggs, ’20
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Hometown: San Antonio
Nathaniel Briggs is planning a life in defense, service and teaching.
Kavya Rajesh, ’20
Major: Chemistry Honors/Pre-Med
Hometown: Austin
Future doctor Kavya Rajesh wants to give organ recipients more time.
Karan Jerath, ’19
Major: Petroleum Engineering
Hometown: Houston
Business-oriented and environmentally minded, Karan is already serving Texas.
Jacob Vines, ’19
Major: Kinesiology
Hometown: Abilene
Jacob wants to change the world with breakthroughs in neurological therapy.
Kelsey Mumford, ’19
Major: Nursing Honors, Biology
Hometown: Lago Vista
Kelsey wants to change your world with policies that prevent illness.
UT Austin and the VETTED Foundation are strengthening the private sector with our nation’s military talent.
Anastasiya Byelousova, ’20
Major: Plan II Honors
Hometown: San Antonio
Anastasiya is traveling across the world to search for solutions to a surprisingly big problem in Texas — maternal mortality.
Landon Hackley, ’20
Major: Biomedical Engineering, Pre-med
Hometown: Arlington
This is what happens when an engineer, a future surgeon, and a social entrepreneur come together.
Zeyi Lin, BS ’18
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Hometown: Austin
Helping Texans get home sooner is his passion.
Researchers at UT's Bureau of Economic Geology are understanding the West Texas earthquake problem. They are finding the causes to help lessen future impact on Texans.
Regan Preston, ’19
Major: Communications Studies
Hometown: Duncanville
Showing high school students the value of college is her passion.
Marwan Madi, ’20
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Hometown: Sugar Land
Bringing new technology to agriculture is Marwan’s innovation.
Emmalie Berkovsky, BS ’17, Dell Med ’21
Major: Chemical Engineering/Doctor of Medicine
Hometown: Shiner
Growing up in a small town has many perks, but world-class medical care isn’t always one of them. That is why Dell Med student Emmalie Berkovsky plans to return to her hometown of Shiner to serve the community she loves.
Researchers at UT’s Marine Science Institute are strengthening the gamefish population along the Texas coast.
Andrea Chee, ’18
Major: Speech Communication
Hometown: El Paso
El Paso’s Andrea Chee wants Texans with speech challenges to succeed. “Communication is important,” she says. “It’s the foundation of everything we do.”
Alejandra Ortega, BS ’15
Major: Applied Learning and Development
Hometown: Houston
In her second year on the job, Alejandra Ortega was named Houston’s Secondary Teacher of the Year. Here’s why.
Ricky Cooks, ’21
Major: Business Honors and Government
Hometown: Texarkana
Ricky Cooks, a student in UT’s McCombs School of Business, wants to use his degree to build the economy of Texas and lift local communities.
Janelle Chavez, ’19
Major: Biology
Hometown: Port Isabel
Biology major Janelle Chavez ventured to Austin for her education and plans to return to the Valley to improve health care.
Liam Harlan, ’19
Major: Chemical Engineering
Hometown: Abilene
Liam Harlan wants to use data to fast-track advances in chemical engineering. Because the state of Texas has a first-class research university, this valedictorian didn’t have to leave Texas to get the experience a top researcher needs.
Impact Across Texas
From interaction with thought-leading professors to collaboration with their brilliant peers, students at The University of Texas at Austin are given everything they need to make a difference in their community.
Explore how they’ll be #changingyourworld for the better by reading their stories.