I am a driven, well-spoken individual with a strong desire to work for social change and progress. I enjoy solving problems, and approach situations from a variety of perspectives. I have a love of knowledge, and an inquisitive mind that causes me to thirst for answers and understanding.

I chose to pursue a dual degree in Business Honors and Plan II to obtain a diverse and well rounded educational experience, which I plan to use to further my passion of working in the public sphere as a representative to advocate for positive change which benefits all members of society.

I feel compelled toward a life of politics. I hold strong convictions on progress and institutional reform. Aside from my passions, however, I also revel in ideological discussions. I look at political debates not as a chance to score victories, but as an endeavor toward synthesis. After each discussion, I strive to come away with something new, be it a new understanding on the position of my ideological counterpart, or even a reevaluation of my own views on a particular topic.

Majors
Business Honors; Plan II Honors

Honors Programs
Canfield Business Honors; Plan II Honors

Other Academic Interests
Business and Public Policy Certificate, Government, Politics, History

Extracurricular Activities
I have been heavily involved in Student Government, and I am currently the Deputy Chief of Staff. I previously held the position of Associate Director of SURE Walk, an agency which provides UT students, faculty, and staff with a safe ride home from campus at night. I have also served as Colton-Mehraz Campaign Director, First-Year Representative to Student Government, Vice President of the Plan II Student Association, a legislative intern to State Representative Todd Hunter, and play Intramural Flag Football.

What drew you to the Forty Acres Scholars Program (FASP)?
In Greek legend, the Titan Atlas was made to bear the weight of the heavens upon his shoulders. Atlas stands today as a pillar of individual will, a symbol of self-driven success, a solitary man single-handedly supporting a seemingly impossible load. His bent and bowed form, with the globe resting heavily between his shoulder blades, is ingrained into our collective psyche, and serves as almost a validation of the ideals of self-made success and triumph against all odds.

Atlas is a myth.

No one succeeds alone. No matter the rags-to-riches story, no matter the tales of self-made men pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, nobody succeeds in a vacuum. All too often, enterprising young travelers down the road to success who fancy themselves “trailblazers” in fact walk on paths paved long before them. We are not Atlas, and we cannot hope to bear the weight of the world alone, much less change it.

Alone, the world is immovable. But if we abandon the old myth, if we seek out help and realize that the change we desire can only result from the product of combined effort, if we swallow our pride and embrace our collaborative reality, we find the world is quite mobile. United together, with a concerted and focused effort, we can easily change the world.

This is why I sought to join the Forty Acres Scholars Program. The ability to form networks and relationships with similarly driven and promising young minds has helped me to achieve my goals and broaden my horizons. Combine that with the resources and opportunities for self growth and education available to me through the program, and monumental change is all but certain. What starts here changes the world, and the Forty Acres Scholars Program has given me the best shot to realize that motto in my own life.