Class of 2023 Freshman Dinner Series Recap

Every Wednesday evening this fall, the Class of 2023 cohort came together for dinner and a lively discussion with UT faculty, staff, and older Forty Acres Scholars. Each week, the discussion featured a topic specific to one of the Forty Acres Scholars Program tenets: Community; Connection; Discovery.   The Dinner series is a chance for scholars to learn a wide range of skills and lessons as they adjust to their new life on the Forty Acres. Topics include:  Etiquette Dinner Freshman Dinner Series Kick-off Enrichment Stipend Dr. John Daly  Relationship Building  Academics  Dr. Jeremi Suri  Wellness  Social and Extracurricular Activities  Reflection  It’s also a chance for scholars to step outside the grind of their busy weekly schedules, connect with each other, and build community. “We made the commitment at our Freshman Retreat to be really intentional about seeing each other,” said freshman Scholar Eliza Pillsbury, “But our schedules got so crazy once school started. The Wednesday night dinner series became a built-in part of our week where we could check in with each other. I was just really grateful for the intentional time to spend with fellow scholars.”  Below, scholars reflect on their biggest takeaways from the series.   "The enrichment stipend is something we have all heard about and are excited about. But the chance to hear from older scholars at the enrichment stipend dinner about how they used their stipend to the fullest really helped me solidify what I’m going to use my stipend for and a chance to get a head start on planning my study abroad. It was so inspiring.” Eliza Pillsbury  “The thing is, every dinner series is different. We talk about everything from mental health to etiquette. And it was never a classroom setting, but more interactive—even when we heard from the professors, Dr. Daly and Dr. Suri. We learned from Dr. Suri about how to make the world a better place by being mindful about our actions. And Dr. Daly told us something that really stuck with me: ‘Stop negotiating with yourself.’ Meaning if you have to do something or really want to make a change, don’t procrastinate or do it to a lesser extent. Do the things you want right now.” Arya Saksena  “Everything we talked about—from mental health to making adjustments to college life—are really important topics for freshmen to know. I loved learning alongside my cohort, who I respect so much, and realizing that the freshman year transition is difficult for everyone was really validating. But I think my favorite thing was chatting with professor John Daly. Getting to interact with such an intelligent and renowned professor was a really special experience. I actually ended up getting coffee with him later because I wanted to pursue that connection, and I wouldn’t have done that without the Dinner Series.” Meredith Black 

Class of 2023 Freshman Dinner Series Recap

Every Wednesday evening this fall, the Class of 2023 cohort came together for dinner and a lively discussion with UT faculty, staff, and older Forty Acres Scholars. Each week, the discussion featured a topic specific to one of the Forty Acres Scholars Program tenets: Community; Connection; Discovery.   The Dinner series is a chance for scholars to learn a wide range of skills and lessons as they adjust to their new life on the Forty Acres. Topics include:  Etiquette Dinner Freshman Dinner Series Kick-off Enrichment Stipend Dr. John Daly  Relationship Building  Academics  Dr. Jeremi Suri  Wellness  Social and Extracurricular Activities  Reflection  It’s also a chance for scholars to step outside the grind of their busy weekly schedules, connect with each other, and build community. “We made the commitment at our Freshman Retreat to be really intentional about seeing each other,” said freshman Scholar Eliza Pillsbury, “But our schedules got so crazy once school started. The Wednesday night dinner series became a built-in part of our week where we could check in with each other. I was just really grateful for the intentional time to spend with fellow scholars.”  Below, scholars reflect on their biggest takeaways from the series.   "The enrichment stipend is something we have all heard about and are excited about. But the chance to hear from older scholars at the enrichment stipend dinner about how they used their stipend to the fullest really helped me solidify what I’m going to use my stipend for and a chance to get a head start on planning my study abroad. It was so inspiring.” Eliza Pillsbury  “The thing is, every dinner series is different. We talk about everything from mental health to etiquette. And it was never a classroom setting, but more interactive—even when we heard from the professors, Dr. Daly and Dr. Suri. We learned from Dr. Suri about how to make the world a better place by being mindful about our actions. And Dr. Daly told us something that really stuck with me: ‘Stop negotiating with yourself.’ Meaning if you have to do something or really want to make a change, don’t procrastinate or do it to a lesser extent. Do the things you want right now.” Arya Saksena  “Everything we talked about—from mental health to making adjustments to college life—are really important topics for freshmen to know. I loved learning alongside my cohort, who I respect so much, and realizing that the freshman year transition is difficult for everyone was really validating. But I think my favorite thing was chatting with professor John Daly. Getting to interact with such an intelligent and renowned professor was a really special experience. I actually ended up getting coffee with him later because I wanted to pursue that connection, and I wouldn’t have done that without the Dinner Series.” Meredith Black 

Class of 2023 Freshman Dinner Series Recap

Every Wednesday evening this fall, the Class of 2023 cohort came together for dinner and a lively discussion with UT faculty, staff, and older Forty Acres Scholars. Each week, the discussion featured a topic specific to one of the Forty Acres Scholars Program tenets: Community; Connection; Discovery.   The Dinner series is a chance for scholars to learn a wide range of skills and lessons as they adjust to their new life on the Forty Acres. Topics include:  Etiquette Dinner Freshman Dinner Series Kick-off Enrichment Stipend Dr. John Daly  Relationship Building  Academics  Dr. Jeremi Suri  Wellness  Social and Extracurricular Activities  Reflection  It’s also a chance for scholars to step outside the grind of their busy weekly schedules, connect with each other, and build community. “We made the commitment at our Freshman Retreat to be really intentional about seeing each other,” said freshman Scholar Eliza Pillsbury, “But our schedules got so crazy once school started. The Wednesday night dinner series became a built-in part of our week where we could check in with each other. I was just really grateful for the intentional time to spend with fellow scholars.”  Below, scholars reflect on their biggest takeaways from the series.   "The enrichment stipend is something we have all heard about and are excited about. But the chance to hear from older scholars at the enrichment stipend dinner about how they used their stipend to the fullest really helped me solidify what I’m going to use my stipend for and a chance to get a head start on planning my study abroad. It was so inspiring.” Eliza Pillsbury  “The thing is, every dinner series is different. We talk about everything from mental health to etiquette. And it was never a classroom setting, but more interactive—even when we heard from the professors, Dr. Daly and Dr. Suri. We learned from Dr. Suri about how to make the world a better place by being mindful about our actions. And Dr. Daly told us something that really stuck with me: ‘Stop negotiating with yourself.’ Meaning if you have to do something or really want to make a change, don’t procrastinate or do it to a lesser extent. Do the things you want right now.” Arya Saksena  “Everything we talked about—from mental health to making adjustments to college life—are really important topics for freshmen to know. I loved learning alongside my cohort, who I respect so much, and realizing that the freshman year transition is difficult for everyone was really validating. But I think my favorite thing was chatting with professor John Daly. Getting to interact with such an intelligent and renowned professor was a really special experience. I actually ended up getting coffee with him later because I wanted to pursue that connection, and I wouldn’t have done that without the Dinner Series.” Meredith Black 

Advice to Scholars: From Lansinoh Laboratories Global VP for Innovation Rush Bartlett

On November 10, Forty Acres Society members Brian Haley, BA ’04, JD ’09 and his wife Caroline, MBA ’12, Life Members, hosted Forty Acres scholars in their home for dinner and a discussion with Rush Bartlett, BS ’08, Life Member.  A 2019 Texas Exes Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award recipient, Rush Bartlett is the Global Vice President for Innovation at Lansinoh Laboratories and the Associate Director of Corporate Education at Stanford University’s Byers Center for Biodesign. He has founded several medical technology companies and is an accomplished inventor with 15 issued patents. Bartlett also co-created Primo Lacto, a device to help mothers feed their premature infants. At UT Austin, where Bartlett studied chemical engineering, he was a Camp Texas counselor and a saxophone player in the Longhorn Band.  Forty Acres discussions are an opportunity for scholars to hear from alumni about their journeys on the Forty Acres and their paths post-graduation. The informal setting allows the speaker and scholars to interact, share, and learn. Over dinner, Bartlett shared with scholars three ways to set themselves up for success as undergrads:  1. Seek out mentors  “If you’re want to know about something that no one you’re talking to has done before, then their advice is only as good as an opinion. You need to seek out mentors that have done what you want to do. In my case, it was identifying people that had achieved what I wanted to achieve, like Michael Akerman. I saw what his path had been, and I just replicated it. You can emulate a lot of people to get to where you want to go. Make sure you are getting the right kinds of advice and listening with different ways depending on who you are getting advice from.”  2. Look for the open door  “When you look back on life, you will be able to see times where major disappointments ended up being the best possible things—and you never could have predicted them. So many doors have closed on me in my life, some that were just completely heartbreaking at the time. But you have to kind of have faith that things are working out for a reason, and you have to be looking for the next open door.”    3. Set goals—and don’t stop  “If you have a goal, do not stop, because the only way not to succeed is to stop. It may take you more time than what you intended, it may be a different path, but you are all very gifted, brilliant folks, and you have all these advantages, and so you can do whatever you want to do as long as you define that goal. That’s probably the hardest question to answer: What do you want to do? The easiest thing that you can do right now is do stuff like this—go listen to a bunch of people talk, go travel, go study abroad— take advantage of every opportunity you have on campus. But figure out where you want to go." 

Advice to Scholars: From Lansinoh Laboratories Global VP for Innovation Rush Bartlett

On November 10, Forty Acres Society members Brian Haley, BA ’04, JD ’09 and his wife Caroline, MBA ’12, Life Members, hosted Forty Acres scholars in their home for dinner and a discussion with Rush Bartlett, BS ’08, Life Member.  A 2019 Texas Exes Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award recipient, Rush Bartlett is the Global Vice President for Innovation at Lansinoh Laboratories and the Associate Director of Corporate Education at Stanford University’s Byers Center for Biodesign. He has founded several medical technology companies and is an accomplished inventor with 15 issued patents. Bartlett also co-created Primo Lacto, a device to help mothers feed their premature infants. At UT Austin, where Bartlett studied chemical engineering, he was a Camp Texas counselor and a saxophone player in the Longhorn Band.  Forty Acres discussions are an opportunity for scholars to hear from alumni about their journeys on the Forty Acres and their paths post-graduation. The informal setting allows the speaker and scholars to interact, share, and learn. Over dinner, Bartlett shared with scholars three ways to set themselves up for success as undergrads:  1. Seek out mentors  “If you’re want to know about something that no one you’re talking to has done before, then their advice is only as good as an opinion. You need to seek out mentors that have done what you want to do. In my case, it was identifying people that had achieved what I wanted to achieve, like Michael Akerman. I saw what his path had been, and I just replicated it. You can emulate a lot of people to get to where you want to go. Make sure you are getting the right kinds of advice and listening with different ways depending on who you are getting advice from.”  2. Look for the open door  “When you look back on life, you will be able to see times where major disappointments ended up being the best possible things—and you never could have predicted them. So many doors have closed on me in my life, some that were just completely heartbreaking at the time. But you have to kind of have faith that things are working out for a reason, and you have to be looking for the next open door.”    3. Set goals—and don’t stop  “If you have a goal, do not stop, because the only way not to succeed is to stop. It may take you more time than what you intended, it may be a different path, but you are all very gifted, brilliant folks, and you have all these advantages, and so you can do whatever you want to do as long as you define that goal. That’s probably the hardest question to answer: What do you want to do? The easiest thing that you can do right now is do stuff like this—go listen to a bunch of people talk, go travel, go study abroad— take advantage of every opportunity you have on campus. But figure out where you want to go." 

Advice to Scholars: From Lansinoh Laboratories Global VP for Innovation Rush Bartlett

On November 10, Forty Acres Society members Brian Haley, BA ’04, JD ’09 and his wife Caroline, MBA ’12, Life Members, hosted Forty Acres scholars in their home for dinner and a discussion with Rush Bartlett, BS ’08, Life Member.  A 2019 Texas Exes Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award recipient, Rush Bartlett is the Global Vice President for Innovation at Lansinoh Laboratories and the Associate Director of Corporate Education at Stanford University’s Byers Center for Biodesign. He has founded several medical technology companies and is an accomplished inventor with 15 issued patents. Bartlett also co-created Primo Lacto, a device to help mothers feed their premature infants. At UT Austin, where Bartlett studied chemical engineering, he was a Camp Texas counselor and a saxophone player in the Longhorn Band.  Forty Acres discussions are an opportunity for scholars to hear from alumni about their journeys on the Forty Acres and their paths post-graduation. The informal setting allows the speaker and scholars to interact, share, and learn. Over dinner, Bartlett shared with scholars three ways to set themselves up for success as undergrads:  1. Seek out mentors  “If you’re want to know about something that no one you’re talking to has done before, then their advice is only as good as an opinion. You need to seek out mentors that have done what you want to do. In my case, it was identifying people that had achieved what I wanted to achieve, like Michael Akerman. I saw what his path had been, and I just replicated it. You can emulate a lot of people to get to where you want to go. Make sure you are getting the right kinds of advice and listening with different ways depending on who you are getting advice from.”  2. Look for the open door  “When you look back on life, you will be able to see times where major disappointments ended up being the best possible things—and you never could have predicted them. So many doors have closed on me in my life, some that were just completely heartbreaking at the time. But you have to kind of have faith that things are working out for a reason, and you have to be looking for the next open door.”    3. Set goals—and don’t stop  “If you have a goal, do not stop, because the only way not to succeed is to stop. It may take you more time than what you intended, it may be a different path, but you are all very gifted, brilliant folks, and you have all these advantages, and so you can do whatever you want to do as long as you define that goal. That’s probably the hardest question to answer: What do you want to do? The easiest thing that you can do right now is do stuff like this—go listen to a bunch of people talk, go travel, go study abroad— take advantage of every opportunity you have on campus. But figure out where you want to go."