I am passionate about empowering people to better impact and serve others. As Student Body Vice President, I love having conversations with students about how to improve our University.I am a social entrepreneur, and really enjoy the experience of founding organizations, new initiatives, and big ideas. I co-founded Texas for Expanding Opportunity with my fellow cohort member, Alexi Cortez our freshman year, and we served as Co-Presidents till Spring of 2017. Lizzy Tan and I (another scholar from my cohort), were on the founding team for Texas Leaders. We became co-directors the next year, and had a great experience solidifying the organization’s ideals and programming. I consider strangers to be friends I just haven’t made yet (a description provided to me by Katherine Allen, a member of my FASP cohort). I am a people’s person to the extreme – expect to see me highfive joggers at they run past. I am always looking for the next calculated risk and exciting adventure that might introduce me to a new perspective or experiences. I am also really interested in positive psychology, or the study of happiness and well-being. I have worked in a lab, and will pursue this topic in in my thesis i conjunction with my interest in social entrepreneurship. Finally, I am from San Antonio, Texas. I Have always been a huge fan of being in NYC.

Majors:

Business Honors; Plan II Honors; Psychology

Honors Program:

Business Honors; Plan II Honor

Other Academic Interests:

Social Entrepreneurship, Positive Psychology, and Student Advocacy. Studied abroad in Florence, Italy (Summer 15). Writing my thesis on Characteristics of Successful and Impactful Social Entrepreneurs, and studying my thesis on an enterprise-led development program in India.

Extracurricular Activities:

Student Government: Student Body Vice President (17-18); University Wide Representative & Student Affairs Committee Chair (16-17); McCombs School of Business Representative (15-16) Texas for Expanding Opportunity: Co-President (15-17) with another Forty Acres Scholar from my cohort; Co-Founder (15-17) with another Forty Acres Scholar from my cohort; Organization focused on increasing extracurricular involvement at low-income middle schools through mentorship and innovative fundraising Texas Leaders: Co-Director (16-17) with another Forty Acres Scholar from my cohort; Co-Founder, Founding Speakers Coordinator (15-16); Student-led leadership training and networking for UT’s top student leaders Student Consulting Initiative: Client Relations/Publicity Chair (16-17); Pro-bono Consultant (15-16); 1st place of 10 teams in 8 week competition Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation: Founding Case Studies Chair (16-17); Founding Social Media Fellow (15-16); Founding CLEAT team member (Spring 15) Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity: Philanthropy Chair (Fall 15)

What drew you to the Forty Acres Scholars Program (FASP)?

A few key aspects of the Program initially drew me in. First and foremost, I truly believe it provides the best undergraduate college experience in the country. It was an opportunity to be with a cohort of the type of students who would push me to be my best and had diverse interests across campus. It was an investment by the Texas Exes that I felt would give me a unique connection to our strong alumni network (hint: it has.) Pairing FASP with the awesome majors I already was lucky enough to be a part of made it really easy to see that this was going to be added enrichment to what was already going to be a great experience. Finally, the fact that they would pay to “fulfill” the requirement of studying abroad seemed tough to beat! A few things that I did not realize at the time, but have found great benefit from: You feel so grateful for the opportunity afforded to you, that you cannot help but be driven to give back to our University, community, and those in need. It also instills a confidence in your own ability that is tough to beat. So many people are rooting for you, it is going to provide a huge support network. I also did not realize that many of my best friends would also be Forty Acres scholars. It is a bond that uniquely connects us to each other, and it is a community of people that help each other get more involved on campus. It is a continuing cycle that is tough to beat. Quick plug from when I was a High School senior: I applied to 4 colleges. Duke was in my top 3, and I was going to hear back from them after attending Forty Acres finalist weekend. I still had not heard back from Texas Exes when I checked My Application Status with Duke. I got into one of the best schools in the country, and didn’t even get up from laying down on my bed. It was hard to be excited, when I knew that Forty Acres existed and so badly wanted to become a scholar. Luckily, it worked out better than I could have ever dreamed.

What makes your scholar cohort unique?

Our scholar cohort is unique because we have a bond so tight that any time we spend time together it feels like we pick up right where we left off. This happens after long, life-changing summers. After study abroads where people do not see each other for 6 months, or Archer programs in DC. When we are back together, it feels like nothing has changed.

Favorite FASP Memory

I have so many, but one that particularly stands out: Our sophomore retreat (only because our senior trip to Machu Picchu has not yet happened). We were hiking Enchanted Rock, and some of us decided to go down a night early to camp out at the site. We ate dinner at this small German restaurant in this small German town in the middle of Central Texas. Camping that night was so much fun, and a great bonding experience. The next morning, we cooked breakfast over a fire we (Greyson) built. We hung out in the hammock and shared memories. Then the rest of the crew arrived. While the hike itself was fun and a bit challenging, the real fun began when we got to the top of the rock/mountain/hill. There was a cave, and though I had been to Enchanted Rock before, I had never explored it. We crawled deep into the cave, and had to literally pass our phone lights to each other so that we could see. It was a great team building experience. When we arrived at a part of the cave that could fit all of us, we hummed in the pitch black while Ben (a music major) did some monkish chanting. It was pretty amazingly weird and bonding moment. By the time we had made it out of the cave, exhausted, we just wanted to get back. We instead had to scale the side of the mountain, which was one of my scarier experiences in college. Luckily, we all made it back safely. Even Hannah!

What do you want prospective students to know about the University of Texas?

If you come in with a positive mindset and can-do attitude, this place is going to absolutely change your world. Yes, everything is bigger in Texas. This is a big place, and that is what makes it so awesome. Big, world changing events and discoveries happen here. There is a diversity of opportunities, ideas, and people that is hard to match anywhere else. I encourage you to explore it all! Also, no matter how our football team is performing on the field, I can always feel good that the schools we play do not get to be a college student in Austin, Texas. This city is unbeatable if you’re 18-25 years old, and the opportunities to explore here are limitless.