Forty Acres Scholar Tiffany Chan has been on campus for only one semester, but she’s already finding new ways to broaden her horizons.

Chan, a Chemical Engineering and Plan II major, joined the UT Polo Club in the fall, and has been riding ever since. The catch? Before joining the club, she’d barely ever ridden a horse.

“I had been on a horse once at camp,” Chan jokes, “but that didn't really count.”

Just being on the Forty Acres has inspired Chan to try new things. “If you walk down Speedway, there are so many organizations and opportunities you never thought possible," Chan says. "Riding a horse was not something I came to UT expecting to do, but I’m so glad I did.”

Her fellow polo club members have made Chan feel more at home at such a large university. “It’s made the campus feel a lot smaller,” she says. “Some people come to UT thinking it’s a huge campus, and that they can’t find their niche ... but one of the great things about a big campus is all of the organizations available to students.”

Chan, now the polo club’s merchandise chair, was initially attracted to polo because of the horses, but she’s gained much more than riding experience in her time with the club. “The teamwork aspect of playing polo will apply to the real world,” Chan says. “On the field, you really have to communicate well to achieve that end goal. You can’t play just isolated by yourself, it doesn't work that way.”

The Forty Acres Scholars Program has also helped Chan to get her college career off to a strong start. “I feel really privileged to be a part of this program,” Chan says. “I can’t imagine getting through the semester without the Texas Exes and my fellow scholars. Saying we’re a family, it sounds cliché, but it’s so true. Everyone here pushes you to do your best.”

Aside from school and the polo club, Chan participates in the Women in Engineering Program, is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and serves as a student representative on the Engineering Honors Council. In her limited spare time, she volunteers at the Austin Animal Center.

“The ‘animal love’ thing is new,” Chan admits, “but I've really made a connection with them, and it may be something I look into going into the future.”