Among the tailgate parties and receptions taking place all around the Forty Acres before this Saturday's football game, one took on a different tone.

UT's 1883 Council, made up of emerging alumni leaders, gathered near the leisure pool behind Gregory Gym. From there, the towering walls and lights of DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium were within sight. But dozens came to hear not about sports from coaches, but about academics from scholarship recipients.

Two Forty Acres Scholars–winners of full-ride UT scholarships administered by the Texas Exes—spoke to the council about what their scholarships have enabled for them so far.

Marisa Swanson chose UT over her other top choice, Harvard University. "I haven't regretted it once since I got here," she said. "From the Forty Acres Scholars program, I got the most amazing group of people in the entire world. There's nothing that Harvard has that UT doesn't have in a bigger way."

Ryan Millikin talked about some of the inspiring things he's gotten to do, from touring the Tower to standing on the stadium's football field. "It's become more of an experience than a 'here's-the-check,'" he said.

So why did the council invite the students to speak during a tailgate party? The reasons were two-pronged, president-elect Lisa Henken Ramirez, BA '98, Life Member, said afterward. Alumni, she said, like to see the students to whose education they're contributing—the future leaders of Texas. And they like to see the value of their degree rise. "Whenever an awesome student comes here, your degree gets better," Ramirez said.

Despite the heavy academic focus, council president Ben De Leon, BA '01, BS '01, JD '04, Life Member, Outstanding Young Texas Ex, did find a way to tie the event back to football. He compared the Forty Acres Scholars to blue-chip athletic recruits like Johnathan Gray. "We're recruiting five-star students to The University of Texas," he said.