The recipient of the George Allan Odam Texas Exes Scholarship is a pro at managing her time.

During her time on the Forty Acres, Jessica Schuck hasn't wasted a moment. The senior communications sciences and disorders major has revamped Texas Outdoorsmen, UT’s outdoors enthusiast group; interned in the developmental stuttering lab of the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program; and been an active member of her sorority, Texas Kappa Delta.

She has also given campus tours through SHARE, served as a nanny, and interned at local clinics. These experiences that go beyond just academics, Schuck says, have shaped her time at UT.

“I feel I’ve been able to grow a lot better character,” Schuck says. “When I leave, I’ll be taking a lot more with me than I ever expected.”

As a TEA scholar, Schuck enjoyed getting to connect with alumni mentors who’ve inspired her to stay involved with the University after graduation.

“I don’t think I knew alumni had that sort of power,” Schuck says. “You can be just as involved as you were in school.”

After graduation, Schuck plans on attending graduate school for communication sciences, then go on to work at a school or open her own practice. She’s also got big dreams for the long-term—even possibly becoming a UT professor.

“I also hope to one day start a nonprofit alliance that works with home care and home therapy for families who have adopted or are fostering kids,” she says. “Because that’s a huge need right now, in Texas especially.”