The Eugene McDermott Texas Exes Scholarship has sent Hannah Waitt around the globe.

Inspired by a YouTube video a friend posted on her Facebook wall, Hannah Waitt, a senior Plan II Honors Program student majoring in international relations and global studies, traveled around the world to Seoul, South Korea, this past spring to study the emerging Korean music industry.

Waitt says her research, which is for her Plan II thesis, explores the differences between the South Korean and American music industries.

“There hasn’t been a lot of research done on the Korean music industry, and it’s this big, booming, flourishing thing that’s going on culturally,” Waitt says. “America is literally one of the last places that it’s reaching.”

South Korea was Waitt’s second study abroad trip. In the summer following her freshman year, she traveled to South Africa, where she worked with underprivileged children. The two trips, Waitt says, would not have been possible without her TEA scholarship.

“A lot of kids don’t even get to go one time,” Wait says. “I still can’t believe I got to go twice.”

Waitt is just as involved on campus as she is abroad. She has served as vice president of public relations for her sorority, Texas Kappa Delta. She is a member of the Texas Spirits, a social, spirit, and service organization at UT, and played for UT’s women’s club soccer team.

Being involved with the Texas Exes has led to other opportunities as well, including meeting her mentor, Rudy Garza, a former president of the alumni association.

“It has been a really great networking opportunity,” Waitt says. “I’ve gotten to meet some really amazing people who have done some phenomenal things in life.”

Next year, Waitt says she may attend graduate school, though she’s considering moving abroad and teaching for a year before continuing her education.