Akash Thakkar is an economics and Plan II honors senior from Austin, Texas. He was named a 2021 Dean’s Distinguished Graduate, one of only 12 liberal arts students honored each year. In this Q&A, read more about how his passion for economics research came to be and how he’s implementing it in the real world […]
Engaging with Opportunities
Donatus Nnani is a religious studies and psychology senior from Detroit, Michigan. He spent more than 5 years in the United States Army prior to his studies, serving as a crew chief and squad leader. After arriving at UT Austin, he became a Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative Fellow. This spring he was named a 2021 […]
Helping Others Learn
Estefania Rodriguez is a Mellon Engaged Scholar Initiative Fellow from Houston, Texas, who is triple-majoring in journalism, Latin American studies, and international relations and global studies. She was named a 2021 Dean’s Distinguished Graduate, one of only 12 liberal arts students honored each year. In this Q&A, read more about her research into environmental justice […]
Speaking to the World
Celeste Oon is an Asian studies and linguistics senior from San Antonio, Texas. She was named a 2021 Dean’s Distinguished Graduate, one of only 12 liberal arts students honored each year. In this Q&A, read more about her thesis on Asian transnational fandoms, her advice to other first-generation students and what it was like co-founding […]
Kind, Curious and Fearless
A Q&A with Anna Cash, a psychology senior from Austin who is passionate about law and justice.
Liberal Arts Alumnus Receives Prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship
Turan Vural, a 2019 German and electrical and computer engineering alumnus from The University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a Schwarzman scholarship to study in Beijing.
No Stopping Her
Margaret Siu, a Plan II honors senior from Dallas, is the recipient of a 2020 British Marshall Scholarship. The scholarship will fund her graduate education at the University of Oxford.
Moral Fuel: Energizing a New Internship Program
Students explore work and social justice through Jewish teachings.
Truman #22
Government and humanities senior Alyssa Ashcraft received one of the country’s premier graduate awards, which she will use to pursue a dual degree in law and public policy. As a 2019 Truman scholar, Ashcraft received $30,000 toward graduate school and the opportunity to participate in professional development programming to help prepare for a career in […]
Fighting for Change: A Q&A with the 2019 Randy Diehl Prize Recipient
Megan Abrameit, a psychology and humanities double major from Tyler, Texas, has received the 2019 Randy Diehl Prize in Liberal Arts. Now in its fourth year, the $17,000 award was established by donors to support a graduating liberal arts senior who is committing the year after graduation to service for the greater good, be that […]
Student Projects Shine During Dean’s Research Reception
On April 18, a group of hand-picked liberal arts students who have conducted exceptional research projects presented their posters at the Dean’s Research Reception. College faculty and staff, administrators and Dean Randy Diehl all gathered to learn about the outstanding work liberal arts students have conducted. The annual event is a part of UT Austin’s […]
Speaking the Same Language
Jonathan Kaplan, an assistant professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, noticed an influx of Afghan refugees at his daughter’s elementary school, which inspired him to create the Refugee Student Mentor Program (RSMP) in December 2014. The RSMP is a partnership between UT Austin’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Austin Independent School […]
Always Worth Fighting For: A Q&A with 2019 Pickering Fellow Quimberly Jasso
Quimberly Jasso, an international relations and global studies senior from Cypress, Texas, is the recipient of a 2019 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. The Pickering fellowship, which is funded by the United States Department of State and administered by Howard University, will fund Jasso’s graduate education in pursuit of a Master of International Affairs, […]
Living Amid History: A Q&A with 2019 British Marshall Scholar Laura Hallas
Laura Hallas, a Plan II honors, economics and health and society senior at The University of Texas at Austin, is the recipient of a 2019 British Marshall Scholarship. The Marshall scholarship will fund Hallas’ graduate education at both the University of Oxford, where she will pursue a Master of Science in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and […]
Alumna Bianna Golodryga Joins CBS This Morning as Co-Host
Liberal Arts alumna Bianna Golodryga has been named co-host of “CBS This Morning.” She graduated in 2000 from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies and a minor in economics. She began her television career as a bureau producer from the New York Stock Exchange for […]
Us, But Better: Q&A with Liberal Arts Council President Michaela Lavelle
Michaela Lavelle is a psychology and humanities junior from Arlington, Texas. She is president of the 2018–19 Liberal Arts Council, an organization nearing its 40th year as the official student voice and governing body for the college. The LAC gives students a voice in the academic affairs of the university by voting in the Senate […]
Pursuing a Passion for Service and Justice
Milla Lubis, a psychology and social work double major from Allen, Texas, has been awarded the 2018 Randy Diehl Prize in Liberal Arts. Now in its third year, the $15,000 award was established by donors to support a graduating liberal arts senior who is committing the year after graduation to service for the greater good, […]
Be Your Authentic Self
Dr. Travis Cosban is a Dedman scholar alumnus from New Orleans by way of Katy, Texas. He graduated from UT Austin with a Plan II Honors degree in 2009 before becoming a part of the inaugural class at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center’s Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Cosban is an emergency […]
Intern Supreme
Bahar Sahami is a Dedman Distinguished scholar from Plano, Texas. She is a senior double majoring in government and international relations and global studies, while minoring in Middle Eastern studies and completing a certificate in global management from the McCombs School of Business. She is a 2018 Bill Archer fellow, an Intellectual Entrepreneurship Citizen scholar, […]
Make Life Extraordinary
In 1986, Robert and Nancy Dedman invested $10 million in the College of Liberal Arts to help recruit and educate the nation’s top students. Since its creation in 1989, the Dedman Distinguished Scholars (DDS) program has funded the education of nearly 200 students. Dedman scholarships cover tuition, housing, books and all other education-related expenses. In […]
Forged in the Fires of My Liberal Arts Classes: Dean’s Distinguished Graduates Q&As
Every spring, the College of Liberal Arts recognizes 12 outstanding seniors as Dean’s Distinguished Graduates; students who have dedicated themselves to scholarship, leadership and service to the college and university community. Each 2018 recipient will be honored at the College of Liberal Arts joint commencement ceremony on May 18. The award, established in 1980, is […]
Information Quest: Undergraduate Research Week 2018
On April 19, a group of hand-picked liberal arts students who have conducted exceptional research projects presented them at the Dean’s Research Reception. College faculty and staff members, college administrators and Dean Randy Diehl all gathered to learn about the outstanding work that liberal arts students have conducted. The annual event is a part of […]
Psychology Junior Interns with Renowned Mental Illness Advocacy Organization
One in 5 Americans lives with a mental health condition, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Joanne Sanchez, a UT Austin psychology junior, is interning with the Texas chapter of NAMI, the largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with mental illness in the country. Since January, Sanchez has worked […]
Small But Powerful Moments: An IRG Senior’s Experience Abroad
Experiential learning is an essential part of a liberal arts education, and Austin native Megan Nater’s time studying abroad has served her well. Nater is an International Relations & Global Studies senior whose studies focus on security and Latin America. For her undergraduate honors thesis, Nater is examining women’s rights mobilization in Colombia. As a […]
The Journey Continues: Rapoport Scholars Fulfill a Commitment to Community and Civic Life
It began with a daring escape from Siberia that involved walking more than 600 miles. After five years of exile, a Russian revolutionary named David Rapoport found refuge in Belgium, and in 1913 he immigrated to a new life in San Antonio. It was from this man, his father, that Bernard “B” Rapoport drew his inspiration. […]