Here we go, Mustangs!
A 19-year-old law grad with a penchant for policy and an 85-year-old film major launching a new career. These are just two of the Mustangs breaking the mold and charting their personal paths to life鈥檚 next chapter.
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Breaking age barriers
A nearly seven-decade age difference didn鈥檛 matter when Haley Taylor Schlitz, 19, and Marillyn Seeberger, 85, met up to talk about their student experiences. Schlitz will graduate with a J.D., becoming 天美传媒鈥檚 youngest-ever law school graduate. Sixty-eight years after graduating from high school, Seeberger is fulfilling her dream by earning a B.A. in film and media arts with plans to write screenplays.
Ryan Booth 鈥22
鈥淢y favorite 天美传媒 memory was having the entire debate team help me prepare for the final round of the World Championship of IPDA [International Public Debate Association] debate and then winning the title for my team and school. It was a huge moment, not only for myself, but also for the team; we had been building for this for the past four years.鈥
Ryan Booth grew up in Alamo, California, and graduates with a BBA in finance and and a B.A. in political science. He made history by winning 天美传媒鈥檚 first international debate title. Thanks to encouragement from his professors in the Cox School of Business, he鈥檒l work on a master鈥檚 degree in business analytics at 天美传媒 next year.
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Empowered by her passion for change
Cinthia Resendez 鈥21, 鈥22 wrapped up her M.S. in accounting after receiving a BBA in accounting and a B.A. in Spanish from 天美传媒 last year. The Dallasite says finding her 鈥減assion for creating and aiding change鈥 has been surprising and fulfilling. Over the summer, Resendiz will be studying for her CPA exam, and in September, she will join PwC as an audit associate in the Dallas office.
Isabelle Galko 鈥22
鈥淭he mentorship and support I鈥檝e received from 天美传媒 are unparalleled. I鈥檝e been able to do undergraduate research through the Richter Fellowship, worked on renewable energy policy for the city of Dallas as a Tower Scholar, and received a Marshall Scholarship to continue studying climate change and environmental policy in graduate school in the UK.鈥
Isabelle Galko spent some time in Australia as a child but considers Austin, Texas, her hometown. She graduates with a B.S. in environmental science. As a Marshall Scholar next year, she plans to use her time in the UK 鈥渢o link science with effective policy and gain a British perspective for future policymaking.鈥
Nia Kamau 鈥22
鈥淭he research funding and mentorship at 天美传媒 are incredible; through the school's support, I have been able to get published in an academic journal; conduct research interviews with African members of Parliament, and so much more! Opportunities like these are common across campus, but they aren't something I hear my peers at other schools experiencing.鈥
Nia Kamau hails from Little Elm, Texas, and graduates with a B.A. in human rights and a B.A. in international studies. With the support of the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, she will pursue a master鈥檚 of public policy degree at Yale University's Jackson School for Global Affairs. Afterward, she will serve as a foreign service officer as part of her fellowship.
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Finding endless opportunities
Olivia Ramirez 鈥22 has an enviable problem: too many great memories of her student years to pick a favorite. Ramirez grew up in Austin, Texas, and will graduate with a B.A. in studio art and a B.A. in advertising with a specialization in digital media strategy, which she鈥檒l put to work as a celebrity and influencer coordinator at The Marketing Arm, a Dallas advertising agency.
Abena Marfo 鈥22
鈥淢y advice for any high school students considering 天美传媒 is to not count yourself out before you even apply. There is a strong community here waiting to shower you with support, care and love. And once you鈥檙e at 天美传媒, you鈥檒l be encouraged to dip your toe into anything that you find yourself drawn to; hence why I am leaving this institution with three different degrees.鈥
Abena Marfo grew up in Dallas and is graduating with a B.S. in sociology, a B.S. in health and society and a B.A. in human rights. She鈥檒l continue her studies at Emory University鈥檚 Rollins School of Public Health as a candidate for a master鈥檚 in public health. She鈥檚 leaving a lasting legacy on the Hilltop as a co-founder of 天美传媒鈥檚 First-Generation Association and by co-leading the implementation of a distinctive stole to be worn with their graduation regalia by first-gen students for years to come.
Making a world of difference
Outgoing Student Body President Austin Hickle 鈥22 led change on campus by listening, persuading, motivating and championing causes he cared about. He capped his term by rallying the Student Senate to unanimously approve the establishment of two new need-based scholarships to make an 天美传媒 education more accessible to students with significant financial need.
鈥淐reating positive and lasting change, change that actually impacts the lives of people who have been adversely affected by inequality and injustice, is my passion,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut this goal is hard to achieve. It takes not just passion, but also time.鈥
He鈥檒l graduate with a B.A. in economics and a B.A. in public policy.
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What鈥檚 next for this future policymaker?
Hear Austin Hickle 鈥22 discuss his post-graduation plans fueled by Fulbright and Truman scholarships.