Honesty Cohort

Geneva “Neva” Cline

Aidan Cournoyer

Kiera Dixon

Geneva “Neva” Cline

Liberal Arts Honors, Government

As I sit down to write this, I find myself at a loss for words in comparison to the gratitude I feel for all I have experienced over the past year. To be completely honest, however, I had a bit of a pivot in my career trajectory starting around August.

Although I decided I no longer wished to pursue a degree in constitutional law, I continued my work with Dr. George Christian at Texas Civil Justice League until this past May. I continue to feel pride in the research and publications I did with TCJL and am immensely thankful for the opportunity to work with them and produce work related to causes meaningful to me.

Over the past year, I began to transition my plans to focus on Security Studies and am proud to report that I will be a Clements Center Undergraduate Fellow for the 2025-26 year. I was also chosen by the Clements Center to take part in the 10^th Anniversary London May Term on the US-UK Transatlantic Alliance, an honor that has impacted me on many different levels. While in London, I was able to meet and talk to experts from all different aspects of the security complex. I also met some absolutely amazing people and visited places I had only ever dreamed of going. Everywhere I went, I kept finding myself thinking about the women from generations past who would have never had the opportunity to stand where I stood; I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this experience.

Outside of the classroom, I have continued my interests in sewing, HAM radio, languages, and more. This summer, I was invited to be a guest costumer for a theatre company, an honor I do not take lightly. I also anticipate earning my HAM radio Extra Class Certification before mid-September so I can administer the General Class exam. I have continued my practice of Braille and study of Spanish; I also resumed teaching music and voice to children and recently decided to pick up violin.

This upcoming semester, I will be returning to London to study at University College London. I look to all that may come with pride and a confidence that the past year has given me. After all, it is the twists and turns along a journey that make it all the more worthy of a story. I hope to have a story worth telling.

Aidan Cournoyer

Liberal Arts Honors, Psychology

I somehow find myself writing from the Radcliffe Camera, a historic library at the heart of Oxford University. While not in the central chamber for which the building is named—camera being Latin for “chamber”—I can’t help but feel this moment will live in my memory like a photograph regardless. The Radcliffe is a camera in more than name alone, and what a photo of the Summer it’s taken: my first time abroad, the beautiful architecture across Oxford’s various colleges, the 5th year students who took me on a tour of their school, the Highland Bevos in Scotland, and of course, my ever-expanding interest in how education weaves into our lives!

Studying abroad at Oxford has truly challenged me to see learning from new perspectives. Despite its foreign nature, I immediately fell in love with the discussion based tutorial system Oxford is known for. Even outside of classes, however, I feel I learned the most from the location itself. I continually find there is so much depth in education, whether it be from experiencing spaces like the one I’m lucky enough to write from, or in foreign pedagogy like those utilized in Europe. This broadened understanding of what it means to learn has defined my sophomore year.

From the Warren Fellowship—where I studied how to facilitate real discussion on difficult topics in the classroom—to teaching at Zilker Elementary as a UTeach Intern managing my own students, or working remotely with 5th graders in North Carolina through Teach for America’s Ignite Fellowship, I’ve been exposed to so many diverse instructional environments. Each one offered its own insight into how students best engage with material. Even my very broad degree plan has influenced my methodology. I’m incredibly lucky to take courses ranging from advanced math to philosophy: my favorite class this year was Bayesian Statistics, a small class of just 6 with Dr. Etz.

Continuing my research with the Science of Learning and Metacognition Lab and Dr. Yan has added another dimension to these experiences, letting me explore new methods to improve both my own teaching and educational institutions. I’m excited to begin my thesis with the Lab this fall, where I’ll be exploring how learning objectives can better support students. In tandem, co-designing and facilitating a series of Health Professions courses here at UT with Dr. Wandelt has shaped my understanding of how change happens. Designing and then teaching a course for my peers—especially pre-health students navigating a high-stakes degree plan—has been some of the most rewarding work I’ve done this year.

Of course, all of this is possible thanks to the wonderful support of the communities around me. Liberal Arts Honors has been a constant rock and an endless source of encouragement. The Rapoport Service Scholarship community and Dr. Bowles are some of my favorite people on campus that ground me in those I hope to support. Of course the DDSP, whose guidance and kindness have shaped so much of how I view my career! Since I first arrived on the 40 acres, they’ve been my greatest source of inspiration, and that has only continued to be the case. I have so much to look back on and even more to look forward to, and a big part of that is making new memories with everyone back on campus—though maybe this time with an actual camera in hand!

Kiera Dixon

Liberal Arts Honors, Government

At every Dedman meeting, we all share our “high and low” or “rose and thorn” of the week. My fellow scholars can attest to the fact that my “low” or “thorn” last year was almost always about feeling overwhelmed or stressed. My first year as a Dedman scholar was fast-paced and busy, which means it was easy to lose focus on all the amazing experiences within it. That’s why I’m always grateful for the chance to reflect on the past year while beginning a new one at UT Austin. It allows me to see my growth, express gratitude for the opportunities the year presented, and recognize how constants like the support of the Dedman community helped me celebrate my successes and push through my losses.

At the beginning of the year, support from Dedman enabled me to join the sorority Delta Delta Delta, which helped me find another close-knit community that pushed me to grow personally and socially. Soon after, I began interning at the Texas House of Representatives with the Texas House Democratic Caucus, where I supported party messaging and strategy, organized events, and gained hands-on experience in my passion for Government. By the spring, I transitioned into a legislative aide role for Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, meeting with lobbyists, speaking with constituents, and conducting policy research to support briefs and memos. This experience fundamentally changed my perspective on policy. Instead of studying it, I got to be a part of it. Despite the late nights, long hours, and innumerable spreadsheets, I learned the value, work, and constant adaptation and compromise of public service.

On campus, I stayed involved in student leadership. After last year’s membership in the First-Year Leadership Organization, I stepped into the role of Co-Director, helping guide a new generation of students as they built passion projects and found their voices in student government. My commitment to advocacy has always been about uplifting every voice, and I loved the experience of fighting for that at the Texas Capitol and in student government.

I’m writing this after returning from a summer spent in Central and Eastern Europe studying democratic backsliding and nationalism. Based in Budapest at Central European University, I had the opportunity to meet with EU officials like István Perger, speak with Hungarian politician András Bozóki, present at Budapest’s post-communist Round Table Talks, and explore historic sites from Parliament to the House of Terror Museum. Of course, that was paired with lots of goulash, lángos, and confusion about the Hungarian language. I also traveled to Vienna during their stunning Pride Week, and will never forget seeing Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss.” In addition, I was able to visit Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where I studied Hungarian-Romanian relations, met local Hungarian-Romanian students, and spoke with Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania politician Anna Horváth about the intersection of ethnic identity and governance. All these experiences shaped and expanded my perspective on democratic governance and policy, and they wouldn’t have been possible without Dedman.

I’m excited to build on all that I’ve learned over the past year by getting involved in the J. J. Pickle Research Fellowship back at UT. Here, I will conduct original research on political agendas and democratic governance, work alongside faculty and policy experts, and travel to D.C. at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to growing my quantitative policy skills while diving into research I’m passionate about.

More than anything, what has defined my first year as a Dedman Distinguished Scholar is the community. From our retreat at Canyon of the Eagles to long conversations, dinners, and talks in the lounge, I’ve found myself surrounded by some of the most brilliant, kind, and inspiring people I’ve ever met. I couldn’t be more grateful to be in a program that, yes, celebrates accomplishments, but more than that, fosters a community where I know I’ll always be able to find support, learn from those around me, and be challenged to grow into a better version of myself.