JUNIOR COHORT: Courage

Antonella “Bird”
Anderson

Plan II and Psychology

In a poem I read for Poetry on the Pond, Czesław Miłosz asks “What is poetry which does not save nations or people?” And a few lines later, he answers his own question saying that this
kind of poetry would be, among other things, “readings for sophomore girls.” Now, being one who identifies as a sophomore girl, I was a bit offended. And though I think it is fair to be miffed at the inherent sexism in the response, when I looked up the definition of “sophomore,” I had to hand it to the poet. The word has roots in the Greek tradition of sophistry, a practice in which rhetoricians use their skill with language to craft winning arguments, regardless of their truth or validity. The word is a strange combination of sophos, meaning wise, and moros meaning fool.

And what a wise–fool year it has been!

I co–founded the UT Austin branch of American Conservation Coalition, started working as an administrative assistant at Deep Eddy Psychotherapy, began researching literacy development among indigenous peoples in Peru with the President’s Award for Global Learning, and worked as a research assistant alongside Dr. Samuel Gosling and Azuka Odiah studying the use of AI technology in the field of architectural psychology. I learned how to climb rocks (badly), brew kombucha (mediocrely), and make London Fogs (excellently). I shot my best friend’s album cover for her debut single, composed music for another friend’s award–winning short film, and added a nearly–obscene amount of vinyl to my collection.

These all seem like wise, good things, don’t they?

Well they are, but it’s also true that we learn just as much from foolish things. And while I probably shouldn’t list all my failures in detail in the same way I listed my successes, I think the picture I’ve painted would be lacking the depth my sophomore year really brought me if I didn’t include how, in between all of those incredible opportunities and adventures, I let people down. I was anxious. I burned myself out a couple times. More than a couple times, I wasn’t a good friend, sibling, partner, or daughter. Just like a sophist, I have a pretty list of accolades to convince you I’m the savviest of them all, but I would like to be a poet. A poet would see this year for what it was: a wild hodge–podge of wisdom and folly. And, for all the growing pains that came with it, isn’t it so much better that way? Through the help of the Dedman family, I’m acquiring the tools, experiences, and education I need to one day write poetry, do work, or produce research that saves nations and people. For now, I’m so thankful for my Dedman mentors that support me along the way, for the conversations about life and art I get to have with my fellow Dedman scholars, the delicious meals I get to cook with my cohort, and for another year of learning ahead.

Neha Donthineni

Plan II and Biology

This past year pushed me to find ways to make connections across my interests, lean into newfound friends and communities, and reinforced my love for experiential learning – especially made possibly through the Dedman community.

I stepped into my position as Co Editor in Chief of Apricity Magazine this fall, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this magazine since. From pitching our volumes to independent bookstores across Austin to writing grant applications, I’ve learned so many technical skills needed to run the nonprofit that means so much to me. Apricity has given me the opportunity to reflect on the type of leader I want to be: someone who shows up for my team and is intentional about creating community. From running Apricity to navigating living off campus, the fall semester truly flew by.

Maybe it was the reset spirit of the new year or a well needed winter break, but I came into the spring semester determined to love my classes and nurture my friendships. Cell Biology with Dr. Martin Poenie reminded me why I loved the sciences and gave me so much appreciation for the mighty power of our cells. Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell! This class, along with reading research papers every week for my synthetic biology lab, reassured me that I could be an expert in the fields that seemed so intimidating from a distance.

To balance out my science side, I took Gender and Modern India with Dr. Indrani Chatterjee and Multilingualism and Translation in South Asia with Dr. Manasicha Akepiyapornchai. I can’t explain in words how much I learned and grew as a person through these classes. Gender and Modern India taught me the history of my motherland, and it was heartening to see the origins of the cultural traditions and social norms that I experience everyday as a South Asian woman. Multilingualism and Translation in South Asia was a class with only five people, and it gave us so many opportunities to ask questions, push back, and discuss with our professors our thoughts on translation as an act of both oppression and empowerment. It’s made me think critically about what gets lost in translation and how to traverse through the different worlds and communities we have access to because of translation.

After finals in the spring, I went home for a couple of days and then hopped on a plane to Costa Rica for a study abroad program through the generosity of the Dedman program. My program, entitled Land Use issues in Costa Rica, allowed us to travel across the country to conduct fieldwork in rainforests, listen to community leaders speak about the impact of tourism, and truly appreciate the natural and cultural beauty of this country. From conversations about the mechanisms of swallowing to trauma bonding over diarrhea and toilet paper, I’m so grateful to the people I’ve met on this trip. Through these transformative experiences, the Dedman community has been a constant by my side, and I love forward to another year of fun and chaos.

Zia Schwartz Kinzy

Plan II and Economics

Sophomore year scared me. After you complete it, you’re halfway done with college. And if we’re being honest, senior year barely even counts because by that point you have to be ready to apply to grad schools, jobs, etc. This means Junior year is out because all the groundwork has to be laid before that. So sophomore year, you basically have to figure out every single aspect of your entire life. No pressure, right?

‘Surprisingly, I do feel like I figured out every single aspect of my life, just not in the way I expected. My second year of college was filled with growth. Growth came in the form of new opportunities and continued work on projects. But it also came in the form of dropping some of my commitments. And growth was not limited to school: I learned how to grocery shop without letting food go to waste, and how to rely on my friends and family for support. All of this combined led me to discover that “figuring my life out,” did not mean knowing the exact details of my future, but instead feeling secure in my ability to adapt and grow in all situations. And adaptability is something I did accomplish sophomore year.

However, all of this is not to say that I did not gain a deeper understanding of the future I want to build. Although my PAGL class ended, my team continued to work on the project and learned how to take an opportunity and use it to its fullest extent. We also learned how to organize events and apply to conferences. And, it taught us how to apply ourselves to long–term projects. This was complemented by my work with Texas Education Policy Club, where I helped expand our community and build a structure where students could explore bigger questions. Additionally, I continued to work with Trustee Fellows to help deepen my connection with Austin K–12 education. And, started as the only undergraduate on a research project that looks at school choice in Detroit. Lastly, built teaching skills by continuing to work as a Supplemental Instructor at Austin Community College.

Sally Parampottil

Liberal Arts Honors Program/English/History with minors in French and Asian American Studies

Sophomore year has been a year of firsts, beginning with my first apartment and ending with my first trip outside the United States.

In the fall, I had my first ever paid job, working as a Writing Fellow for Dr. Musick’s LAH class, “The Idea of the Liberal Arts,” where I got to meet and work with numerous freshmen on developing their writing skills. I also worked as a writing intern for a ghost-writing company called Content Cucumber, where I learned how to more effectively communicate and research while producing SEO-focused blog posts for larger companies. Fall semester was also my introduction to faculty-led research, as I participated in the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program. My cohort in the Gender, Race, Indigeneity, Disability, and Sexuality (GRIDS) Initiative studied anti-Critical Race Theory legislation and analyzed the rhetoric behind the surrounding debates with the guidance of Dr. Karma Chávez.

I enjoyed the project so much that I continued in the spring semester. In addition, I took on another research project, one that spawned from my Thinking Like a Historian class in the fall. Under the supervision of Dr. Seth Garfield, I analyzed Brazilian theater practitioner Augusto Boal’s play Torquemada as both a testimony from a human rights abuse victim and a piece of political theater aiming to promote activism. Trips to the Harry Ransom Center archives and a million research rabbit holes helped my craft a final paper that I’m incredibly proud of.

My research journey continued when I was accepted to the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, which aims to prepare students of underrepresented communities for PhD programs. I’ve already begun my proposed project, which compares and contrasts the South Asian diaspora in the United States and France. With the help of my mentor, Dr. Shiv Ganesh, and the MMUF director, Dr. Tina Thomas, I feel confident about the progress I’m making and look forward to continuing this project for the next four semesters!

Finally, I had my first ever international flight at the end of May, as I am participating in the French Department’s Lyon Study Abroad program. I’m finishing my French minor in Lyon right now, taking two courses (one language and one culture) and also working on my Mellon Mays research through interviews. It has been an incredible experience—especially as my first time outside the US—and I cannot express my gratitude towards the Dedman family for the academic enrichment funds that helped me get here. I look forward to this upcoming semester, where I’ll be working as a Writing Fellow again, as well as a consultant at the University Writing Center, and continuing my various research projects even further.