SOPHOMORE COHORT

Antonella “Bird” Anderson

Plan II/Psychology

This summer, I’ve been attempting to memorize more poetry (with moderate success). The Peace of Wild Things, by Wendell Berry, was first on my list, as these past couple months have been adding layers of truth to Berry’s opening lines: When despair for the world grows in me/ and I wake in the night at the least sound/ in fear of what my life and children’s lives may be. As a Plan II and Psychology double major, with a double minor in Spanish and Social Work, a large portion of my academic studies emphasizes being aware of problems: societal problems, mental and physical health problems, systemic problems in national government, localized problems in my surrounding community, and so on and on. It can be difficult, especially after only a single year of university, to not feel overwhelmed with the same general sense of growing despair at the world that Berry expresses. But the poem does not end with despair. Berry finds solace in nature, among wild things/ who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. And in the presence of still water, he is able to rest in the grace of the world, to feel free. And that is what I have begun to learn over the course of my freshman year, to find my own places to rest and feel free. To find the places that the world has a little more grace for me. Whether through my community of recording artists and musicians at UTalent Records, my fellow creatives at TEDxUTAustin, the joyous children I meet through SCORE and Reading Aces, or the relationships I build through working with Casa Marianella, I am developing the skills I need to combat the despair that is increasing around us, and learning how to bring my peers alongside me. I am so thankful to the Dedman family for giving me the opportunity to continue seeking and creating solutions to the problems before me.

Neha Donthineni

Plan II/Biology

I stepped foot on campus determined to stick to a career in healthcare, a hastily crafted plan developed amidst the stress of college applications. Yet in a single year, I had pitched startup concepts to accelerators, supervised a literary magazine print cycle, and wrapped up fieldwork across the world about sustainability in the garment industry. So much for that determination. But rather than demean myself for thinking I knew the world at 18, I found that determination has simply pivoted into the courage to thrive on the synapses nestled in between my intellectual curiosities. Somewhere, somehow, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein, became my life motto.

A half decade childhood spent in suits and heels (otherwise known as speech and debate) inoculated a curiosity with how stories affect our perception of reality. Stories, storytelling, these are the tools of the trade for a liberal arts student, and this was how I found Apricity Magazine. From debating prose on the couches of a West Campus apartment to emailing international authors and artists, I found myself growing as both a leader and a critique of pixelated symbols that bemused even the most cynical of poets. Through my UGS, I stumbled upon the Marquez exhibition at the Harry Ransom Center, where a passing glance at a placard led to a yearlong archival research project on minority language suppression. Yet these same words brought me full circle, as I judged at high school debate tournaments and coached kids through impromptu and informative speaking.

Though my Shark Tank obsession has just been piqued, I found myself drawn to the energy and possibilities in the startup world. My experiences in both the 40 Acres Pre-accelerator program and the Women’s Initiative for Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development revealed that a startup is much like college: no amount of planning will disclose what will stick with you in the end.

Receiving the President’s Award for Global Learning was a clear example of this. My original research proposal for this international research project centered around healthy water access for cotton farming communities, but over the spring semester, I fell into the abyss of sustainability (how does one even define such a term?), worker voice, and supply chain communication. After my fieldwork with Swedish business owners and Indian garment workers, I know that I will never be able to look at clothing the same way.

It excites me to know that I will be able to wholeheartedly embrace these types of transformational life experiences through the support of the Dedman community. The glimpses of what may be with this new cohort of friends brings me into the anticipation of this upcoming fall. My endless thanks to everyone who has been on this journey with me so far.

Zia Schwartz Kinzy

Plan II/Economics

I am double majoring in Plan II and Economics with certificates in Core Texts and Ideas and Bridging Disciplines. In other words, I have a crippling fear of being pigeon holed into a single field of study. You could attribute my phobia to my unconventional upbringing: I was homeschooled. And, we traveled with my parents’ work. But I prefer to believe that it is because the world is much more interconnected than we think. And perhaps, the freedom of my youth primed me to see it. I hope to pursue a career in economics and interrogate how we ascribe and measure value. More specifically, I am interested in the intersection of economics and education.

My freshman year focused on the education side: I co-founded the Texas Education Policy Club which allows students to intern for Austin ISD’s Board of Trustees, in addition to working as a research assistant for Trustee Foster. I stepped into a teaching role through my job as a Supplemental Instructor at ACC and  a mentor for KIPP Austin. I also had the opportunity to pursue independent research through the President’s Award for Global Learning. My team’s project looked at race in the transition between undergraduate and postgraduate education.  In my free time, I helped create the elusive UT Philosophy Society which unsettled innocent passersby in the honors quad. I also wrangled the next generation of punks as a junior roller derby coach. And, on the last day of the semester, I was selected to play with Texas Roller Girls! I cannot wait to get to know my peers in Dedman and am looking forward to another exciting year!

Sally Parampottil

Liberal Arts Honors Program/English/History

I’m currently in the Liberal Arts Honors Program, double-majoring in English and history, with a French minor. My goals center around studying American culture, specifically in regards to cultural assimilation and national identity. I had my own cultural identity crisis in the first semester; though it still confuses and frustrates me, it also motivates me to help others — especially people of color — figure out where they fit under the broad label of “American.”

I spent my freshman year exploring lingering interests from high school. I joined The Daily Texan as a double coverage page designer and spent fall semester designing football spreads. I held a copy editing internship in the spring with the travel/social action publication CATALYST, where I was eventually promoted to Senior Editor. Most impactfully, I took the first class in the UTeach program second semester and spent time each week working with first graders at Zilker Elementary under the guidance of the amazing Ms. Stacey Shapiro. I will always advocate for universal, high-quality education, and the hands-on experience I received from those hours only strengthened my support for educators. This summer, I’ve been working with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History as a transcription volunteer, digitally transcribing primary documents to increase accessibility. I look forward to this upcoming year, especially getting to know and build relationships with my fellow Dedman Scholars!