SOPHOMORE COHORT

Vivek Beeram

Plan II/Neuroscience

This first year of undergraduate is hard to summarize. From our cohort’s first meeting to the lake cruise and at each Monday meeting and Dedman event after, I’ve been constantly reminded of the value of this academy and how incredible every one of its members is. Thank you to Dr. Marc Musick and Julie Casey for their guidance at every turn and to Dr. Michael Anderson for being a wonderful faculty mentor and planning and bringing some interesting discussion to our every Friday breakfast/lunch despite our cohort’s valiant attempts at inanity. Finally, thank you to each of my fellow Dedmans and especially my cohort members for being consistent supporters and friends.

When people ask me what I’m majoring in, I have to prepare myself; the price we pay for being in Plan II is having to explain it! World Literature and my UGS course brought me engaging readings and passionate discussions with people from different academic and personal backgrounds.

This year, I explored my passions as an undergraduate researcher in the Dunsmoor Lab for Learning, Memory, and Emotion at UT Austin assisting in studies relating to creativity, insight, and memory. My experiences included everything from wrangling human subjects during trials to demo-ing horror VR games for future trials. Here, I learned how we can gain some insight into the mind through tests as simple as a multiple choice quiz and as complex as fMRI imaging.

In extracurricular activities this year, I participated in experiences with Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-med organization on campus, and Dean’s Scholars Student Council. Both organizations introduced me to amazing people and brought some rare experiences, like midnight hikes around McDonald Observatory in west Texas. This summer, I’m working as a researcher for UT’s team competing in the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition designing living detectors of white-nose disease-causing fungus in the Austin bat population. I’m also working as a researcher in Dr. Rebecca Young’s stream analyzing transcriptomic data from chickens to study the phenomenon of maternal effect in avians. 

I’m excited for all the challenges and experiences the fall semester will bring, and I can’t wait to see everyone on campus again soon!

Evie Brousseau

Plan II/English

After one and a half years of purely online high school, life truly blossomed for me during my freshman year at UT Austin. Although I do not think I was fully prepared for the Texas heat (and humidity), I was beyond thrilled to be starting the year off that first day on campus. I was right to be. Despite a couple weeks of Zoom classes, and Zoom Dedman meetings, I was soon able to join the UT community in countless exciting ways. Campus quickly opened up, and I felt like I was finally coming out of isolation.

Plan II offered me many new connections and classes. From projects that had me researching my personal family history and conducting hours of interviews to papers exploring the mechanisms of empathy and their role in reading, my Plan II classes certainly kept me on my toes.

Outside of classes, I began exploring the tip of the iceberg of all the many opportunities UT has to offer. I enjoyed meeting and speaking with authors such as Tiffany Yanique through the Joynes Readers and Writers LLC. As section editor for the ORANGE magazine, I got to read and edit the work of other writers in the UT student community. Also, in my role as literary reader for the Apricity magazine, I reviewed submissions from all over the world. My favorite part was debating with the other readers which pieces would make the final cut for the print magazine. 

Throughout all this, the Dedman community has been a wonderful support. I was lucky enough to discover the Dedman suite, which is the perfect place to study— or to just chat with the other scholars— and find snacks. Of course, I also always looked forward to my Friday cohort meetings and any and all Dedman events. I cannot wait to see everyone again in the Fall!

Caroline Parnell

Plan II/Pre-med

With the start of freshman year came huge changes. As my days became less packed, I was able to take more time for myself. Over the year, my favorite activity quickly became watching the sunset on Moody Bridge. There is something majestic about the fiery glow of a setting sun that just cannot be pinned down by words. With each day came a new picture-perfect glow—no sunset like any other. Something I’ve learned to love about my time so far at UT is that, just like the sunsets, my days are never the same; I am constantly faced with new adventures in and out of my schoolwork that force me to change my mindset time and time again. 

Through the Freshman Research Initiative, I was able to join Dr. Albert Mackrell’s Vertebrate Interactome Mapping lab, where I am working on determining the function of the gene RBM6 in eukaryotic splicing. Over the summer, I earned a fellowship, which allowed me to stay in Austin for a month to further my research. In July, I started a second project studying the protein SF3b155, which is known to interact with RBM6. In the lab, I found a passion for problem-solving and experimental design that has pushed me to rethink my post-grad plans. I am now planning to pursue an MD-PhD, where I can continue to pursue my passion for research while also continuing on my path toward clinical practice. 

By far the most impactful class I’ve taken so far has been my Plan II signature course, Pathways to Civic Engagement. It was a speaker-based course, so in each class, a new speaker came and talked about their work in community engagement in and around Austin. As part of the course, we were required to write thank you letters with a reflection on how the speaker’s words impacted us. This class and the reflections forced me to absorb the thoughts and ideas of speakers and find my own meaning in them. This deeper interaction with my coursework infiltrated the way I interact with the material in all of my classes, including my science classes, and has made me a better student.

Thanks to the generous support of the Dedman Family, this summer I’ve traveled to what I lovingly refer to as “The Middle of Nowhere, Wyoming,” where I will be taking an EMT course through the National Outdoor Leadership School to earn both my Emergency Medical Technician and my Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician certifications. I’m excited to get some hands-on clinical experience, and will undoubtedly be faced with challenges that require quick thinking and problem-solving. 

I deeply appreciate the unpredictability of life. My first year of college has been full of twists and turns and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As the sun sets on my freshman year, I am excited to discover what is in store for me in the coming years. The only thing I am sure of is that from climbing with Vivek to discussing the Bachelor with Chase, I know I will be supported by the Dedman community and the wonderful individuals who are part of it. 

Chase Patterson

Plan II/English

If I could sum up my freshman year into one central idea it would be adaptation. However, I’d expect that to be true of most people going into their first year of college, so, instead, I’ll stick to the brand and go with integrity. 

The past year has taught me what values and hobbies I hold as integral to myself as well as the importance of sticking to them. The freedom of the Dedman program has allowed me to explore further into creative outlets and given me a greater appreciation of the arts, from writing and painting to music, and I intend on improving exponentially in all of those fields in the years to come.

After a year of extensive reading suggestions and mandates from my professors, the written word has tightened its grip even further on my life. I’m currently one book into the Wheel of Time series and—for anyone who isn’t acquainted with Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s Epic Fantasy series of over 14 books with almost 1000 pages each—the name Lots of Time may have been more accurate. Even still, one-year-ago Chase would have never considered the amount of time I am currently dedicating towards literature, in regards to both reading and writing.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the rest of the amazing Integrity Cohort as well as our cohort mentor, Dr. Anderson. Your boundless support was an undeniable propellant in my inward quest for both artistic and personal growth. And the free breakfasts on Fridays weren’t too bad either. They were definitely integral to my meal plan.

With any luck, this year I’ll discover more of what’s integral to me.

Ashley Smith

Plan II/International Relations and Global Studies

At the beginning of my first semester, UT felt like a foreign world with its confusing layout, university jargon, and swarms of students, but it has become a place I associate with comfort. 

The academic highlight of my freshman year was committing to learning a new language through my Arabic courses, and the intellectual challenge has proven to be rewarding as I have reached a conversational level. My Plan II freshman seminar, which focused on reproductive health policy, reinforced my passion for policy and has increased my interest in how women’s health and safety are impacted by foreign affairs. While I was initially intimidated by the different dynamics in all of my courses, I grew increasingly confident in my voice and role in each classroom. 

By participating in the Plan II/KIPP Partnership, I was able to mentor three local high school juniors throughout the year and assist them with preparing their college applications. Additionally, I joined the Campus and Community Focus committee for Liberal Arts Council, which has given me an opportunity to connect with various nonprofits in Austin and serve my new community. Through these commitments and other experiences at UT, I have met a multitude of welcoming individuals who have served as a support network during this year of transition. 

Thanks to the Dedman family, I spent a month in Oxford, England for the Exploring UK Education Maymester in the summer of 2022, and it was an incredible introduction to international travel. I learned academic material from our course, but I am especially grateful for my new understanding of British culture, which was enhanced by boarding with a local family, trips to London and Bath, and my interactions with local university students. I have returned to the United States with many new UT friends and immense excitement for an even longer study abroad in the future. 

This coming year, I am looking forward to continuing my International Relations & Global Studies coursework and completing my Arabic minor, and I hope to use my Arabic knowledge in real-world settings as I volunteer with the Texas Refugee Services to assist local refugees with their transitions to Austin. I will also be starting my first research experience by working with the Innovations for Peace and Development lab on a project investigating bias in local governments as part of the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program for the College of Liberal Arts. 

With UT now feeling familiar, I am excited to return to campus and increase my involvement, further refine my vast interests, and interact even more with the Dedman community. The Dedman program served as one of my primary sources of comfort and motivation during freshman year, and I cannot wait for the memories to come!