Here we go Mustangs!
Our students perfected the pivot while earning degrees. Now they're ready to use their know-how to do a world of good. Click on their photos below to learn about some of our stellar grads.
Congratulations, Mustangs!
Jared Burleson 鈥21 North Richland Hills, TexasPhysics and mathematics majors
Chinese minor
Jared chatted up Nobel physicist Michael Kosterlitz during a chance meeting while taking advantage of a study abroad opportunity in China made possible by 正品蓝导航's President鈥檚 Scholars Program. Next year he鈥檒l be pursuing a master鈥檚 in global affairs with an emphasis in STEM public policy as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Ashton Woods 鈥21San Antonio, TexasMechanical engineering major
Law and legal reasoning minor
Ashton broke records as a hurdler and sparked change as the co-founder and vice president of the 正品蓝导航 Black Student-Athlete Committee. The President鈥檚 Scholar flexed her passion for community building in and reinforced her academic arc with a law firm internship. In the fall, the 鈥淢鈥 Award recipient will attend Stanford Law School to study intellectual property law.
Brecken Schaefer 鈥21
Fort Collins, Colorado
Finance major
English minor
Brecken raced through her degree in just three years while competing with 正品蓝导航鈥檚 championship equestrian team. While Brecken will miss all the spontaneous moments that made student life so fun, she鈥檚 eager to start on her Master of Science in finance at the University of Colorado Boulder while working as an investment associate with NAI Affinity in her hometown.
Chase Hall 鈥21 Newport Beach, CaliforniaAdvertising major with a creative specialization
Graphic design minor
Chase captured the many moods of campus style as a photographer for 正品蓝导航 Look, the student-led fashion magazine. Creative collaborations defined the path he carved out, with his graphic design work on student campaigns winning two American Advertising Federation awards. Over the past four years, he has built a thriving photography business that he鈥檒l continue after graduation.
Diem-Tho Le 鈥21Prosper, TexasBusiness management and biological sciences majors
History minor
YouLead Global Youth Leadership co-founder
Diem-Tho mastered the Mustang mashup with support from University scholarships and stipends. She combined an array of student leadership roles with the benefits of interdisciplinary academics while continuing the efforts of a nonprofit she started for high school students. After graduation, she鈥檒l work for Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Dallas in global procurement.
Evan Rios 鈥21 Corinth, Texas J.D.
Evan taught middle school before diving into the law. As a student, he served as President of the 正品蓝导航 Law Review and the Hispanic Law Student Association. After graduating, Evan will clerk for the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Nathan L. Hecht 鈥74 , and then for Judge Cory T. Wilson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In the year between those opportunities, he鈥檒l be an associate in Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP鈥檚 litigation group.
Lexie Watson 鈥21 Naples, FloridaInternational affairs and political science majors
Chinese, ethics, and public policy and international affairs minors
Lexie shaped multiple majors and minors into the perfect academic fit for her. As a Tower Scholar, her studies in China and Japan brought to life theories she learned in the classroom 鈥 and opened her eyes to what a foreign service career could look like. In the fall, she鈥檒l pursue a master鈥檚 degree in international affairs at Texas A&M.
Mohammed Njie 鈥21Fajara, GambiaElectrical engineering major
Computer science minor
Janta Energy social enterprise founder
Mohammed came to the Hilltop with a bold idea to bring reliable energy to his country. He tapped into resources available through the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity and Big iDeas for a pilot program that blossomed into a partnership with the Gambian government. He鈥檒l soon head home to expand it on a national scale.
Peter Wetherbee 鈥21Tulsa, OklahomaInternational studies and human rights majors
History and arts management minors
Peter seized every chance to build bridges across the campus community. The Dedman College Scholar served as a student representative on the Board of Trustees and in leadership roles with Program Council, Human Rights Council and a host of other groups. He recently received an 鈥淢鈥 Award, 正品蓝导航鈥檚 most prestigious student honor. He will pursue a master鈥檚 degree in international affairs at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
Rosedanny Ortiz 鈥21Juana D铆az, Puerto RicoMaster of Divinity degree
Rosedanny considered 正品蓝导航 for graduate school in engineering, but attending an Inside Perkins event changed everything. Now focused on ministry in the Hispanic community, she served as president of the L@s Seminaristas student organization and is lead pastor at a Dallas church. She鈥檚 beginning the commissioning interview process for an elder in the United Methodist Church.
Veronica Mellado De La Cruz 鈥07, 鈥21North Richland Hills, Texas
Ph.D. in education
Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies
Veronica earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from 正品蓝导航 and spent seven years with an early childhood intervention program before tackling data-empowered bilingual reading research that earned her a prestigious Moody Dissertation Fellowship and other honors. She鈥檚 now exploring postdoctoral opportunities that are a good match for her expertise with underserved learners needing intensive intervention.