Seniors Reflect on Longhorn Experience With Graduation Approaching
Graduation season is in full swing here on the Forty Acres as seniors press “submit” on final assignments, present capstone projects, and compete for coveted photo opportunities in front of the Tower. It has been a winding road for our 2023 graduates, many of whom began their freshman year in Fall 2019—months before the pandemic turned campus life upside down. But these Longhorns have persisted through thick and thin, proving that what starts here really can change the world. With commencements and convocations only weeks away, the Alcalde reached out to these graduating seniors to reflect on their time at UT and share their plans for the future.
Anette Sosa (she/her)
Major
Nutritional Sciences. I chose this major because I want to utilize knowledge of nutrition in my future practice as a physician.
Plans Post-Graduation
I plan on pursuing a Master of Science in nutritional sciences and then moving on to medical school.
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
My advice to my freshman year self is to not be afraid to break out of your shell and meet new people. I truly made my best friends for life at UT because I was extroverted and reached out to people in my classes and organizations I joined.
What is on your mind with graduation right around the corner?
Where has the time gone?! I am feeling so grateful for all of the resources UT provided me throughout the years to get me to where I am today. Whether that be tutoring at the Sanger Learning Center, sessions at the writing center, or appointments with career coaches, they all brought me to this point of graduation and becoming a Texas Ex.
What was your favorite class at UT and why?
My favorite class at UT was Vitamins and Minerals. I learned so much about the various vitamins and minerals in our diets, how they play roles in the medical field, and the history behind them.
What is your favorite memory from your time in college?
My favorite experience as a Longhorn was traveling to Dallas for the Red River Showdown with my best friends. It was so surreal to see so many UT fans and witness one of the biggest rivalries in all of college football. It also helped that we beat OU 49-0!
Adam Kaplan (he/him)
Major
Radio-Television-Film and Advertising. I chose Film because I’ve been an artist as long as I can remember, and film felt like a collection of so many other art forms that I love from writing, to photography, to music, and even to composition and digital art. I chose advertising as well, because I wanted a second major that would complement my first and also teach me some business- related subjects and skills.
Plans Post-Graduation
This summer, I’ll be completing my last credit for advertising, which is an internship, at Updraft Digital. I’ll also be the cinematographer for a feature film directed by UT alumna Edwin Oliva, before I move to Los Angeles in early August.
In what ways do you think you have changed since your freshman year?
I remember in high school, I was always a very introverted person. I had friends. I was a member of the track team. But I still adored my alone time above all else. Once I arrived at UT though, especially as a film major, I realized that I needed to branch out a lot more. As I became involved in the film scene, working on sets every weekend and meeting an entirely new team of people on every new set, I found an incredible community of people that I easily got along with. As a film major, a lot of my career is based on networking and meeting people, something I was initially terrified about, but at UT I found so many amazing and unique friends who were just like me, seeking to pursue a passion in the arts. I had no idea how easily I would fall in love with these people that I consider incredibly close to me, and it opened me up a lot more as a person to new perspectives and worlds.
What was your favorite extracurricular activity at UT and why?
During my sophomore year, I decided to join Texas Student Television to work with some of my friends on the show Down to Film (DTF). I found some of my closest friends through the show, and even cried while filming last year’s season finale. Unlike so many other projects that I worked on at UT, DTF was never an incredibly high-pressure place. We never had to work for a grade or plan out the most beautiful shots possible. We always had fun with it, and together we made something so much more than just a show. The more lax structure compared to other sets meant that we weren’t creating a show to impress the world, but to create for the sake of creating. It was something that more often than not, felt much more special than any other project I worked on.
What would you tell someone who is considering attending UT?
I remember one of my first nights in college, I sat alone in my dorm room with a bowl of ramen. I felt incredibly alone. I was an out of state student that had moved to Austin knowing absolutely no one and having never even seen the city or campus before. I didn’t know what to do except sit quietly and hope that it wouldn’t be like that the next night or the night after. But instead, I received a text message from my friend Kevin, someone I had met at orientation. We ended up going out together and I got to eat Whataburger for the first time in my life. Through Kevin, I was introduced to so many people that I couldn’t imagine my life without today. He introduced me to some of his classmates, and we formed a group chat that’s still active to this day and whom I still consider some of the closest people to me. My only advice is to make the most of it. College is terrifying, and it’s so easy to feel alone. But you’re not the only one. You might feel incredibly lonely while you sit at your desk eating ramen, but there’s someone else out there who feels just like that. All you have to do is reach out and talk to them. There are things happening all around you in this city, all you have to do is find them.
Aneesha Vadde (she/her)
Major
Neuroscience and Spanish for Medical Professions Certificate. I honestly chose neuroscience because I didn’t know what to choose. But I am so glad I did. I think that the brain is a fascinating field of study and there is much still unknown about the field. We need more people to get involved in neuro research in order to better understand the mechanisms that cause neurodegenerative diseases and discover treatments!
Plans Post-Graduation
I will be attending medical school in the fall with the hopes of becoming a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
Go eat at Taco Bell because it won’t be there next year (RIP Taco Bell on Guad).
Which professor had the most impact on you, and what will you remember about them?
There are many great professors I will remember throughout my time here. Dr. Iverson made Organic Chemistry so fun (which is hard to do), and Dr. Woodward is the best stats professor hands down. I loved his humor and teaching style.
What was your favorite extracurricular activity at UT and why?
I have been involved with my organization, Future Doctors of America, all four years of undergrad (shout out to FDA if you’re reading this). I love this group, as it is where I got a lot of my support as a premed. I have also met some amazing people here.
If you could change one thing about your college experience, what would it be and why?
College is about making mistakes and learning from them. I wouldn’t change a thing!
What is your favorite memory from your time in college?
My favorite memories are the people I met in Kinsolving Dining and Dr. Laude’s General Chemistry class my freshman year. I have made friendships that I know will last a lifetime, and I am so grateful for that.
Jaci Sims (she/her)
Major
Communications and Leadership. I chose it because I wanted something that was flexible that would allow me to touch on multiple levels of communications such as foundational aspects, as well as topics that I was interested like social media, digital graphics, advertising, and philanthropy and development.
Plans Post-Graduation
Continue working in the Austin area, preferably continue working in higher education administrative/planning duties OR the nonprofit/community relations realm..
In what ways do you think you have changed since your freshman year?
I think I have grown in a sense of how well I manage my time, how I handle stressful situations, and my confidence as a student and a professional.
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
It’s okay to not have all the answers and to seek help from others. We learn from one another and it’s not embarrassing to ask for guidance.
How do you feel with graduation right around the corner?
Honestly excited and terrified all at the same time. I am excited to embark on a new chapter of life, but nervous about the major change from being a student for so long and then jumping into the career hunting for something that I’ll enjoy.
What was it like having the pandemic coincide with your time in college?
I think in part it felt like I lost a year of my UT experience of being in a live classroom environment and enjoying the campus as a whole. I think what people don’t understand is that my class really did find that heartbreaking and many of us still wish we could have had the normal experience rather than the virtual.
Which professor had the most impact on you, and what will you remember about them?
This would have to be a close tie with Professor Cutbirth and Dr. Jones Barbour. I took both of them for multiple classes within Moody, and they really inspired me to express myself within my writing and to be confident in my talents and passions. They reminded me that it is good to ask challenging questions and how important it is to develop trusting and successful relationships when working in teams.
What song will always remind you of this time in your life?
“Mr. Brightside.” This song has played at every UT event I have ever attended and gives me flashbacks of so many fun memories with my friends at UT.
What would you tell someone who is considering attending UT?
If you are nervous that city life might be too much for you, I challenge you to go for it! I was from a very small town where my high school was two hallways and our population was about 800. I didn’t think I could handle the big city, but I have absolutely grown and thrived as an individual here on the Forty Acres.
What is your favorite memory from your time in college?
My favorite memory was the Alabama Football Game of 2022. My friends and I got up early in the morning at 4 a.m. to stand in the long student line to enter the stadium and the students’ Longhorn pride definitely showed! From people passing around caffeinated drinks, water, kolaches, and watching students move a traffic cone through a wave of student hands, this was such a memorable experience! Not to mention game days were always my favorite because I’m a sucker for a salted pretzel and screaming to the top of my lungs, “TEXAS, FIGHT!”
Henry Pham (he/him)
Major
Chemistry. I picked it because I really enjoyed it when I was in high school, and I felt like if I studied something I liked then I would be able to do better in it!
Plans Post-Graduation
Taking a little break and then hopefully medical school.
In what ways do you think you have changed since your freshman year?
Since my freshman year, I believe that my social skills have been the biggest and most noticeable change. Through the many social organizations that I have been a part of, I have found my more extroverted side. I never thought I would take on the leadership roles that I did, such as being a counselor or even an officer for a student organization, but surprisingly I did!
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
I think one of the biggest pieces of advice I could give to myself as a freshman—and even to newly incoming freshmen—is that it is okay to not know what you are doing in the beginning. Eventually you will be able to find the answer. Whether it be how to do better in school, making new friends, or figuring out a career path, everything will come with time!
What is on your mind with graduation around the corner?
With graduation around the corner, all I am thinking about is how grateful I am to have such an amazing support system. Without them, this journey would have never been as enjoyable nor as fruitful as it has been.
What was it like having the pandemic coincide with your time in college?
Having the pandemic occur halfway through my college journey impacted my ability to interact with many of my classmates. As everything was online, I was not able to create new networks of connections that college students would normally have or even reconnect with friends I made my freshman year. Thankfully, I was able to join a few organizations that still allowed me to be a part of the UT community remotely.
What was your favorite extracurricular activity at UT and why?
One of my favorite activities was volunteering with Camp Kesem, an organization that supports kids impacted by their parent’s cancer. Working to fundraise for the kids and being able to counselor for them was one of the most worthwhile experiences that I had at UT!
Zachary Weeks (he/him)
Major
Radio-Television-Film. I had always wanted to get involved in the film industry and have been interested in it forever.
Plans Post-Graduation
To find a job as a producer and get more involved in the film/entertainment industry.
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
I would definitely tell my freshman self to get as many internships as possible because it is so important when getting jobs now. Along with that I would also tell myself to get involved in more clubs around the university, just because that is such a good way to meet new and different people.
What was it like having the pandemic coincide with your time in college?
It was such a weird time for me personally because I was in my second semester of freshman year. What made it so strange was that I was just starting to get my footing in college and all of a sudden, I was back in my hometown and it felt like I was back in high school. When I came back for sophomore year, the entire college experience was different and not what I remembered. Mostly I feel like people wouldn’t understand how different colleges became post-pandemic from the time before.
What was your favorite class at UT and why?
My favorite class had to be “Producing Film and Television” just because that’s where I found out how much I was interested in producing. I really loved how it mixed the creative side while also taking into account financials. That class really taught me a lot about the process and helped me understand how to create a film from scratch.
What would you tell someone who is considering attending UT?
I would tell someone considering UT that this school is far and away one of the best institutions in the country while being in one of the best cities for young people. On top of that, there is so much opportunity here in any type of field from business to engineering. One last piece of advice is to network as much as possible and do not be afraid to ask for career help or advice from others.
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