Hunt Leadership Scholars Program: Fall 2021 Alumni Newsletter

FALL 2021

HUNT LEADERSHIP

SCHOLARS PROGRAM ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

AND WE'RE BACK! The Hunt Leadership Scholars were thrilled to be able to enjoy the return of the annual fall retreat this semester. We returned to Allaso Ranch in Hawkins, Texas, for a weekend of good, old fashioned, outdoorsy fun.

While the horseback riding, karaoke sessions, and high ropes course were a lot of fun, the most valuable part of this retreat was the opportunity to reconnect with each other. (Note: we did wear masks inside... they were removed for this outdoor photo!)

I hope you will enjoy this peek into our Fall 2021 semester! Pony Up! Dr. Lindsay Davis

WHAT'S NEW? The Hunt Leadership Scholars started the semester with a reception to officially welcome the Class of 2025 to the family!

Held the weekend before classes started, it was the perfect time to reconnect with old friends in addition to greeting the newest Hunt Scholars!

D.J. "Shangela" Pierce, '03 returned to the Hilltop for the SMU LGBTQ Symposium, and a big group of Hunt Scholars attended to support our fabulous alumnus! D.J. & the students were able to spend time chatting together after the performance, too. It was such a special opportunity!

The Class of 2026 enjoyed taking EPL 3101: Rediscovering Leadership together again this fall. They were able to meet with President R. Gerald Turner, Dr. K.C. Mmeje, and study a variety of contemporary leaders. Next semester, we will be piloting EPL 3102: Leadership in Action as the second in a two-part course series for first-year Hunt Scholars.

WHAT'S NEW? Fall 2021 brought a return to so many community events, too! Here, a group of Hunt Scholars attends the New Friends New Life Annual Luncheon, where they were able to hear from Lupita Nyong'O and even meet Dirk Nowitzki, one of the event's honorees.

A group of junior and senior Hunt

Scholars

traveled

to

Hawaii with faculty advisor Dr. Jeff Engel & SMU's Center for Presidential History to study Hawaiian culture and mark the 80th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The trip was a great time to connect while learning more about leadership through these events.

The Class of 2026 has wasted no time getting involved and making a mark on campus! While they are enjoying a football game here, this cohort is already involved in Commons Council. Student Senate, The Big Event, and creating their own initiatives.

CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS Celebration of Lights is a time-honored tradition at SMU, and this year the Hunt Leadership Scholars took center stage! From student performers to leaders working behind the scenes, this special holiday event was such a wonderful opportunity to see the Hunt Scholars showcase their many talents.

Performances by Trish Elliott '22, Ally Rayer '25, Christian Taylor '24, Griffin Vail '24, & Julie Zahrndt '24; Student Foundation President, Eliana Abraham '22

FEATURED ALUMNA ELISABETH McHUGH Class of 2001 Undergraduate Major: History major with a minor in Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Hometown: Henderson, Texas, a small town in East Texas Current Location: Dallas, TX

Where did you live when you lived on campus?

My first year was the year that Morrison-McGinnis and Cockrell-McIntosh got remodeled. So my roommate and I moved into Morrison-McGinnis before the remodel, and we could literally hold hands across the beds. The rooms were tiny! Then second semester, Cockrell-McIntosh was finished, and we moved across the quad into a brand new, nice, beautiful room.

What were some of the highlights of your Hunt Scholar experience at SMU? There are three main things, and two of them are the group Tate Lectures and dinners! My sophomore year, our lecture and dinner was with Mikhail Gorbachev, which was really interesting.

Then another year, Ted Turner was the speaker, and that was when he and Jane Fonda were married.

I got to shake Jane Fonda's hand, which was very cool. Both of those make for a good "two truths and a lie" thing!

Then, of course, studying abroad in Spain. I studied abroad in Madrid during the fall of my junior year, in 1999. There were several of us Hunt Scholars who studied abroad together in Spain that fall, too.

SMU's program was at a small campus, but we had an art history class where we actually got to go to the Prado, and that was incredible. We actually got to go and study the art that was there in person, which was amazing!

FEATURED ALUMNA

Let's fast forward a little... what are you doing now?

I've done a lot of different things out of college. I was a Teach for America Corps Member in Houston, and it was there that I met my husband and had my first child. We've since moved to Dallas, and I've gotten really involved in the Dallas community. I'm actually a student again at SMU, too, in the Master of Counseling Program!

My biggest community volunteer role is being on the Board for the Junior League of Dallas. This year I'm the Development Vice President, and it's our Centennial Year, which is really exciting. We have so much support from our Sustainer community and the Dallas community at large to celebrate this organization that's one hundred years old now. It's been really cool to be a part of that!

I'm also involved with The Family Place, which is the largest shelter for domestic violence survivors in Texas. I've been President of their Auxiliary. I also do some work with an organization called United to Learn, where public and private schools that are geographically near to each other in Dallas partner together. I am what's called a "school liaison," at Dan Rogers Elementary School, and I actually just met with the Principal and Assistant Principal this morning. We work on supporting the schools and the community partnerships they need.

I also do a lot of things with my boys' schools!

How did you initially get involved in community work like you are involved in today?

When I was in Houston, especially being a teacher with Teach for America, I got to know that city so well in a very different way. And I think when you go to SMU, you get to know a certain part of Dallas, but unless you really work at it, you don't get to know all of Dallas. So when we moved to Dallas, I wanted to get to know the city better.

At that point in my life, I was a stay-at-home mom, and I also wanted to get to know women who were outside of my neighborhood. Some of my SMU friends who were already members of the Junior League of Dallas were my sponsors to join, and I jumped right in! It's been one of the best decisions I've made since our move. Being a member of the Junior League of Dallas has showed me parts of the city I never would have known about, and it's kept me current on big issues facing Dallas.

We have the mayor come and speak to us, the police chief, people who are super involved in education... It helped me feel connected to the bigger city and helped me look outside of just my little pocket.

Which lesson learned at SMU has been the most impactful in your continued success?

Stay curious, stay open, show up, and listen. Don't be afraid to step into the work, whatever that may be! SMU is big enough that there are always new people to meet and new things to explore, but it's also small enough that it's a pretty protective environment. You have room for some failure, but in a way that you can get back up and try again. Those things were huge parts of my experience.

FEATURED ALUMNA It's okay to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, then think back and reflect on what you really liked about something, what challenged you, or even what you might never want to do again! I look back on my time at SMU, and I had so many opportunities and experiences, as well as a great network of people who were invested in me and interested in what I was doing and trying to do.

Take some risks, do something that makes you uncomfortable! The older you get, the more responsibilities you have and the more consequences come with them; there are more people involved in your consequences. That time at SMU was a gift!

Now for the rapid fire section...

Coffee or tea?

Coffee!

Best thing you've watched on TV over the last year?

Ted Lasso Favorite local take-out option?

Flower Child or True Food Kitchen are my go-to options Quote that inspires you most?

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." -Victor Frankel Favorite spot to hang out on campus as a student?

Hughes-Trigg Student Center How have you continued to grow as a leader as an alumna of the Hunt Leadership Scholars Program?

I've tried to go out into the community to do different things and learn, really. I think my definition of leadership has changed since I was in college. So where I thought leadership was about running for office or holding a high position, more and more I'm seeing where it's opportunities to lead in your community; to lead where you are. As I get older, the less worried I am about leadership having some kind of title. To me, leadership now is how I choose to behave daily.

If you had a single sentence for Ray and Nancy Ann Hunt right now, what would it be?

Just thank you! I couldn't have gone to SMU if it weren't for the Hunt Leadership Scholarship, and I really feel like their gift to me changed my life's trajectory. I hope what I'm doing now in the Dallas community is a way to tell them thank you, and that this program makes a difference.

Thank you, Elisabeth, for allowing us to feature you! Your continual commitment to leadership in the community is so admirable, and it's wonderful to see how the leadership foundations you built at SMU have shaped your experiences!

ALUMNI UPDATES HELP SELECT THE 2026 CLASS OF HUNT SCHOLARS! Alumni participation is critical to selecting the best Hunt Leadership Scholars possible. We hope you will consider serving in one of two ways this year: Review application files January 24 - February 8 Interview finalists on March 25 Sign up here by January 8! Reading can be done wherever you are, and interviews are returning to an on-campus format.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: HUNT SCHOLAR ALUMNI COMMITTEE Now that we are learning how to navigate our world again, we will reconvene the Hunt Leadership Scholars Program Alumni Committee. This committee will be tasked with planning quarterly alumni engagement opportunities and serving as a think tank on broader upcoming initiatives. The Committee will meet once every 4-6 weeks at a time and in a format decided by the group.

Please email Dr. Lindsay Davis at lrdavis@smu.edu by January 8 if you would like to be a part of this committee.

STAY CONNECTED Big move? New job? Working on a cool project you'd like to share? Please reach out! We are always looking for alumni to feature and stories to share.

Additionally, please join the Hunt Leadership Scholars Program group on LinkedIn and follow the Hunt Leadership Scholars Program on Instagram.

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