Hunt Scholars Alumni Newsletter: Spring 2019

SPRING 2019

HUNT LEADERSHIP SCHOLARS PROGRAM ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

CONGRATULATIONS, HUNT SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2019!

Lauren Bachelder, Meg Bergstrom, Arch Brooke, Meredith Burke, Anthony Chartier, Luke Collins, Grant Dow, Marissa Dusek, Holt Garner, Piper Hamill, Siam Hashan, Amanda Huber, Kate Jensen, Kelsey Kerkhof, Melissa Kraft, Nicole Martin, Cheyenne Murray, Emily Osman, Sara Puryear, Emma Roquemore,

The Spring 2019 semester was another fantastic one for the Hunt Leadership Scholars. We conducted another hugely successful interview day and thank so many of you for your assistance in selecting the Hunt Leadership Scholars Class of 2023.

Additionally, Hunt Scholars were elected and selected to serve in some of SMU's top leadership roles next year. All three undergraduate study body officers will be Hunt Scholars: Darian Taylor, President; Molly Patrick, Vice President; and Sammy Waken, Secretary. Alex Payne and Carson Yeager will both serve as Student Representatives to the Board of Trustees. I cannot wait to see what next year holds for this outstanding group!

Read on for updates about the spring semester, alumni happenings, and a fabulous new way for you to engage with the current Scholars.

Omar Salazar, Courtney Schumacher, Jack Snyder, Chell Staley, Taylor Vinson

Pony Up! Lindsay Davis

CLASS OF 2023 Total Scholars: 24 58% female, 42% male 46% Texans, 54% out-of-state States Represented: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin Leadership Positions: Student Body/Class President (8), Student Body/Class Vice President (2), Editor-in-Chief of Yearbook or Newspaper (4), Girl Scout Gold Award/Eagle Scout (3), Other (7)

Grace Brandt (Harrison, AR), Reece Breaux (Dallas, TX), Trevor Burke (Dallas, TX), Camille Carson (Southlake, TX), Aidan Click (Plano, TX), Brooklyn Dean (Scottsdale, AZ), Raleigh Dewan (Austin, TX), Arjun Dodanari (Frisco, TX), Ruth Anne Emerson (Dallas, TX), Wade Glover (Frisco, TX), Shelby Griffith (Little Rock, AR), John Heldman (Dallas, TX), Piper Holden (Charlottesville, VA), Keyshon Jones (Windsor Mill, MD), Deana Kajmakovic (Cupertino, CA), Charlotte McCulloh (Limestone, ME), Camilia Mohamed (Brentwood, TN), Kate Morales (Edgewater, NJ), Raahim Pathan (Richardson, TX), Rhys Prosser (St. Louis, MO), Sydney Ramenofsky (Las Vegas, NV), Kara Skowlund (Mequon, WI), Victoria Sullivan (Nichols Hills, OK), Emma White (Richardson, TX)

FEATURED ALUMNA ASTRUD S. A. VILLAREAL, M.D. Graduation Year: 2010 Majors: Human Rights, Chemistry, and International Studies Freshman Year Residence Hall: lived at home (Dallas local!)

Fun Fact: grew up in the Philippines, moved to Dallas in high school Work now: third-year family medicine resident - last year of residency at UT Southwestern; Assistant Professor starting in August (mix of practice and teaching residents and students) Dr. Astrud Villareal - tell us, at what age did you decide that the medical field was the profession you wanted to pursue?

I always had an interest in science. The summer before my junior year in high school, I did a medical exposure program at UCLA and loved it! The schedule was designed to mimic a real life medical student schedule so it was busy and rather hectic, but I remember loving every second of the crazy schedule. I took that as a sign. Later in college, I also became interested in policy side of medicine. Thanks to the Hunt Scholarship, I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark and I was able to explore both, the medical practice and medical policy areas. That experience made it clear to me that medical practice was the career I wanted to pursue because of the importance and value of the patient-doctor relationship. Plus, I could still participate in medical policy!

FEATURED ALUMNA What is the most behind-the-scenes/underground fun fact about your job that none of us nonmedical folks would know about?

Patients Google things all the time, so they show up with their own ideas which shows a lot of initiative but just using the wrong resource! Funny enough, there is a more scientific “Google” that doctors use. try to give patients the right resources to research, since we know they are going to research on their own anyway. (https://medlineplus.gov/ is a gem!) Another fun fact is when doctors watch TV shows it’s challenging to take them seriously because they have too many inaccuracies that it ends up being more distracting that enjoyable (laughs).

This one you probably don’t want to hear, but some doctors don’t wash their hands… and we all know who they are… so let me know if you’re considering a new doctor and I’ll figure out if they are a doctor that washes their hands!

Coffee or tea?

Definitely iced coffee in the morning. Usually iced coffee, by the way – only if it’s snowing, maybe then I’ll drink it hot. For the afternoon slump, it’s Earl Grey tea though (with milk and sugar!).

Favorite SMU hangout spot?

II really enjoyed watching films – in the Meadows basement you could borrow movies and movie rooms to watch them in. Of course you also had the beautiful music in the background from the Meadows student practicing, which made the ambience that much more enjoyable.

Also, my friends and I went to Pokey O’s A LOT… I tried all the possible combinations without a question! Finally, Collins. It is definitely a Cox building, but I drank a lot of their hot chocolate during the winter in the second floor. I know, shamelessly illegal but so cozy.

Which animal is your spirit animal and why?

II got asked this when I got accepted into residency (laughs). When I answered it the first time, I never thought it would be published online, nor did anyone else that got interviewed, so this is funny that you are asking me that same question. My answer will be public consumption again anyway, so I’ll be consistent – gray wolf. I like doing things in groups and belonging to a pack but I also enjoy my alone time.

FEATURED ALUMNA What's your favorite TV show?

In terms of comedy – by far The Office. I also love British shows, such as Sherlock and Luther, and British game shows like QI. Scrubs is the closest of the medical shows,(I had to throw a medical show), everything else is way too dramatic or just a lie!

What is your favorite SMU memory?

The Tate Lecture Series still stands out as a highlight. I only missed the ones that happened when I was in Copenhagen – can you tell I loved them? I still remember shaking Anderson Cooper’s hand like it was yesterday. I didn’t want to wash my hand – but I did. Celebration of Lights also stands out. The mix of carols and candlelight and camaraderie, it’s a fantastic way to bring in the season!

In what ways have you continued to develop leadership post-SMU? Everyone has a passion for something – the Hunt program taught me that. You can achieve by yourself, but it’s better when you join strengths with others’ passions to achieve something greater. Carrying that into medical school and now residency, this philosophy has enabled me to help bring about more significant changes in the program.

I have also continued to develop my perspective as a leader – usually we envision how we want something to happen, but considering others’ perspectives is critical in being an effective leader. Studying abroad taught me to consider and value others’ opinions and points of view. I learned how to develop a perspective beyond my own thoughts, and I continue to work on that on a regular basis.

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

Thank you for investing in my education. I lot of what I am able to do now in my career is because of the experiences that the Hunts’ generosity provided me so thank you.

WHAT'S NEW? The Hunt Scholars attended many impactful community events this spring, thanks to invitations from the Hunt and Kleinert families. A few favorites were the Humble Beginnings Luncheon benefitting Austin Street Center, the annual luncheon for New Friends New Life, and the Destiny Award Luncheon benefitting St. Philip's School and Community Center.

Incoming Student Body President, Darian Taylor, delivers his inaugural address to the newly elected SMU Student Senators, many of whom are also Hunt Scholars. We are looking forward to a great year for Student Senate!

Four of this year's nominees for the prestigious Outstanding Senior Woman Award were Hunt Leadership Scholars. Here, those four amazing seniors attend a reception with Dr. Turner in honor of the university's top award winners.

ALUMNI UPDATES INTRODUCING THE HUNT SCHOLAR ALUMNI MENTOR PROGRAM Starting in September 2019, we are thrilled to announce that each junior Hunt Scholar will be paired with an alumni mentor for the duration of their junior year! We need 28 mentors to make this happen, so we need your help!

Mentors will be asked to work with students once every six weeks (in person or using the magic of technology) around a variety of semi-structured topics.

The goal of this program is to help students with professional development, career exploration, and networking skills. You can be based anywhere in the world to mentor a student! All that is required are the meetings, a mentor kick-off breakfast on Tuesday, September 10 (again, technology can make this work for anyone not in DFW), and a passion for helping develop this awesome group of future leaders. They cannot wait to meet you! Please complete our Mentor Interest Form by July 8 to join the program.

NEW JOB? BIG MOVE? OTHER EXCITING UPDATES? Send them to lrdavis@smu.edu! Be sure to keep your contact information up-to-date, too, especially your email address, to stay informed on alumni events and news.Â

SAVE THE DATES August 21: Alumni Happy Hour to welcome the Class of 2019 November 7-10: SMU Homecoming November 8: Homecoming Happy Hour for Hunt Scholar Alumni

FIND US ON LINKED IN Just search for Hunt Leadership Scholars Alumni to join our group.

Congratulations to Hunt Scholar Alumna Courtney Caldwell '00 on receiving the SMU Cox Outstanding Young Alumni Award! Pictured here with Jimmy Tran & Sandra Saenz.