Here we go, Mustangs!

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Majors: Human rights; educational studies; Spanish

This human rights triple major and President’s Scholar first met Embrey Human Rights Program director, Rick Halperin, when he came to speak at her eighth grade class. From that point on, her path was set. Guadalupe Roman ’24 has worked as a poll worker in neighborhoods all across Dallas; interned for U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia; worked as the student director for Engage Dallas and as an assistant with Dedman College’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion; serves as the co-strategic director for the Human Rights Council; and now will be taking her skills to a perhaps unexpected place – Goldman Sachs. After interning with the company locally in the compliance office, she has accepted a full-time position in the same department. “This is my community, and Goldman is expanding in Dallas,” she says. “Whatever impact they have has the potential to be really good. I’ll be helping to take care of vulnerable populations."

“The interdisciplinary approach is one of the best in the nation. You can be involved in two, three or four things. You’re creating your identity. You’re not tied to a certain thing, and that fluidity makes you a better thinker and problem solver. You rarely get that elsewhere.”

Hometown: Richardson, Texas

Major: Earth sciences with custom concentration in paleontology

Minors: Biological sciences; applied physiology

A self-professed “dinosaur kid who never left that phase of life,” Travis Nolan ’24 essentially designed his own concentration within his major. In the Earth Sciences Department, students can choose from a variety of specialties – geology came close to his passion, but he was able to work closely with his professors to focus on paleontology. Through that customization and funding from the Mayer Fellowship, he’s been able to conduct research with the Whiteside Museum of Natural History, even presenting his scholarship at a conference last year. Nolan is also a passionate origami artist – even starting a club at SMU called Paper For Water, where proceeds aid water projects in developing countries.

“Talk to students within the program you’re interested in. My time of figuring out going to SMU was during COVID, so I never had a real tour. Going in and talking to students or faculty within your major of interest will gauge what life would be like for a student and whether that’s a good fit.”

Hometown: Springdale, Arkansas

Major: Public policy and health and society

Minors: Public policy and international affairs; neuroscience

If you ask Abby Herrera ’24 where her passion for health care came from, she’ll tell you it started with her cat. She took her injured pet to the local veterinarian and asked nearby businesses for a loan to cover the costs. When her hometown pharmacy said yes, she began working there to pay off the amount. And there, she saw the importance of health care in low-income communities. Since finding her way to SMU, she’s worked as a lead student worker in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center and served as the student representative to the SMU Board of Trustees, just to name a few of her activities. That experience of representing student voices among University leadership has emboldened her to pursue her passion for health care and policy, as she hopes to work in health care administration after graduation. “Figure out what you’re interested in doing and make sure your involvement aligns with who you are and what you want to do beyond SMU. There are so many resources for students. Befriend staff members on campus. They can be the keys to your success and are willing to go the extra mile.”

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri

Major: Statistical science

Minor: History

As part of his 3+1 program – where he will graduate this year with an undergraduate degree in statistics and, next year, with a master’s degree in data science and applied statistical science – Cole Wagner ’24 is engaging in a research project that examines participation of Texas counties in state-backed funding to try death penalty cases. He stumbled across it through his fiancee, who was studying the project from a public policy perspective. “My role is looking at the data,” he says. After securing his master’s degree – and while fiancee Zoe Roberts ’24 is pursuing law school – he hopes to work in data science before ultimately transitioning to graduate studies in theology.

“The student-to-faculty ratio here is just awesome. With small classes and office hours, you have a cool opportunity to build relationships. The faculty want you to succeed. There’s no way I’d be doing this without my professors and advisors.”

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Major: Music and French

A harpist from a young age, Catherine Ramsey ’24 met an SMU harp professor at a summer camp, and the rest was history. Though she has been able to pursue her passions for music performance and French at SMU, she hopes to apply her love of music in a more business-minded sense in the future. That’s why she’s pursuing the dual M.A./MBA graduate program after graduation, which is a partnership between the Meadows School of the Arts and the Cox School of Business. The Chicago native already has experience combining the arts and business, working as the director of social media for SMU Spirit and also managing social media for the Music Division’s admissions office. In the future, she sees herself working as a C-suite executive in the arts.

“I felt like the University was investing in me and my abilities and talents. I was looking for the right professor to work with. My advice is to try everything. If you’re feeling nervous or anxious, the best way to find your home is to get involved.”

Hometown: Plano, Texas

Majors: Political science and statistical science

Minor: Public policy and international affairs

With a mother from Iran, Tower Scholar EJ Rorem ’25 has a natural interest in languages and foreign affairs. At SMU, he could study Arabic, but he wanted to pursue his family’s native tongue of Persian. Enter: the Critical Language Scholarship Program, which awards funding to students through the U.S. Department of State. Thanks to that funding, he was able to study his intended language through a summer in Tajikistan. He’ll be taking that opportunity once more this summer after he graduates, and he hopes to pursue a Boren Fellowship to further his studies – which would also put him on a path toward working in the federal government. “I hope to be in foreign policy work,” he says. “That’s something I find myself gravitating toward.”

“Do all you can to explore your interests. Apply for things on and off campus, get interviews with people, ask questions – my college experience would’ve been very different if I hadn’t.”

Hometown: Grapevine, Texas

Majors: Environmental engineering and music

Minor: Global development

Not many undergraduates can claim that they’ve traveled to Tanzania to develop new roofing materials – but Kristen Edwards ’24 can. The music and environmental engineering double major used her Engaged Learning fellowship to explore sustainable rural development last summer and is working on a paper based on her findings. The Engineers Without Borders volunteer credits her professors for her ability to juggle both her musical pursuits and her scientific studies. After graduation, she will begin working for Huitt-Zollars, an urban stormwater management company in Dallas, and pursue her master’s degree in environmental engineering, as part of her 3+1 program.

“Don’t be scared by the fact that it’s small – I’ve had more opportunities here than my friends have had at big schools. You have the chance to be an individual among the masses. That individual, one-of-a-kind experience helps to build your resume.”

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Major: International studies

Minors: Italian; global development; environmental anthropology

Allowing his passions to leapfrog from one interest to another, Arlo Kadane ’24 first entered SMU studying international studies. Not long after, he added a minor in environmental anthropology and began working as a research associate. Thanks to his SMU-in-Italy program, he fell in love with city design and architecture. Those fields together equaled an interest in landscape design and architecture – particularly, how cities and urban spaces shape the way humans live in harmony with nature. So, he added the global development minor – the only non-engineer in the program. Through Engaged Learning, he took his interests to Colombia, where he studied the environmental impacts of small-scale mining and deforestation. He’s working on a paper on his findings and exploring graduate programs to further his studies.

“Take every opportunity you can – don’t waste one. I took everything, and though not everything was exactly what I wanted or needed, I took every opportunity to learn.”

Hometown: Bedford, Texas

Majors: Business management and Spanish

A number of experiences led Carlie Lara ’24 to launch her own restaurant influencer account on Instagram –  she interned for SMU Dining in the marketing department; worked as a waitress at local restaurants; and interned in restaurant consulting through SMU-in-Madrid. She started posting about restaurants during COVID, when she saw a few of her favorites shutting down. That led her to partner with restaurants on their social media outreach. Beginning as an independent contractor, she now operates Find Your Yum to help promote the reputations of great restaurants around Dallas. After graduation, she will marry her college sweetheart and operate Find Your Yum full time.

Dine around Dallas

“There’s nothing like Dallas. Because Dallas is growing so much, there’s lots of potential here. There’s nothing like the resources here – between alumni and the people, there are so many networking possibilities. If you want it, it’s there.”

Hometown: Boerne, Texas

Major: M.A. in advertising

After studying marketing and advertising with a minor in songwriting, Amber Bormann ’23, ’24 decided to stay on and complete her 4+1 program, earning her master’s degree in advertising through just one more year. “I couldn’t pass it up,” she says. “I had a great scholarship offer.” She made the most of her time as an undergrad through Program Council, Mustang Heroes, Honor Council, Mustang Mavericks, the Residential Commons and her sorority – and she hasn’t slowed down. As a graduate student, Bormann has worked as a teaching assistant for account planning and was hired on at the Temerlin Advertising Institute for marketing work. After graduating, she hopes to work in marketing in the entertainment industry in Nashville, Tennessee, or Dallas.

“Discover what you’re interested in – take general education classes. There are so many opportunities to double major. I applied to advertising on a whim! Get to know your professors for networking, support and knowledge.”