Jewel Lipps
Dedman College Scholars:
Building on Success In and Out of the Classroom
Part Two: A Lasting Impact
For many Dedman College Scholars, the impact of their experience with the program goes far beyond their college years. DC alumna Jewel Lipps discovered her passion for research as an undergraduate through the guidance available to her as a result of the program and has used this experience to launch a career.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 39 seconds
Jewel Lipps, ’15, is an example of the influence that the Dedman College Scholars Program has on the lives and careers of its alumni. Lipps is currently a Research Fellow at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Headquarters in Washington, D.C. working on a collaborative project to incorporate ecosystem services evaluations into cleanup operations at contaminated sites. She is also the primary author of an EPA technical information paper about ecosystem services at Superfund sites. As an undergraduate, she took advantage of many of SMU’s research opportunities, due in part to the mentoring she received through the Dedman College Scholars Program.
“The DC Scholars Program opened up a lot of doors. Several important moments in my college career were DC Scholars events. We had a DC Scholars info session about the Richter Fellowships, and as DC Scholars we were encouraged to apply. I had a Richter Fellowship in Taos, NM after my first year—an opportunity that I didn't think I would have after just one year of college. Another DC Scholars event that was very important for me was a meeting with Dr. Kathleen Hugley-Cook in the fellowships office. She encouraged me to challenge myself and apply to fellowships that I would not have thought I could get. With her guidance, I received the EPA Greater Research Opportunity Fellowship and Udall Scholar Honorable Mention. Then, as the Engaged Learning Program launched at SMU, I was confident in applying, because of the support from the Dedman College Scholars Program,” she explained.
For Lipps, the support she received through the Dedman College Scholars Program was an important part of her experience at SMU, elaborating, “there is also something to be said about how Dr. Doyle and Sally genuinely root for all the DC Scholars. They are fantastic mentors who believed in my abilities and would celebrate achievements with me. They encouraged me to take on all kinds of opportunities, whether it was the Taos Richter, Engaged Learning, taking an interesting Honors class, or leading a student activity.”