2019 GRADUATES

Gerardo Aguinaga Torres graduated with a degree in Neuroscience. He was one of the most active transfer scholars in the Terry Program; he was a regular volunteer at service events, as well as many social events. During his time at UT Dallas, Gerardo recorded a full-length music album, backpacked through Europe, and wrote a script for a short film. Gerardo has big plans lined up for his future, so remember his name; when we asked about his future, Gerardo said simply, he aspires to be the future President of Mexico. 

Ifra Ali graduated with a degree in Healthcare Studies and is going on to Physician Assistant School at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Ifra has been an active leader in the Terry Scholars Program. She served as Terry Secretary and Service Chair before becoming President of the Terry Scholars Program senior year. Ifra served on the Terry 5k committee for the past 3 years and spoke at the Terry Foundation Picnic. Ifra led all of the Terry General meetings as well as two officer retreats. If Terry sponsored it, Ifra was there! During her 4 years, she also worked as a scribe in the ER and served as an SI leader, tutoring students in Biology and Biochemistry, and worked as Freshmen Mentor for 3 years.

Natalia Camacho graduated with a degree in Child Learning & Development and Speech-Language Pathology. Natalia was a volunteer for the program Juega Conmigo, part of the Center for Children and Families facilitating play and learning activities for infants and toddlers and educating caregivers. She also served as Secretary with the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association chapter at UT Dallas. In her spare time, she volunteered as a research assistant, and was co-manager for the lab. Natalia was also a panelist for Terry Foundation Orientation and found time to study abroad in Rome. Natalia won the Burhmester Undergraduate Research Award in the fall of 2018 and the UT Dallas Undergraduate Research Scholar Award in the spring of 2018. She attended the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Conference in Boston in 2018. Natalia will attend the PhD program at UT Dallas in Communication Sciences and Disorders in the fall, focusing on reducing misdiagnoses of speech and language disorders in bilingual children.

Jeffrey Catalano graduated with a degree in Computer Science and held a position on the Dean's list for nearly all of his semesters at UT Dallas. Additionally, Jeffrey graduated in 3 years! Jeffrey participated in Viva Volunteer with other Terrys and Honors College students. In his free time, Jeffrey enjoys spending time with family, watching movies, cooking, and has been learning to play the violin. Upon graduating, Jeffrey will be starting a job at Axxess where he will learn full stack development and be part of a team that helps maintain and improve administrative software for nursing companies. Jeffrey plans to continue volunteering with organizations like the Texas Ramp Build Project and various food pantries to improve the quality of life of others.

Ben Ditlevson graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Through the fast track program, Ben completes his Master’s degree at UT Dallas in the spring of 2020. Ben studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a summer; he interned for the 3D printing company Trimaker, where his work focused on designing the next generation of 3D printer. Ben is part of the prestigious honor society Golden Key, was a Freshman Terry Peer Advisor, and was a Residence Hall Peer Advisor for two additional years. Some of Ben's accomplishments at UT Dallas include placing 4th at the Collegiate National Championship for Spikeball, receiving two "Peer Advisor of the Year" Awards from his residence staff -- and placing 1st in the Mechanical Engineering category of his Senior Design Expo. After receiving his Master's degree, Ben plans to pursue mission work, using his engineering background to serve communities in need.

Nick Glover has built his own photography business, working in print with local brands and modeling agencies around the world: in London, New York and Los Angeles. He had two images appear in Vogue Magazine (one of which was in a Beyoncé September issue). His senior capstone project focused on the MeToo Movement and the modeling industry -- and was selected as the best capstone of the semester out of nearly 200 other projects. Nick graduated summa cum laude with a degree in EMAC. Nick volunteered for Prosper ISD as a student mentor, teaching a high school senior the ins and outs of the photography business, camera techniques and bringing her on set, to improve her portfolio and business model. Nick also served as an interview panelist for the Terry Foundation.  After graduation, Nick plans to continue freelancing in fashion and wedding photography, with an eye on moving to LA or New York City within two years. He just finished a job for Dior and the Dallas Museum of Art.

Dave Gutierrez graduated with a degree in Accounting, but his passion was Camp Kesem and he left a legacy! As Co-Founding Director and later Development Coordinator, Dave inspired many other scholars and undergraduates to work with Camp Kesem throughout his time at UT Dallas -- and he put in untold hours to support children through and beyond their parents’ cancer to make their lives a bit better. Dave attended Camp Kesem’s National Leadership summit in 2016 and 2017. He was also awarded the Selfless Heart Award and the JSOM Owlie Award for his community service. Dave interned with Ernst & Young, but has realized his accounting skills may be put to better use outside the corporate world. Dave served as a Terry Enrichment Advisor and was a Terry Spotlight Winner.

Ariana Hadden graduated with a degree in Political Science and will be taking a gap year before going on to law school. She has worked at Camp Kesem through UT Dallas for three years as a Unit Leader, Outreach coordinator and Development Coordinator. She was a panelist at the Terry Foundation Orientation and an Enrichment Advisor where she mentored freshmen Terry Scholars. Ariana also worked for The Mercury, UT Dallas’ Student-run newspaper, as a photographer, writer and managing editor from 2016-2019. She attended the Associate Press Conference for Journalism in the fall of 2016 and 2017. After classes in Mock Trial, Mediation, and Innocence Project, Ariana was selected for the highly competitive Archer Fellowship in Washington DC for the spring of 2019, as one of only a dozen UT Dallas Fellows that year, to intern in DC. During her time there, she worked at the Human Trafficking Institute and plans to continue her work with vulnerable populations both volunteering and as a career.

Talia Henry graduated with a degree in Arts & Technology, specializing in Game Studies. She was the co-founder and vice president of Women in Games and co-creator of the Studio for Mediating Play, as well as a member for the past 4 years of the Narrative Systems lab. She was a Terry 5k volunteer and also a PA. Talia’s ATEC capstone was nominated as one of the final 8 BEST capstone projects. She worked with Dr. Josef Nguyen on The Great Unfriending Project in 2017 and recently worked with the webcomic Cyanide and Happiness providing quality assurance checks --  this webcomic has branched into a show as well as a card game. Talia will be moving to New Jersey to apply for PhD programs in Game Studies upon graduation. 

Sanya Lakhani graduated with a degree in EMAC with a Concentration in Sales. Sanya served as Tri Delta Chapter Correspondent, and served as a Peer Advisor for three years. Sanya spent a semester in South Africa, studying Sustainability and Community Engagement and working in an underdeveloped primary school in Cape Town. She earned her Certificate in Sustainability at The Global Engagement Centre of Stellenbosch University, promoting cognitive justice and constructive development for social change. Sanya was an active Terry Scholar, serving as Service Chair & Enrichment Advisor, and went on the Honors College Washington DC trip. Sanya worked as a public relations intern at Cinderblock and is currently at Ericsson as a Strategic Partnerships and Business Development intern. Sanya will complete the Professional Sales Program with the School of Management in the fall.

Selena Marroquin graduated with a degree in Healthcare Studies and a minor in Public Health. Her passion for helping others is unparalleled. She has served as a UTD Student Wellness Center Peer Health Educator, advising students on a wide-range of health issues. Selena has also served two AmeriCorps terms as an ESL teacher and non-profit coordinator. She recently studied abroad in Belize on a program in Global and Public Health. Selena received the Cleopatra White Healthcare Scholarship, given to students actively engaged and committed to a career in healthcare. Selena has also received the UTD VolunTIER Service Award, given to seniors demonstrating a strong willingness to serve others, while balancing academics and other student engagements. Selena is already employed as the Program Manager for the non-profit Metrocrest Services, running programs for children to combat food insecurity.

Kaitlyn Morris graduated with a degree in Software Engineering. During her time at UT Dallas, she served as Treasurer of Women Who Compute and a Terry Service Chair. She went on Alternative Spring Break trips in 2017 and 2018. Kaitlyn was very active in the Women in Computer Science national organizations -- and attended the Grace Hopper Conference in 2017 and 2018 and the Women in Cybersecurity Conference in 2018 and 2019.  Kaitlyn still found time to study abroad for a summer in Florence, Italy where she took a painting class. She served as a Terry Enrichment Advisor, was asked to join the prestigious Honors Society Golden Key, and had a software engineering internship with Raytheon. Kaitlyn will pursue a Masters in Engineering Systems Management at Texas A&M.

As the University Peer Health Educator, Grace Nguyen is dedicated to creating awareness of health issues for the campus community. She served as a guest speaker in the Panel Discussion on Body Image and Diversity which addressed the acceptance of diversity within bodies across culture. Grace was also an Enrichment Advisor and a Terry Foundation interview panelist. Aside from her campus involvement, Grace is dedicated to her studies, research, and traveling. She spent a semester abroad at the University of Oslo, Norway. The following summer, she participated in The Undergraduate Research Program hosted by The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Grace was selected as a finalist in the 2019 Undergraduate Research Poster Contest for her research on self-forgiveness and eating disorders. Grace is graduating with a degree in Psychology with major honors and Collegium V Honors. After graduation, Grace will take a gap year to further her research experience before pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. 

Elianna Paek graduated with a degree in Psychology. She volunteered at Tarrant County MHMR covering their facility with large murals. Elianna participated in Alternative Spring Break with 14 Terry Scholars where she worked with 8 Days of Hope to rebuild Houston homes after Hurricane Harvey. Elianna also studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico during the summer of 2017. She owns her own freelance mural business, Running Horse Studios, where she will work full time after graduation. 

Steven Smith graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During the summer of 2018, Steven interned at the Texas Department of Transportation, assisting engineers in the creation and maintenance of Texas roadways. Steven also studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan during a summer.  As part of the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design program, he worked with a local company to automate a process to hydraulically lift concrete foundation slabs. In his free time, Steven enjoys playing dungeons and dragons with his friends. After graduation, Steven will pursue a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on fluid and thermal sciences at the University of Texas at Arlington, to pursue a career in wind energy and help expand the country’s renewable energy infrastructure.

Ryan Townsend graduated with a degree in Accounting. During his four years, Ryan devoted much of his time to Camp Kesem, a nation-wide program, driven by college students, that supports children through their parent’s cancer. Ryan served as UT Dallas’ Camp Kesem Co-Founder and Director for 2 years and as a Make the Magic Co-coordinator this past year. Ryan also won the Selfless Heart, the School of Management’s prestigious Owlie Award for Community Service in 2019. Professionally, Ryan worked as a Tax Accounting Intern for Santander Consumer USA last summer and interned as a Specialized Tax Services Intern this past spring at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ryan will pursue his Masters in Accounting starting this summer, while studying to become a CPA, Certified Public Accountant. Ryan will start working full time at PricewaterhouseCoopers beginning in 2021.

Kevin Vanhorn graduated with a degree in Computer Science. During his four years at UT Dallas, Kevin devoted much of his time to Camp Kesem, which operates free summer camps for children who have been impacted by a parent’s cancer. As one of the initial coordinators for Camp Kesem here at UT Dallas, Kevin (aka ‘Toast’) served in several leadership positions. Kevin also volunteered weekly at Beaver Tech Elementary, teaching polymer science to 4th & 5th graders through Minecraft. Kevin won 3rd Place nationally in the Associated Collegiate Press Cartooning Award in 2016. Kevin has had several internships: Computational Scientist in the department of Bioinformatics at UT Southwestern; UI Design and Illustration for computational research in gaming for BALANCED Medial Technology; as a Comic Artist for The Mercury; Lead Instructor for TechEdventures; and graphic design and web development for MDPM Consulting. He will attend graduate school at UT Dallas while pursuing a career in game development and graphics programming.

Jake Wade, a transfer scholar, graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering which is impressive in itself -- but we are all equally impressed with his weightlifting credentials! Jake tied for 1st place at the 2019 Texas State Weightlifting Championship in the 96 kilogram weight class – that’s over 200 pounds for those of us who don’t use the metric scale! Jake helped found the UT Dallas Weightlifting Club and coached as a Masters Athlete to the CrossFit Games two years in a row. He also runs a mentoring program and operates a youth weightlifting program of 15 young men. His favorite way to de-stress other than training is hitting the sauna or seeing a movie. Jake interned at American Surgical Development as a physician liaison his senior year. He will work in Medical Device Sales.

Marisa Williams graduated with Collegium V Honors with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Criminology. Marisa was extremely active in the Terry Organization: serving as Terry Service Chair and Vice President. She participated in the Terry Scholars Alternative Spring Break trip to Houston, served on the 5K committee the past 2 years -- and headed it her senior year. As Service Chair, she established a long-lasting relationship with the Homeless Coalition of Dallas, an organization providing basic essentials to the homeless. Marisa was also a student journalist with The Mercury, the UT Dallas student newspaper, writing both in print and online. She worked in the PAIN Neurobiology Research lab. She also attended the Dallas Aging and Cognition Conference in 2019. Marisa was selected to serve on the Worsfold Grant Review Committee. Marisa will continue working on her Masters of Applied Cognition and Neuroscience at UT Dallas, graduating in May of 2020.

Iman Zidan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies. Iman was active in the Pre-Physician Assistant Society as a mentor, and in the Arab Student Association, the Muslim Student Association, and Molding Doctors.  She interned at the ICNA Medical Clinic which offers free medical services to low income and uninsured individuals. Iman worked as a pharmacy technician for two years and took an active role in optimizing the management of drug therapy for her customers, which increased her interest in the field. Since she is graduating early -- she did it in three years! -- Iman will take a gap year to decide between Pharmacy and Physician Assistant school.