FALL 2021
PRESIDENT'S SCHOLARS PROGRAM ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
GREETINGS FROM THE HILLTOP! Having just wrapped up my first semester of work with the President's Scholars Program, one of my biggest goals is to find ways to better connect with each of you, our wonderful alumni. Though small, I hope that the creation of a once-persemester email newsletter will give you additional insight into the current happenings in the President's Scholars Program. Please do feel free to reach out if you would ever like to chat, grab coffee or lunch, etc. I look forward to getting to know each of you better, and I hope you will enjoy this peek into our Fall 2021 semester! Pony Up! Dr. Lindsay Davis Assistant Dean for Scholars Programs
WHAT'S NEW?
One of the President's Scholars' most time-honored traditions is the OWL (Older, Wiser, Learned Scholar) Program. First-year President's Scholars are paired with sophomore President's Scholars as peer mentors. This year, we had our "OWL Reveal" at Top Golf, where the mentor pairings were revealed to each other through a game referencing famous duos. Of course there was a lot of golf fun to be had, too, as students from all four cohorts were on hand to spend time together!
WHAT'S NEW? The President's Scholars also enjoyed a return to their annual reception with President Turner! This year, we gathered at the Meadows Museum for tasty treats and an informative Q&A session with President Turner. The Class of 2022 was especially thrilled to enjoy this tradition during their senior year.
President's Scholars also continued to form teams for many of SMU's intramural sports leagues. They had a great time playing together, win or lose! Many thanks to George Guckenberger '23 for being our resident intramural organizer! (Soccer, flag football, & volleyball pictured here)
WHAT'S NEW?
Of course, the President's Scholars continued to enjoy time together all over the SMU campus. The Class of 2022 organized a potluck in Daniel House, the Class of 2024 found President Turner on the Boulevard, and campus traditions like Celebration of Lights served as great opportunities to connect.
Huge congratulations are in order for Isabelle Galko, '22, who was just named a Marshall Scholar! Isabelle is one of just 41 students to receive this honor nationally, and she is the only student from the state of Texas. She cannot wait to continue her studies in climate and policymaking in the UK! Read more here, and please join us in congratulating Isabelle on this prestigious honor! Looking ahead to Spring 2022, we will enjoy our annual retreat (postponed from Fall 2021), this year to be held at Mo-Ranch in Hunt, Texas!
ALUMNI UPDATES HELP SELECT THE 2026 CLASS OF PRESIDENT'S SCHOLARS! DFW-area local alumni, we need your help with Scholarship Interview Day 2022! On Friday, March 25, finalists for the President's Scholarship will come to campus for their interviews and a big campus visit (you all remember this, I'm sure!). Each interview panel includes a PS alumnus so that we can include your valuable perspectives on which students are our top candidates. Please sign up here no later than January 4, 2022!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: PS ALUMNI COMMITTEE Now that we are learning how to navigate our world again, we will reconvene the President's 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. In future editions, this newsletter will include an alumni spotlight, so please let us know if you're interested! Additionally, please join the President's Scholars Program Program group on LinkedIn and follow the President's Scholars Program on Instagram.
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