The Longhorn Link Program helped first-generation high school and college student Elena Garcia find her place at The University of Texas and in her career.

When Garcia graduates from the School of Nursing this week with honors, not only will she receive a diploma, but also the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Nursing award. She will begin her career at Brackenridge Hospital here in Austin but also envisions her future work.

Garcia sees herself nursing for 3-5 years, then perhaps moving into a research hospital like Johns Hopkins or into some aspect of public health outside of a critical care setting in her native Brownsville. “I learned in public health about the social determinates that affect health,” she said.  “Education affects access to care and resources. I want to give back to others and education is one of the most powerful ways to do it,” she explained, saying that she is also interested in teaching health science to high school students.

Garcia has a long connection with DDCE programs. As a student at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, she was involved in UT Outreach – Rio Grande Valley programs before coming to the university. Once here, she became acquainted with the Longhorn Link program during freshman orientation. During her freshman and sophomore years, she explained that the tutoring and mentoring aspects of the program helped her get on track academically. Since then, Garcia has continued to meet with Longhorn Link staff, including DDCE assistant vice president Ge Chen, for advisory sessions. Garcia values the support and trust offered by the Longhorn Link staff as well as the assistance provided in setting goals. “I’m passionate because I was surrounded by this environment of support,” she said.

As an honors student in Nursing, Garcia conducted a research project under Dr. Evelyn Clingerman that was related to the stress and associated health outcomes by Latino farm workers.

She also found support from other units on campus. Garcia helped found and organize the Hispanic Nursing Association on campus. Under her presidency this year, it has grown from 4 members to 36. She said the organizational process that included drafting the constitution and mission, electing officers and getting others excited about the fledging organization being was a learning process made easier by the help offered through the Dean of Students office.  She now feels confident she could go home to Brownsville and start a new organization related to public health from the ground up.

“I’m so blessed that all these things have happened and that I have opportunity to go back and do these same things in my home community,” Garcia said. “When I came to UT, I was focused on myself. Wanting to make the community better happened through the years as I began to see the bigger picture—that its not just about me.”

College of Fine Arts Media Release

Mezzo-soprano Barbara Smith Conrad will be the speaker for the College of Fine Arts spring commencement ceremony at The University of Texas at Austin on May 18 at 3 p.m. in Bass Concert Hall.

“Barbara Conrad embodies everything the university could want in a graduate,” said Bill Powers, president of The University of Texas at Austin. “Through hard work and perseverance, she parlayed her gift into a world-class career and in the process broke down societal barriers for many who would follow. I’m so glad she’ll be sharing her wisdom with our newest graduates.”

Conrad graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of music degree in 1959. She enrolled at the university in 1956, the first year that African-American students were admitted to the university. In 1957, Conrad was cast as Dido in the opera “Dido and Aeneas” opposite a white classmate. Controversy about an interracial leading couple quickly escalated, and the university president bowed to pressure to take away Conrad’s role. The story made national headlines, and Harry Belafonte offered to pay for Conrad’s studies at the institution of her choice. Conrad decided to remain at the university, where she became active in creating a more diverse university community.

“I am honored to be invited to speak to these artists of the future graduating from the College of Fine Arts” Conrad said. “When I came to The University of Texas at Austin, my passion for my art and education and the community that found and helped me allowed me to survive and grow. I am proud that the university has grown as well over these many years and prouder still that artistic excellence is still as important here as it ever was.”

This spring, Conrad returned to The University of Texas at Austin to serve as a visiting faculty member.

“Having Barbara Smith Conrad return to The University of Texas at Austin as a visiting faculty member and as commencement speaker for the College of Fine Arts is our great honor and a tribute to her enduring talent,” said College of Fine Arts Dean Douglas Dempster.

Conrad performed with the Metropolitan Opera for eight years, from 1982 to 1989, and has performed leading operatic roles with the Vienna State Opera, Teatro Nacional in Venezuela, the Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera, Pittsburgh Opera and many other international opera houses throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and South America. Under the direction of some of the world’s leading conductors, she has performed much of the mezzo-soprano concert repertoire with the world’s greatest orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the London, Boston, Cleveland and Detroit symphonies.

Conrad played renowned contralto Marian Anderson in the ABC movie “Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years,” was invited by President Ronald Reagan to sing at the White House in honor of Lady Bird Johnson’s 75th birthday, and was invited to perform for Pope John Paul II in 1995 when he visited New York City.

Conrad continues to complement her performing activities with artist residencies and master classes, establishing herself as one of the foremost builders of voice both in the United States and abroad. She is the co-director and co-founder of the American Center for Musical Arts and its subsidiary, the Wagner Theater Program. She maintains a private vocal studio in Manhattan.

The 5th Annual Austin Asian Occasion:  Dances and music, the “Winner’s Concert” of the 6th Young Musicians Festival Competition and the “Master’s Concert” of the world acclaimed Asian artists. Ticket proceeds will support the mission of the People’s Community Clinic which provide primary health care services to the working people who have no health insurance.

Tickets: $15 for regular | $10 for students and seniors
Purchase tickets here.

Written by: Kappa Rho Pre-Medical Honor Society member

The Kappa Rho Pre-Medical Honor Society volunteered at Dell Children’s Hospital in the playroom from 2 to 3:30 pm on February 24, 2012. The event was a success with 3 volunteers in attendance and about 15 patients participating at different times over the course of the event. We made handmade key chains and origami with the patients, depending on each of their personal preferences. The supplies for the key chains and origami were obtained from Hobby Lobby the day before, and there was plenty of variety of colors for the patients to choose from. Many parents of the children even participated as well, gaily talking and laughing as we taught them as well as their children how to make the key chains or create the origami. In terms of the origami, the patients were taught how to make a box, a sailboat, and a paper crane. Overall, the event was a success and we look forward to continuing our tradition of volunteering at Dell Children’s.

This event was co-sponsored by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.

Written by Hali Hoyt, AmeriCorps VISTA Member/ Student Leadership Coordinator

When the students of Reilly Elementary School arrived on the Monday after the Earth Day weekend they were in for quite a treat. Over the weekend their empty outdoor space had been transformed into a garden wonderland!

On Saturday, April 21st, the UT Service Scholars (UTSS) conducted their first annual Signature Community Service Event at Reilly Elementary School. The Signature Community Service Event is the annual opportunity for the service scholars to work as a team to do a major community service project in Austin.

This year’s event featured over 30 UT Service Scholars building an outdoor classroom to serve as a mechanism to encourage students and teachers to embrace outdoor learning. As the day went on, the Reilly Elementary School staff, parents, and students helped out in building the outdoor classroom. The final event of the day was the Earth Day lesson conducted by the Sustainable Food Center, in conjunction with school staff. During this first lesson, students learned the importance of plants and were able to plant their own seedlings to take home. Everyone enjoyed the fun and fellowship of this event and Reilly Elementary School third grade teacher, Eliza Gordon remarked “this is one of the best things to happen to Reilly Elementary School!”

The UT Service Scholars program is an initiative between the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement and the LBJ School of Public Affairs focused on molding community service-oriented college students into the community service leaders of tomorrow through leadership development and service. For more information on the UT Service Scholars program, contact Hali Hoyt at  hhoyt at austin.utexas.edu.

View the video, read the transcript.

For the first time ever, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) invited the Texas Exes to join University of Texas students for The Project. The Project is the university’s premier annual community service event that traditionally takes place in Austin on the last Saturday in February. By teaming up, the DDCE and the Texas Exes extended community service throughout the month of February around the globe through an initiative called Texas Exes Care About The Project. Fifty-three chapters hosted “Care” activities in their own communities.

From Lubbock to London, alumni of all ages helped prove that What Starts Here Changes the World in a variety of ways—they helped build houses, cleaned up parks and waterways, donated blood, volunteered at homeless shelters, and facilitated food and clothing drives. And the best part is that many of the chapters want to continue community service work throughout the year.

We are proud of the dedication to service and community engagement demonstrated by our alumni and students and hope that you are inspired by this video of Longhorns in action.

College of Communications major Jasmine Beitz learned she was a researcher at heart through the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium‘s internship and mentoring program, the IE Pre-Graduate Internship.  Beitz worked in Assistant Professor Bharath Chandrasekaran’s SoundBrain Lab. “IE helped me to have a graduate school-type experience that I may not have been able to explore otherwise,” she said. Read more about Beitz’s experience in the IE program, her research award and the awards of four other students who major in the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders and also participated in the IE program.

One organization and three individuals were honored by The University of Texas at Austin for their outstanding efforts forging new paths for Asians and Asian Americans in Central Texas and for their outstanding contributions to their communities.

The Division of Diversity at The University of Texas at Austin hosted the Community Leadership Awards event in partnership with the Center for Asian American Studies and the Texas Exes Asian American Alumni Network. The event was held on Monday, April 30, at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center on campus.  University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers and Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement Dr. Gregory J. Vincent congratulated the honorees and spoke about the benefits partnerships such as those established with the community leaders.

From left to right: Bill Powers, president, The University of Texas at Austin;Tommy Hodinh;  Lucia Hur, TACC; Dr. Gregory J. Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement, The University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Foo Swasdee; David Chi; Dr. Madeline Hsu, director of the Center for Asian American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin; and Sam Bakir, TACC.

The Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce (TACC) was honored with the Community Partnership Award for its work supporting business development in Central Texas since 1996 and for its foundation which provides scholarships for Asian American students. Tommy Hodinh and Dr. Foo Swasdee were each honored with the Community Leadership Circle Award and David Chiu received the Legacy Award. Hodinh is chairman and CEO of MagRabbit, a successful global software and supply chain management services provider that he started more than 20 years ago. Dr. Swasdee owns Satay Restaurant and is the founder of Asia Food Fest, which attracts 1,500 visitors each year. She has been active in the TACC and in its foundation, leading relief efforts for the 2004 tsunami and the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Chiu has been a businessman in San Marcos, Texas, since 1971 and has served as mayor of that city. He currently serves on the San Marcos CISD school board and has been active promoting and encouraging businesses throughout Central Texas.

Dr. Vincent said, “It was indeed an honor to host the third annual Community Leadership Awards recognizing the valuable community partnerships and contributions Asian Americans have made in Central Texas. As one of the fastest growing populations in Austin, Asian Americans continue to play a lead role in economic growth and workforce development.”

Join the Asian/Asian American Faculty and Staff Association for their May membership meeting.

When: Saturday, May 12
Where: West Enfield Park
2008 Enfield Road, Austin, TX 78703
http://austinparks.org/apfweb/park.php?parkId=376
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 pm

BBQ will be served with vegetarian options.  Please RSVP to Eileen Drake at eileen@austin.utexas.edu by Thursday, May 10^th.

Ms. Machree Garrett Gibson, the first African American female president of the Texas Exes, will be honored Friday, May 4, with a Heman Marion Sweatt Legacy Award. The black tie ceremony and reception honoring Ms. Gibson  is the culminating event of the 26th Annual Heman Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights. The event is free and open to the public but an RSVP is required: http://hemansweatt.eventbrite.com/.

Machree Garrett Gibson

The Legacy Awards were established last year as a way to honor individuals who had made significant contributions to civil rights at The University of Texas at Austin and pay tribute to Heman Marion Sweatt, the first African American admitted to The University of Texas School of Law in 1950 after a four-year legal battle which was decided by the Supreme Court.

Gibson is an attorney with a distinguished career and continued service to The University of Texas at Austin.