Click on a student’s name or picture to learn more about their experiences with the Bridging Disciplines Program.
Digital & Arts Media BDP Student Vanessa Vazquez Esquivel created an immersive ad experience on Roblox for Khan Academy, called Khan Campus, where users could play four mini-games and earn points.
"Being able to virtually explore a world I built and see others interact with and comment on it made the entire process worth every single hour I spent in front of my computer screen!”
Valerie Schmidt, a Children & Society BDP Student, interned with the Lirios Pediatric Clinic where she worked as a medical assistant and Spanish translator.
"This Connecting Experience has enabled me to refine my professional goals of becoming a pediatrician with a mission to reduce health inequity and disparities within our community.”
Public Policy BDP Student Soni Shukla interned with Texas Appleseed, where she conducted literature reviews, reports, and briefs to further analyze policies and best practices regarding criminal justice.
"The critical thinking, logical reasoning, and love for challenges I have developed through working for a policy-driven organization validated my pursuit of a legal career.”
As an Ethics & Leadership in Law, Politics & Government BDP Student, Rachel Schick observed the evolution of the romance languages and gendered vocabulary to explore the efficacy of language activism.
"I was able to expand my knowledge of progressive activism surrounding queer and women's rights, and explore further avenues of progress through my own research methodology.”
Rachel Salcido, a Museum Studies BDP Student, worked with the Art and Art History Collection by expanding their digital accessibility to the public through managing their database.
"One of the most rewarding aspects of this Connecting Experience was being able to confirm my passion for archives and the digital accessibility of history.”
Museum Studies BDP Student Maddie Cannings interned with the Landmarks Public Art Program, where they conducted research for various projects to prepare for future acquisitions.
"Working in this space also allowed me to think theoretically about public art and connect my knowledge from class with what I learned during my internship.”
Liany Serrano Oviedo, an Ethics & Leadership in Healthcare BDP Student, designed a workshop to prepare pre-health students to be providers who are culturally competent and effective communicators.
"The most rewarding part of this experience has been seeing the puzzle pieces of all my coursework and previous research come together.”
Social Entrepreneurship & Non-Profits BDP Student Kristin Clark developed a social enterprise model for home repair organizations, which allowed her to see a new way of approaching humanitarian effort.
"This experience provided me with a deeper understanding of the business aspects of NPOs and emphasized the ways in which social change can work cohesively with a business model to produce a result that isn't restricted by a lack of adequate resources.”
Juliana Thompson, an Environment & Sustainability BDP Student, interned with UT Resource Recovery, where she contributed to UT's zero-waste initiative and discussions on sustainability and the future of resource recovery at UT.
"It was empowering to gain a deeper understanding of our university’s waste creation and disposal processes, while also playing an active role in reducing landfill waste.”
Patients, Practitioners & Cultures of Care BDP Student Iman Ahmed conducted research with The Benner Lab, where she helped conduct visits with study participants by collecting health measurements to identify predictors of stress.
"My connecting experience helped me to gain familiarity with the research process by working in a lab, which will help me during medical school and throughout my future career.”