‘student profile’
Building Community | Jack Mok BA’22 PoliSci & Econ (Senior Spotlight)
Apr. 29, 2022—From participating in high school student government to leading as AASA President, Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Scholar Jack Mok (BA’22 Political Science & Economics) has dedicated his academic career to finding belonging and giving back to the community through advocacy.
Setting the Stage | Brooke Dennison BA’22 Theatre & English (Senior Spotlight)
Jan. 31, 2022—Last fall, the A&S Theatre Department introduced its first student director, Brooke Dennison (BA’22 Theatre & English), in almost a decade. As the department debuted its 2021-2022 season with the Plays from the Pandemic series, Dennison and Theatre faculty speak to the importance of this unique and transformative experience.
Cinema and Media Arts students use capstone projects to develop themselves as world citizens
Apr. 20, 2021—For students in the Department of Cinema and Media Arts (CMA), senior year involves an important rite of passage: the capstone seminar. Required for every CMA major, the seminar brings together the department’s unique blend of theory and practice. While most film departments around the country focus on training either film scholars (theory) or filmmakers...
Vanderbilt Debate overcomes COVID-19 challenges to break new ground in civic engagement
Jan. 22, 2021—One year ago, Sahil “Sael” Soni ’21, a chemistry and economics double major, had just returned from a blue-ribbon performance in Vanderbilt Debate’s first-ever international competition. He was looking forward to finishing the 2019-2020 season on a high note, as were his teammates. For the last 30 years, Vanderbilt Debate has been a national leader,...
A&S classes take student’s career ambitions in an unexpected direction
Nov. 9, 2020—Growing up, William Schmid excelled at math and science. He assumed that meant he was destined for a career in engineering: after all, his father was an engineer, and most of the people in his immediate family had studied the subject in college. “It seemed like the obvious choice for me,” he said. But after...
Persistence in a pandemic: College of Arts and Science students work for social change through nonprofit organizations
Oct. 30, 2020—Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer 2020 plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Students Rashmi Bharadwaj and Joe Miller both want to make an impact on society. This summer, they...
Persistence in a pandemic: College of Arts and Science students complete summer internships with innovative businesses
Oct. 23, 2020—Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer 2020 plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Students Emery Little, Lucas Ludgate, Brooke Ellis, and Jaime Perez all used their summers to complete internships...
Biological Sciences Ph.D. Student Finds Creative Outlet in Science-Themed Art
Jun. 30, 2020—It’s no surprise that Jacob Steenwyk became interested in art at a young age. Both his parents are artists: his father served as art director for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his mother was a recognized art critic who has published in major magazines in the Philippines. Steenwyk loved making art as a child and...
Conversations to Empower and Build Community: Tommy Oswalt, BA’20
May. 20, 2020—Psychology and communications studies double-major Tommy Oswalt came to Vanderbilt as a first-generation college student with a dream of finding a creative and supportive community like the large Cuban family he left in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As head resident adviser of West House on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, vice president of VUcept, and volunteer at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at...
A Bus Ride to Smile About: Dara Johnson, BA’20
May. 20, 2020—Dara Johnson insists she wants to spend time after graduation on a bus—a mobile dental clinic, to be exact. The Montgomery, Alabama, native is well-versed in the power of buses for social change. From Rosa Parks to the Freedom Riders, buses have been a potent symbol of change in Johnson’s hometown, and she’s working to...