The Friar Forum

About the Actives

Anupama Atluru will graduate in May 2009 with a B.B.A. in Business Honors and Finance. Anupama has continually sought to improve existing resources and develop new ones on campus to broaden awareness of South Asian culture while cultivating a rich experience for students. She has been a Core Officer of Hindu Students Council since her second semester at UT and served as President her junior year, as well as a member of the Regional Team and the National Public Relations and Outreach Team. Anupama has also worked extensively with University officials as well as leaders in the Telugu Association of North America to launch and maintain the Telugu language program as a permanent fixture on the UT campus. Telugu, which is the second largest spoken language in India, dates back to the second century and is often considered a classical language. She plans to continue this effort at other universities across the U.S. Anupama also serves as President of Mortar Board, an Executive Board Member of Delta Phi Omega sorority, and a member of Texas Orange Jackets. She has strived to increase innovation and diversity in leadership in every arena of the university. Previously, Anupama served as Historian of the Honors Business Association and a representative in the UT Asian American Round Table. She is a Distinguished College Scholar and a recipient of the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges award. In the community, Anupama has volunteered at St. David’s Medical Center, the Settlement Home, Heart House, and various cultural associations. She plans to pursue a career in strategy consulting and eventually attend medical school.

Marian J. Barber was born October 27, 1956 in Refugio, Texas. She was educated at Our Lady of Refuge School and in the public schools of Refugio. She earned a B.A. in English cum laude from Rice University in Houston, Texas in 1979. After college she worked as a reporter-clerk for The Kansas City Star, where she was a member of the staff that won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Local General or Spot News Coverage. She served as press secretary for a Congressional campaign in Florida in 1984. In 1986 she enrolled in The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, producing a professional report entitled The Role of Elite Councils in Local Economic Development. After receiving a Master of Public Affairs degree in 1988, she worked in Washington, DC as a journalist and advocate in affordable housing, community development, and economic development. In 1998, she earned a certificate in historical documentary filmmaking from the Center for History and the Media at George Washington University, serving as a member of the production team for Down Freedoms Main Line, a short film about the Freedom Rides of 1961. Later that year she returned to The University of Texas to pursue a Ph.D. in history, focusing on issues of race and ethnicity in the Texas-Mexico borderlands. She received the M.A. in history in 2002 with a report entitled On the Cusp of Jim Crow: Race and Class in the Texas Gubernatorial Election of 1892. The working title of her dissertation is How the Irish, Germans, and Czechs Became Anglo: Identity Formation in the Texas-Mexico Borderlands. She is married to Steven R. Aleman, an attorney.

Elizabeth Brummett will graduate in May with a Plan II Honors Degree. She is currently completing her Plan II Honors thesis on the partisan influence of the growing number of Latino voters in Texas. Her term as vice president of the Student Government will come to an end in early April. Elizabeth has been accepted to the University of Texas School of Law and plans to start classes there this fall after interning on the Hill in Washington, D.C., this summer.

Brent Chaney is finishing up his undergraduate degree in English and Government. After a year as Student Government President and then Tejas Club President, Brent is currently applying to Law School and Public Affairs Schools and hopes to do a joint degree program next year.

Amy Forestell is a fifth year doctoral student in Astronomy at the University of Texas. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2001 she moved to Austin and earned a Masters degree at UT in 2003. Her dissertation research is on observations of the dark matter halos of elliptical galaxies using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory. Amy has been actively involved with the Graduate Student Assembly for three years and will serve as GSA President during the 2006-2007 academic year. She has also made several contributions to the Astronomy Department as the Graduate Student Representative and on issues relating to women in astronomy. She is an active member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority Austin Alumnae Association. In her spare time Amy likes to read, play intramural sports and poker, and play the flute.

Tim Ginn of Corpus Christi, Texas is a Liberal Arts senior majoring in Government, Urban Studies and Geography. Throughout his time on campus, Tim has served the university in many different capacities through many different organizations. Currenlty, he serves as Xinesi (President) of the Tejas Club and a Texas Cheer Captain for the Texas Mascots. Tim has been involved in the assembly and was appointed to a number of positions in Student Government and was a member of the Urban Development Soceity. Being a fourth year mascot Tim will be the only mascot in recent university history to serve as Hook ‘Em for his entire college career. Throughout his time as Hook ‘Em he has developed the characters personality to what it is today. Tim will graduate Spring ’09.

Jamin Greenbaum is finishing his Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering this year but will continue his studies at UT as a Ph.D. student in the fall. Most of his time these days has been spent managing the FASTRAC student-built nanosatellite project that is still underway. This May, Jamin will travel with the twin, 40 lb. satellites to New Mexico where they will spend the summer undergoing numerous tests designed to ensure their safe delivery into Earth orbit. Assuming everything goes according to plan, UT will have its first student space mission beaming messages back to Earth by the middle of next year.

Dallas Griffin is a first year MBA student in the McCombs School of Business. Over the past four years, he has played football for The University of Texas Longhorns while obtaining a double-major in Business Honors and Finance. In his senior season, Dallas was awarded the Draddy Trophy, which recognizes one collegiate football player in the country for combined success in the classroom, on the football field, and in service to the community. In the future, he hopes to pursue a career in either investment banking or investment management.

Margarita Jimenez grew up in a border town where her experiences would influence her future decisions. Seeing the living conditions of her extended family on the opposite side of the border in Juarez, Mexico where residential roads were dirt roads, neighboring families lived in cardboard houses, and barefoot children did not attend school. She learned early on in life that living in the barrio was a life of luxury. Having the opportunity to get an education and pursue her dreams in her home state of Texas, she decided that she wanted to give back to her country she valued so much for all the opportunities available to her. So, after high school, she signed up to join the United States Air Force. That decision took her all over the world as she worked on avionics systems on F-16s. She served at various bases around the world in Korea, Japan, Ireland, Kuwait, Italy, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. She’s visited the demilitarized zone between South Korea and North Korea, she’s visited what used to be East Germany. Before the current war in Iraq, she’d taken part in Operation Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Allied Force. Prior to completing her service commitment to the Air Force, her squadron received orders to take part in the initial invasion of Iraq, for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Having less than six months left on her service commitment, she was not required to deploy to the Middle East. Her commitment to her airmen led her to get on the list to deploy with her flight. Not knowing the outcome, it was important to remain strong and fulfill her duty. The initial bombing of strategic targets only kept her squadron there for a limited time. The mission in Iraq then turned towards establishing a viable government there, where fighter planes were no longer needed. After serving honorably in the Air Force, she returned to Texas to begin her studies. She began at a junior college to spend time with her family, knowing that her experience in the Middle East had made a lasting impression and might take her back there in the future. She then began to view the world as a very small world where an understanding of the Middle East and its culture would be vital to the future of the country she loves so much. She decided to pursue a degree in Arabic Language and Literature, taking her to the University of Texas at Austin, one of the few universities offering a degree in Arabic. Now, she intends to reach superior proficiency in the language and continue traveling to the Middle East, with the goal of one day becoming a professor to teach the language.

Reid Long is in his second year of graduate school pursuing an advanced degree in organic chemistry. Originally from Sulphur Springs, Texas, Reid holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in Plan II from UT Austin. During his time on the Forty Acres, Reid was the Policy Director for the Senate of College Councils and vice chair of the Students for Academic Integrity committee. He also served as president of Mortar Board, the Plan II Pre-medical Society, and the Health Professions Council. In addition, Reid sits on numerous University committees, including the Faculty Council and the Educational Policy Committee. He has been recognized as a Cactus Yearbook Outstanding Student and as a Dean’s Distinguished Graduate from the College of Liberal Arts. In pursuit of his PhD, Reid works in the labs of Dr. Eric V. Anslyn on using microbiological techniques to develop molecular sensors. After graduation, Reid hopes to some day work in academia at a research university.

Cesar Martinez Espinosa was born in Mexico City, Mexico. In the fall of 2003, he came to Austin for graduate school. Cesar received his Master’s in Public Affairs from the LBJ School in 2005. He is currently a second-year student in the Doctoral Program in Public Policy. Cesar graduated with honors from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He earned his Masters with a thesis on the implementation of a second and third generation of economic reforms in Mexico. In the Doctoral program his research is focused on the economic and political integration between Mexico and the United States with a focus on national security, which includes transportation and energy issues. During his stay at the University of Texas, Cesar has teamed up with several other outstanding students in order to push for constant improvements at the LBJ School and the University at large, such as the international relations initiative at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Cesar has experience in the Mexican Federal Government, having worked for almost six years at the Mexican Social Security Institute. More recently, he has worked in the area of geopolitical analysis as the chief analyst for Latin America in the Austin based Strategic Forecasting, Inc. Cesar currently works at the Center for Transportation Research at UT and is involved in a project that evaluates the impact of Mexico’s infrastructure building program on the United States. Cesar has always been interested in studying the political processes of different countries, especially Mexico and the United States, and follows current affairs and elections with passion. Cesar’s travels to several countries have helped him determine he wanted to dedicate his life to push for reforms that will improve Mexico’s economy and Mexican’s lives, especially through elected office.

Stephen Myers came to the Forty Acres all the way from the small town of Texas City, Texas. A middle-child with two brothers and two loving parents, he learned at a young age the importance of compromise, patience, and strategic planning. Before coming to UT, Stephen was an active student at Texas City High School, serving as senior class president, captain of the men’s varsity soccer team, and as a percussionist in the Texas All-State Band. His interests in leadership, politics and law led him to the University of Texas at Austin, where he now completes his fourth year as a Government major. Stephen values his educational experience at UT. He has conducted major research on party polarization in the U.S. Congress with Dr. Sean Theriault, interned in the Texas Governor’s Office for the Texas Military Preparedness Commission and even participated in the Bill Archer Fellowship Program, which allowed him the opportunity to live in Washington DC for an entire semester and intern in the White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting. Ever since his first days as a Longhorn, Stephen has worked to give back to the campus that has given him so many opportunities. For the past three years, he has served as a First Year Interest Group (FIG) Peer Mentor and has several leadership roles within the Senate of College Councils, including Financial Director and Chairman of the Students for Academic Integrity (SFAI) committee. As Chairman of SFAI, Stephen led IntegrityUT Week 2007, a university-wide effort to raise awareness of the University’s Honor Code. This year, Stephen has been serving as Chairman of the UT Senate. Stephen thanks his mother and father for instilling in him the values of compassion, integrity, and hard-work and for shaping him into the young man he is today.

A native Texan from the pineywoods of deep east Texas, Katie Naranjo began her career in Democratic politics at the ripe age of 6-knocking on doors with her dad for local Democrats and the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign. When she joined the College Democrats at the University of Texas 12 years later, Katie went back to her focus on the grassroots. She organized block walks, canvassing trips and raised over $5,000 for her local chapter. So in 2006, with some hard work and encouragement from friends, Katie ran successfully for National Programs Director of the College Democrats of America. In 2007, she organized CDA's National Lobby Day for College Affordability - leading more than 100 students to Capitol Hill to talk about the rising costs of college. Since then Katie was elected as the President of College Democrats of America in August at the Democratic National Convention. She serves as a super delegate and executive DNC member. At UT Katie continues to be involved with Orange Jackets and the University Democrats, while assisting local Travis County campaigns.

K. Knox Nunnally was born and raised in Houston, TX. In 1997 he accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy and graduated from that institution in 2001. Commissioned a Marine Corps Second Lieutenant, he was selected while in training for first the Infantry and later for the smaller more specialized field of light armored reconnaissance. He reported to his first command at the Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in Camp Lejuene, NC in the Summer of 2002. From 2003 to 2005 Nunnally deployed with this unit to Iraq for three consecutive combat tours. He commanded a light armored reconnaissance platoon of 28 Marines and later a company of 150 Marines during this time. In 2006, after serving five years with the Corps, he was honorably discharged from active service and moved to Austin, Texas to begin law school at the University of Texas. While in law school Nunnally joined with several other veterans to form the national, pro-mission, War on Terror veteran organization called Vets For Freedom (VFF). VFF is now the largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans organization in the country with some 45,000 members and is actively involved in efforts to both help honor the service and sacrifices of this new generation of veterans and to give a voice to this group on issues such as finishing the fight in Iraq and reshaping the nation's Veterans Administration. At UT Nunnally has strived hard to bring veterans together with students and faculty to share their experiences so that both the current war and those fighting it can be better understood by the local community. Nunnally's awards include the Bronze Star for valor, the Purple Heart, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals for valor.

Omar Ochoa was born and raised in Edinburg, TX located in the Rio Grande Valley. As an undergrad at UT, he was very involved with the Latino community on campus, serving as a Co-Director for the Latino Leadership Council. Omar helped to organize the first national Latino student conference held at UT and the first Latino community retreat, both of which are still held annually. In the spring of 2005, Omar became the first Latino to serve as the Student Body President at The University of Texas at Austin. As President, Omar worked with students and administrators to move to a two year tuition setting cycle, assisted in the passage of a bill that added a student member to the University of Texas Board of Regents and the student referendum effort to place a new Student Activity Center on campus. Omar received academic honors such as University Honors, Business College Scholar, and Business Honors Program Outstanding Student Award. He’s also a recipient of the Texas Parent’s Outstanding Student Award. Omar has worked two sessions as a Legislative aide for State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa. He graduated in May 2007 with bachelors degrees in business honors, accounting, economics, and a masters in professional accounting. He is also a certified public accountant. After graduating, Omar went to work as a Senior Financial Analyst for General Motors in Detroit, MI where he staffed the CFO and Board of Directors’ business analysis team. While in Detroit, Omar was a field worker for Barack Obama’s primary campaign and volunteered in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. He also completed both a Marathon and Ironman events. Omar is now a first year law student at the University of Texas and is active in the Chicano/Hispanic Law Student Association and the Domestic Violence Survivor Support Network.

Falil Oritola

Liam O'Rourke is a senior in the Liberal Arts Honors program studying history. Liam serves the University as a member of Student Government, Tejas, Best Buddies, Texas Cowboys, and as a resident assistant. Liam also serves on the Ms. Wheelchair Texas Foundation Board of Directors, and he is the Chief Operations Officer for a GIS company called "AccessAble Systems," which develops interactive maps with an emphasis on accessible features.

Keshav Rajagopalan is a third-year Plan II and Political Communications major from Houston, TX, where he was a 2005 graduate of St. John’s School. Since arriving at The University of Texas, Keshav has been active in Student Government as the internal financial director, a member of the executive board. He hopes to remain heavily involved with Student Government in his remaining years at the University where he can continue many of the projects he began in the past year. He is currently working with a developer to create a new Student Government website which will provide information for all students as well working with the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs to create a student endowment which will help fund a myriad of student-driven initiatives and projects. A member of countless advisory boards, student panels and selection committees for important university positions and awards, Keshav’s involvement is respected not only by his peers, but also by administrators and members of the University’s faculty and staff. In two short years, he has become one of the most dynamic, involved and respected student leaders on campus. Last spring, Keshav was selected as a Texas Cowboys Newman.

Andrew Solomon is from the small North East Texas town of Mt. Vernon. He is senior in Plan II Honors in the College of Liberal Arts. His activities at UT include his fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, serving as a Camp Texas counselor, the Interfraternatity Council and Dance Marathon. Andrew currently serves as the President of Student Government. As president he serves on various committees such as the Tuition Policy Advisory Committee, Union Board of Directors, Student Services Budget Committee, UT Student Advisory Council, and he is the chair of the President's Student Advisory Committee. After graduation, Andrew plans to attend law school

Nicole Trinh

Erica Whittington is a doctoral student in the department of History and is currently at work on her dissertation on American college student activism from World War II through 1960. She grew up in Wilkesboro, NC, a small town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains known for its quality moonshine and fast drivers. She graduated from Duke in 1999 with a bachelors degree in History and Public Policy Studies. In preparation for law school, she spent her college summers in legal internships, but after graduation she instead moved to New Orleans to work for historian Doug Brinkley at the Eisenhower Center for American History. As Project Coordinator she worked on projects ranging from the collected letters of Hunter S. Thompson to the opening of the National D-Day Museum. Erica received her masters degree in history at the University of Texas in 2003. She is co-founder of the UT Gender Symposium, a bi-weekly gathering of graduate students and faculty to discuss their work in a formal setting. She won the Texas Exes UT Heritage Society essay contest, and her article on the history of the University of Texas YM/YWCA appeared in the July/August 2005 issue of Alcalde. She also served as co-chair of the Graduate Student Assembly, raising external funds for new graduate student programs, including a graduate student research conference and a film showcase. In various administrative committees, Erica has advocated for increased professional development funding for UT’s graduate students, and health insurance for those who have earned fellowships. She currently serves on the College of Liberal Arts Dean Search committee. She plans to graduate in December 2008 and to become a professor of history.