We invite you to send any questions you have about the application process or the program to the Polymathic Scholars listed below.
Julian falco Julian.falco@utexas.edu
"Hi! I'm Julian Falco, a sophomore biochemistry major in the Polymathic Scholars Program; I'm from a small city called Friendswood, which is in the Houston area. I am currently on the pre-med track, and I hope to create my Polymathic field around the development of health care around the world over time, and how global communities today are able to effectively engineer systems for its delivery. I've gotten involved as a social services volunteer at the C. D. Doyle homeless shelter clinic, and I also do research in a neuroscience lab that studies synaptic plasticity in the brain. In whatever free time I have left, I enjoy swimming, playing piano, and writing music. I really enjoy talking about the programs I'm in, so please feel free to reach out!"
JOSE GONZALEZ joseglzb27@gmail.com
"Hello! I am a fourth-year Neuroscience major in the Polymathic Scholars Program. I was born and raised in Mexico and moved to South Texas when I was in high school. I’m currently working as a Peer Mentor in the Microorganisms in Bees and Other Insects FRI Stream where I mostly collect bees and wasps across Texas. I spend most of my free time outdoors exploring all the nearby parks and reserves or watching movies at the theater. Feel free to contact me with any questions."
ESTHER KIM kim.esther@utexas.edu
"Hello! My name is Esther Kim, and I am a third-year pre-med biology major in the Polymathic Honors Program. I was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to Dallas, Texas with my family in August of 2011. I love serving others, so I currently volunteer at St. David’s Medical Center. I am also a part of an organization called Advocates for Cancer Awareness, wherein we educate the UT Austin community on the effects of cancer with a holistic perspective. I am very excited to follow my dreams at UT in the Polymathic Honors Program, in which I get to design my own field of study and truly pursue my passions! My designed field is about how social infrastructures, such as parks and libraries, affect public health through providing people resources and allowing them to come and interact with one another."
NATALIE LIM natalie.lim@utexas.edu
"Hello! I am a second-year Neuroscience/Plan II double major from East Texas (specifically Tyler). Currently, I am on the pre-med track but am still interested in the possibility of professional research or even an MD/PhD. As part of FRI, I am in the BioBricks stream working on the KH1/KH2 project. Outside of class, I am part of Texas THON, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for kids in Dell Children’s, and am an RA in the Honors Quad. I am a buyer of books that I don't have time to read, a listener of too many types of music, and an officially unofficial taste tester of good boba and tea."
Landry luker landry.luker@UTEXAS.EDU
"Hello! I am a third-year, pre-med Biochemistry major from Waco TX who is also working on an Elements of Computing certificate. My Polymathic field aims to look into how the intersection between society and disease prevention contributes to societal evolution and medical innovation. I was part of the Genome Engineering FRI stream my freshman year and am now doing research under a postdoc with an interest in synthetic viruses. Outside of academics, I volunteer with Dell Seton Medical Center and am a member of the Natural Sciences Council, with past involvement in the Diversity and Inclusion and Academic Affairs committees. In my free time I love to mountain bike, play strategy games, and go to UT football games (Hook ‘Em!). I would love to help with any questions!"
CHRISTINE NGUYEN christinenguyen1@utexas.edu
"Hi! I am a third-year, pre-dental nutrition major from Friendswood Texas. I was in the Genome Engineering stream through the Freshman Research Initiative and I am currently working with a Ph.D. student doing research on the relationship between nutrition knowledge and oral hygiene. I am involved in Kappa Rho, an all-girls pre-health organization, Texas Pre-Dental Society, and Healing with Harmonies, a music therapy group. In my free time, I enjoy playing the guitar and ukulele, watching horror movies, taking Buzzfeed quizzes, and volunteering."
ARIANA OLVERA oariana17@utexas.edu
"Hi everyone! I am a fourth-year pre-med biology major in the Polymathic Scholars Honors Program. I am from the Rio Grande Valley, and graduated from Donna High School in 2016. I was involved in the Freshman Research Initiative through the Antibiotics stream, and now serve as a mentor to current students. Additionally, I am actively involved in the Hispanic Health Professions Organization (HHPO) and Humanity First. Please feel free to reach out to me over any questions you may have about the application process or to ask about my experiences here at UT so far. I am excited to hear from you!"
ATHENA OWIRODU athena_owirodu@utexas.edu
"I am a fourth-year Biochemistry major born and raised in Dallas, Texas! My designed field is titled "Human Resilience in Academia," in which I aim to understand how certain qualities impact an individual's ability to achieve success in college. I have been a part of the Virtual Drug Screening stream through FRI, and served as a mentor in the Scientific Inquiry Across Disciplines class for freshmen pursuing research. I also serve as a Texas Student Recruiter in our effort to reach underrepresented students applying to UT. Outside of school, I am enjoy volunteering, music, and geeking out about statistics!"
LOIS OWOLABI lois.owolabi@utexas.edu
"Hello! My name is Lois (pronounced like Joyce but with an L) and I’m a third-year Biochemistry major from Carrizo Springs, Texas. My polymathic field focuses on an intersection between Digital Arts Communication and STEM Education. I’m hoping to engage and excite more students in science discovery through the gamification of complex science topics. Outside of the Polymathic Scholars, I sing as a tenor with Voices of Africa A Capella, work as a scribe at a Urogynecology clinic, organize physician shadowing opportunities for others as a part of UT’s Health Careers Mentorship Program, and serve the Austin area with my fellow Chickadees in the Chi Kappa Phi Service Society. If you have any questions or concerns about UT, programs that fit you, or just wanna reach out to a real life Longhorn, I'm just an email away!"
JOYCE TIONG jtiong@utexas.edu
"I am a third-year, pre-med biology major from Allen, Texas. I currently work with the Osier Lab on a clinical research study at Dell Children’s Medical Center, and I am also part of the Gene Networks stream through the Freshman Research Initiative. Outside of lab and classes, I am involved with Healing with Harmonies, a music therapy group, and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and Home Cooked Fridays, a local event that provides free meals to the Austin community. During my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, the ukulele, and the guitar, cooking, and exploring Austin."
