Meet David
Nowhere Else
I chose to come to UT Austin because honestly there was nowhere else I would rather be. My dad went to UT, and Saturday afternoons were always spent watching Longhorn football in the fall, and burnt orange was always standard dress at my house.
UT also has amazing faculty and classes that really challenge me to do the best I can and learn all I can as well. There are few other places in the world that can offer the post-graduate and career opportunities that come with a degree from The University of Texas. I would encourage someone else to come to Texas in a heartbeat. There simply is no better university that anyone could attend.
I was born and raised in and around Houston, TX, and Houston will always be my home. However, if I had to choose a second home, it could only be Austin. My family and I used to travel to Austin many times a year to tour the university and vacation in the Hill Country. Both my dad and my sister went to UT, so I got to see all of their hangouts and learn about the university through them.
Giving Back to the Community
Being involved in organizations has been by far my favorite part of being at UT. Being in organizations is where I have met all of my friends here at Texas, not in class like in high school.
One group that I am particularly proud to be a member of is Texas Blazers, a service and spirit group here at Texas. In Blazers, I have learned about the importance of giving back to the community by going out and mentoring high school students over at East Side Memorial High School here in Austin. I go out there every Saturday and spend about three hours with the students, helping them with homework, teaching them study skills, or sometimes just being there to listen to problems they may be having, and being there for the students. The look on their faces when they understand an algebra formula for the first time ever, or the knowledge that by listening I have really helped them to understand a problem they may be having is really so incredible it’s indescribable.
The guys in Texas Blazers are also some of the best men I have met; I know that each of them will go on to accomplish amazing things when they graduate, and I truly have met some of my best friends by being a member.
I’m [also] really looking forward to my next year as Senate of College Councils Vice President. In Senate, we mainly deal with legislation and programs that concern academic issues at UT, and I can’t wait to really tackle some of the issues that surround the university. I know that the next year will be very time-consuming but getting to sit in on meetings with some of the most influential people in the UT system and tell them my views and opinions will be extraordinary. UT has given so much to me these last three years, and I can’t wait to try my hand at giving back to it as well.
Like a Family
Liberal Arts Honors really made UT feel like a family to me. It has offered me classes with incredible faculty that all have less than twenty or so students in them. The individual attention that the professors can offer you in small classes like this is invaluable, and I will never forget the relationships I have made with my fellow LAHers!
David’s Advice
On where to live
I lived on campus for my first two years (Jester Dorm!) and have lived off campus for the past year and will next year as well. Living on campus was a great experience, and I think all incoming students should give it a try.
Being on campus puts you right in the middle of all the action at UT and really makes you feel a part of the campus, which can be tough to do when you first arrive here. Also, what could be more convenient than being right next to the gym, your classes, and having all your meals made for you!
Being off campus is nice as well, but it definitely makes my days longer. I don’t get to just run home between classes or meetings like I used to on campus; once I leave for school, I stay all day. I’d like to say I cook at home (and I’m sure my mom would like to think I do, too!), but I end up eating out a lot more when I am on campus all day and late into the night.
On making friends
Go out there and get involved!
You will never make any friends if you just sit around your room all day; so find something that interests you and join up. There are over 1000 student organizations here at Texas that include everything from wakeboarding to ball room dancing to leadership and everything in between. If you join a few, you are sure to find some people that share interests with you.
Also, don’t be daunted by the size of UT, and don’t feel like you won’t find your own place. UT may have 50,000 students, but that means that there are literally thousands of other students looking to make friends as well; if you make yourself available and open to trying new things, you will make friends and make UT your own.
On what to wear
You may want to wear that new cute/cool pair of shoes you bought all around school, but realize this is UT, and you will walk A LOT! Invest in a solid pair of tennis shoes or flip flops (everyone wears them here) and break them in. Your feet will thank you when you get home each day!
On parking
As much as you may think you need a car when you are at UT, you really don’t. Austin has an amazing bus service that can get you anywhere you need to go very fast. Also, if you have a car you may be tempted to stay away from campus more. How will you get involved and realize all that UT has to offer if you are never here? A car is nice eventually, but for your first year, try to leave it at home or use it as little as possible if you do bring one!
Make Them Feel Excited
My favorite experience at UT would have to be the second summer I served as an Orientation Advisor for incoming freshmen. When I applied in the fall of my first year here, I really never expected to be chosen for the position, and also never knew how important the lessons I would learn would become.
[While serving as an OA,] I was responsible along with my committee for writing, directing, and casting, a comedy show for thousands of incoming freshmen. We worked for a whole semester acting out skits and writing jokes, but getting to see the new students laugh and enjoy the show made everything worthwhile.
Being an Orientation Advisor allows you to meet all of the new students and really make them feel excited about coming to UT. Also, I got the chance to work with 80 or so other students, and met some of my best friends in the program; I wouldn’t trade those two summers for the world!
By being an OA, a whole new world at The University of Texas was suddenly open to me. I was able to use the knowledge of the university that I acquired and the prestige that comes with the position to really expand my opportunities here at Texas. Many of the groups I am a part of and leadership roles I serve in now, would not have been possible were it not for the lessons about the university, its students, and its programs that the Orientation program taught me. I applied on a whim to work for the program and ended up having my entire life view changed by the time I came out of it.
Relationships Can Come in Handy
Last year I was President of Liberal Arts Council, the official student voice of the College of Liberal Arts. In this position, I got to meet with the deans and other faculty of the College on a daily basis and have my views heard by people who really could bring about change in the College. Meeting with these people really improved my confidence that I could hold my own in a meeting amongst not only my peers but people above me as well. It also did wonders for my speaking abilities and leadership abilities as well.
I would recommend trying to meet your advisors, deans, and professors – soon and as often as you can when you get to UT, because you never know when those relationships will come in handy one day in the future! Those letters of recommendation don’t come easy!
More about David
Favorites
- Class: GOV 379 – The Johnson Years
- Study location on campus or off: On the third floor of the Texas Union, (you will learn what that is soon enough) there is a beautiful little outdoor patio that overlooks Guadalupe St. on the west side of the building. Most students never find this little gem, and it’s the perfect place to read a book on a nice spring/fall day.
- Thing about Austin: My favorite thing about Austin is that there is just so much to do here! Every week has a festival going on somewhere in the city, or a great concert or sports game being played. And if you want to get away, we have the Texas Hill Country just miles away with tons of trails and lakes to enjoy!
His biggest challenge
The biggest challenge for me since coming to college really has been learning how to be independent and do things completely on my own. It is amazing to realize that suddenly you have to depend on yourself to accomplish things in your life. No longer is someone there to remind you to do assignments or take care of whatever may arise, and you do have to be responsible and look after yourself.
Luckily, this valuable lesson is something that UT taught me very quickly, and I was able to very swiftly adapt to these new sets of challenges and overcome them. Learning to be self-reliant has been a great skill to have and has taught me that I can handle situations as they arise, no matter what they are.
Ironically, though, while overcoming this challenge, I also learned at the same time the importance of having others around you that you can turn to in times of need. I never thought I would become closer to the people around me, and my family as well, but that is the very thing that happened by learning to be self-sufficient.
Selecting a major
I chose government [as my major] because I have always been passionate about how people interact with their government and how that same government can best serve its people. I think that there is always room for new ideas and fresh minds in the government, and I am excited to be able to provide that one day.
I chose history based on a childhood love for the past. My family and I would stop and read historical markers all across Texas and visit museums everywhere we went. I guess you could say I have been studying history since I was a little kid!
I’ve never changed my major, but I have added on. I started at UT as just a government major, but as time went on I’ve looked into being a communication studies major and getting my business foundations certificate. I finally settled on adding history and rhetoric & writing.
His plans for the future
[When I graduate,] I hope to write about the people and culture of the state of Texas in an attempt to inform the rest of the nation of the great things that this state has to offer. UT has incredibly prepared me to meet this goal by exposing me to people and ideas from all across the state and the nation, and by providing me with resources such as career planning and internships.
Were it not for the College of Liberal Arts Career Fair, I never would have found my internship at Texas Monthly, and never would have discovered my love for journalism! The writing that my classes have asked from me has really prepared me for a potential writing career in the future.
Want to contact David?
Send him an e-mail at dkanewske@austin.utexas.edu.