Saraj Vodnala

I graduated from Texas Academy and went on to graudate Summa Cum Laude from The University of Tulsa with a BS in Business Administration.  I led my business plan competition team to first place in the Love’s Cup (Statewide business plan competition).  I was also part of a startup team for 2 patents acquired during my time at TU.  I am a published author in The American Chemical Society and currently a first-year medical student at The John Sealy School of Medicine.  

Texas Academy taught me what to expect out of college and how to define success for myself.  I also learned that there will always be someone smarter than you, never doubt that. The key is that your only real competition is yourself. As long as you are satisfied with your personal progress be happy!"

Emmie Knobloch

Pursuing a Doctorate

Since graduating from Texas Academy, I've come a long way from where I grew up in a small town, Texas.

I finished my undergraduate degree with honors in biochemistry, spent a year doing research at the National Cancer Institute and I’m currently a doctoral candidate at Northwestern University studying synthetic biology and bioengineering.

Texas Academy broadened my horizons in an incredibly meaningful way, both academically and personally. Without the strong foundation I built there, I am certain I would not have ended up where I am today.

Carol Abousaab

Internal Medicine

Since graduating from TALH, I obtained a BSA in biochemistry from the University of Texas and am now about to begin my final year of medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center with plans to enter an internal medicine residency.

The first step in this journey was enrolling in TALH, a program that nourished my love of learning, service and the humanities. I was exposed to so many opportunities to learn and experience life, jumpstarting my personal and professional growth early on.

My time in Beaumont gave me beautiful lifelong friendships and the skills to start building a life in which I get to do what I love and believe in every day.

Avril Falgout

Здравствуйте! (Hello from Russia)
 
I chose to go into Texas Academy in order to receive a more challenging education and have not regretted it since.

What I got out of the Texas Academy program was the unparalleled, stimulating experience of a wide range of professors excited to teach their subjects. The Texas Academy program provided me with a large variety of classes that I would not have had available to me at my traditional high school. For some of these classes, I was genuinely excited to not only learn the material, but to also gain experience. In fact, I am studying some of these classes to this day. The personal growth I went through in adjusting to college life and living away from home has been advantageous for me, especially as I went further afield into my studies after Texas Academy.

I am now a student at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland, working towards a degree in both art history and Russian. As a requirement for my degree, I am currently spending my third year in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I am working to improve on my Russian and completing an internship at the Hermitage Museum, as well as getting to experience walking across the frozen Neva River!

Harold Booker, Jr.

Project Manager, E-Builder

Texas Academy was an interesting experience for me. I was a local student, so I got the opportunity to live away from home but not very far from home. I was met with a rigorous curriculum and cohort of students who were just as serious about their education as me. I have no doubt that Texas Academy helped to better prepare me for Morehouse College and assisted me in saving 40k. Because of the credits I earned at Lamar University through Texas Academy, I was able to graduate from Morehouse, an out-of-state, private college, in three years. I am forever grateful to Texas Academy not just for the experience and cost savings, but also for the bond I share with the staff and former students.

Since graduating from Texas Academy, I have graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts in Internal Studies and a minor in Business. After Morehouse, I started my career in the technical field in New York City, working as a consultant in banking software for Wall Street banks. Three years ago, I joined a small construction software company based in Florida as Business Analyst. Currently, I work remotely from the D.C. area and travel across the U.S. and Canada managing IT projects for large construction capital program.

Zachary Hawari

Lawyer

I graduated from the Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities and transferred to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. to study international affairs.

After graduating summa cum laude from GW, I attended William and Mary Law School where I completed full-time internships with a Virginia Supreme Court justice, an open data NGO in Cambodia and the Navy Judge Advocate General Corps in Washington Navy Yard. I graduated cum laude as the youngest member of my class. I’m a member of the New York State bar.

I just completed a session-only position with Sen. Zaffirini in the Texas State Legislature and plan to return to D.C. to work in technology policy.

Texas Academy helped me start my path two years ahead of my peers, which gave me the flexibility to wait for the right opportunities, rather than the first. What’s more, some of my closest friendships today were made in Texas Academy.

Dammy Busari

On the Road to a Doctorate

After graduating from Texas Academy, I continued my education at the University of Texas at Dallas, where I received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. I am currently pursuing my doctorate in materials science and engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

My decision to go to Texas Academy was transformative in every way, from becoming a more independent person to increasing my sociability and educational horizons. My Texas Academy -specific courses, including humanities, exposed me to fascinating and thought-provoking works that I was not aware of at the time.

Texas Academy also cultivated a collegial culture of intellectualism that inspired me to think more meaningfully about the world around me.

And most importantly, some of the closest friends I have till this day were made at my time in Texas Academy.

Kassandra Reyes

Studying Neurology  

Since graduating from the Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities, I went on to receive my Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas then my medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center.  I am curretnly pursuing a residency in neurology. 

My experience at Texas Academy was immeasurably vital to becoming the person I am today. Texas Academy exposed me to a new world of intellectualism, culture, academic rigor and gave me the confidence to participate in that world fearlessly. My mentors from Texas Academy taught me the value of ideas and critical thought and encouraged me to cultivate a sense of curiosity about the world. In addition to more practical academic skills, I gained the closest and most important friendships of my life during my time at Texas Academy with people who value curiosity and learning as much as I do.

Despite my accomplishments since graduation from Texas Academy, I have yet to return to an environment as welcoming, inspiring and intellectually stimulating as Texas Academy.

Major Shari Wilson

U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate

Upon graduation, I entered into the United States Air Force Academy. I studied history at USAFA while teaching other cadets to fly gliders as a soaring instructor pilot. After USAFA, I attended Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Vance Air Force Base and became a C-17 Globemaster III pilot. Flying out of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, I flew missions all over the world. My second and current assignment is at Columbus Air Force Base as a T-38 Talon instructor pilot for UPT. While at Columbus, I completed a Master’s of Art in Military History through Norwich University.

There is no doubt in my mind that TALH was critical to my success. I come from a very small town in deep East Texas with limited opportunities, but TALH gave me the chance to develop both my character and academic skills. I learned to thrive at a collegiate level, developing my time management and study skills. Beyond the college courses, the administrators instilled in us the importance of compassion and altruism, character traits we desperately need in future leaders. Ultimately, without my Texas Academy experience, the leap from my small town to the Air Force Academy would have been insurmountable. I look back fondly on my time at Texas Academy as one of the most enjoyable times of my life and highly recommend it to the driven student who wants to set themselves up for success.