We’re always excited to hear what Ursuline students are up to!

Here are some accomplishments shared by our students.

Kendall Griffin '20 and Peyton Walker '20 received a LEAD (Leadership, Empowerment, Acceptance, (self) Discovery) Award at the annual Elisa Project Luncheon in honor of the Ursuline LEAD chapter.

The mission of the Ursuline LEAD chapter is to create a healthier, happier community through education and school-wide awareness projects while talking about challenging topics such as leadership, self-esteem, body image, respect, and stress.

Sarah Hui ’20 interned at the The Dallas Morning News this summer where her articles, “Is the Texas flag design stolen from the Chilean national flag? Curious Texas investigates” and "Why did Shakey’s, once Dallas’ most popular pizza joint, close? Curious Texas investigates" were published.

"The people at The Dallas Morning News were amazing and inspiring," Sarah said. "Throughout the summer, I've received the best support, lessons, and advice a young writer could ask for." 

Katherine Martinez ’20 volunteered as a mentor at the Gems STEM Camp for urban teen girls in Grades 6-8. The camp’s mission is to instill confidence in young urban girls as interest in STEM tends to decrease starting in middle school.

Katherine said the most meaningful part of the camp was seeing how much the girls got out of it. “To see them open up and feel comfortable expressing their ideas or participating in class as the camp progressed was amazing,” she said.

Angelina Velis ’20 received word that she has been accepted into the All-American High School Film Festival in New York City this fall for her short film, “Boys Will Be Boys.”  

“It was an honor to be accepted into the festival,” Angelina said. “They had over 2,000 submissions and it’s a dream to have my film premiered in Times Square in October!”

Additionally, Pegasus Film Festival has chosen her film to air on KERA-TV. Airing date to be announced. 

Sarah Visokay ’20 spent her summer break focusing on lab research through the STARS summer internship program at UT Southwestern.

“The people in my lab really let me be independent and trusted me with a lot of technology and resources,” Sarah said. “It has been really cool because I’m only in high school.”

She’s been able to study the tumor-suppressing gene, p53, with her team while also personally researching the gene, GFAT 1. This special project used fruit flies as a genetic model to see if GFAT 1 is necessary in cellular remodeling. 

Ruthie Keyes ’21 earned her Girl Scout Gold Award. Her project involved creating a cookbook for those with dietary restrictions staying at the Ronald McDonald House. It was highlighted in Preston Hollow People.

Lauren Vancil '21 spent three days with her family hiking into the Andes Mountains of Peru to deliver school supplies to the children in remote villages. These isolated villages have very little due to no electricity or access by roads. 

Elle de la Garza '22, Katherine McMahon '22, Caroline Syler '22, and Emma Whitley '22 took time to do community service while in the Bahamas. They visited the Exuma Foundation and read and made crafts with the children. The Exuma Foundation enhances the quality of life for the people on the island. 

Katherine Carey '23 performed in "Les Miserables" with the Dallas Young Artist group at the Granville Arts Center. 

Emma Luo '23 participated in the Texas Music Teachers Association Convention in Houston this summer. She competed in the Piano Solo Competition where she advanced to State Semi-Finals and also in the Piano Duet competition, where her and her partner placed 2nd Place.

Additionally, Emma volunteered more than 30 hours at the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition.  

Want to submit student news? Complete our form.