Send us your Summer Student News! We’re always excited to hear what our Ursuline students are up to.

Isabella O'Brien '23 attended a study abroad program this summer at Oxford University in Oxford, England. During her two weeks abroad, she studied Creative Writing and had the opportunity to travel to London and many British museums as part of her research. 

Bridget Reynolds '23 was recognized as one of the recipients of the Bertie Green Travel Award through the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica (SHH), or National Honor Society! Approximately twenty travel awards are awarded annually by SHH and it includes a paid trip to Puerto Rico for an immersive Spanish experience. 

Hannah Singer '23, along with her team, presented in the NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Virtual Science Symposium about, "GIGASat: Satellite and Orbital Design to Monitor Environmental Factors."

NASA, Texas Space Grant Consortium, and The University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research Summer Intern Program is a nationally competitive STEM program for high school students. The program provides selected students with exposure to Earth and space research. Interns will learn how to interpret NASA satellite data while working with scientists and engineers in their chosen area of work.

Maya Stoudamire '23 attended a National Student Leadership Conference session at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx. Students from across the United States and more than 70 countries were selected to participate based upon academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and demonstrated leadership ability.

For nine days, Maya lived on campus and joined 94 students in this curriculum-based leadership development program, learning what it means to lead by positive example and how each one of us can make a powerful impact at our school, in our community and around the world.

Jamie Duda '24 and Sara Dietsch '24 studied Social Justice and Public Policy at Georgetown this summer. They learned what social justice means and focused on public policy and how to fix social injustice by creating implementable policy. 

"One of the most valuable things I gained from the experience was comparing and contrasting how different issues can affect different people around the country or even the world," said Jamie. "The students in our class came from all different kinds of backgrounds which added a layer of perspective for how we each tackled social issues we face."

"I learned about lobbying agencies and how influential they can be in elections, frequently swaying politicians more than the public does," said Sara. "I learned so much from doing my project and was also enlightened hearing from other groups' policy ideas."

Zoe Culak '24 interned at Track15, a consulting company for nonprofit organizations in the Dallas area. Track15 assists nonprofits with development work that include major giving strategy, annual campaigns, database work, event planning, and grant writing.

This was her second year interning with Track15. Last year she was assigned the project of starting her own nonprofit. She researched what it takes to register a 501(c)3, created a business plan, and presented her ideas to potential donors. This summer, she helped Track15 identify and select a software program that will allow them to track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for their clients. Zoe's work was critical to the decision-making process as she researched a number of different platforms, scheduled demonstrations, and negotiated the final pricing.

"This young lady embodies the attitudes instilled by Ursuline of curiosity, innovation, and collaboration - it was a joy to work with Zoe," said Track15 Managing Partner Chris Shultz.

Ava Staton '25 has been busy this summer working at a barn caring for horses, training to be a volunteer at Equest, and participating in multiple equestrian events, listed below:

• June 2022: Stable View, South Carolina - Ava moved up to Training Rider Level and placed 2nd in her new division, competing against competitors her age and older!
• July 2022: Ava was invited to the U.S. Equestrian Association (USEA) Emerging Athletes Under 21 Section, a tremendous honor. She is one of the youngest athletes to attend the clinic and this will help her progress to other clinics with the hopes to represent the equestrian sport on a nationwide and international basis.
• August 2022: New Market, Tennessee - Ava competed in River Glen and placed 2nd in her training division. She went double clear in show jumping. 

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Questions? Contact Aubree Auletta.