School News
Students participate in hands-on, independent study during Austin College January Term
By Austin College
Feb 19, 2006
SHERMAN — Several Austin College students are “changing gears” this month, returning to the classroom after having spent the College’s January Term exploring career options and special interests first-hand through independent study.
The students involved, listed by hometown along with parents’ names, the local high school from which they graduated, and independent study and/or internship sites follow.
Allen, Texas
Amanda Glass, Allen High School, daughter of Joey and Gloria Glass, Children's Medical Center in Dallas, TX.
Arlington, Texas
Patrick Coffman, James W. Martin High School, son of Kathy and Randy Coffman and Sherry Coffman, Quiggly's Clayhouse in Richardson, TX.
Austin, Texas
Brigid Buck, Westlake High School, daughter of Kate and Brian Buck, UTHSCSA Dental School in San Antonio, TX; Alberto Gutierrez, Westlake High School, son of Wanda and Alberto Gutierrez, Paseo de los Claustros in Queretaro, Mexico; Mandy Hill, Stephen F. Austin High School, daughter of Virginia and Brent Hill, Oak Hill Elementary in Austin, TX; Elise Huebner, Westlake High School, daughter of Jan Allen and Don Huebner, Department of Public Safety, DNA Crime Lab in Austin, TX.
Bonham, Texas
Trisha Thompson, Leonard High School, daughter of Sherri Taylor of Bonham, Texas and Ron Taylor of Terrell, Texas, I.W. Evans Elementary in Bonham, TX.
Bryan, Texas
Kathryn Crawley, Allen Academy, daughter of Melinda and Wayne Crawley, Brazos Valley Children's Museum in Bryan, TX.
Carrollton, Texas
Joseph Kurian, Creekview High School, son of Teresa and Joseph Kurinan, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler; Maria Vargas, Newman Smith High School, daughter of Alicia and Juan Vargas, TexomaCare in Bonham, TX; Emily Varvir, R.L. Turner High School, daughter of Lee Ann and Mark Varvir, Farmers Branch Senior Center in Farmers Branch, TX; Fatima White, Newman Smith High School, daughter of Art and Fatima White, I-tol Teaching in Accra, Ghana.
Corinth, Texas
Lauren Besselman, Denton High School, daughter of Shelli and Richard Besselman, Red River Historical Museum in Sherman, TX.
Corpus Christi, Texas
Nicholas Juan, W.B. Ray High School, son of Beth and Vicente Juan, Christus Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, TX.
Dallas, Texas
Ann Flatt, Lake Highlands High School, daughter of Jan and David Fleet, Joy Ride in Terrell, TX; Isabel Hernandez, High School for Health Professions, daughter of Pete and Argelia Hernandez, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX; Russell Kirk, Dallas Christian High School, son of Pauline and Glenn Kirk, McKinney High School in McKinney, TX; Benjamin Morgan, J.J. Pierce High School, son of Rosa and Carl Morgan, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, TX; Sun Park, Irving High School, daughter of Ok-Lee and Young Park, Children's Advocacy Center of Grayson County in Sherman, TX; Kelli Sleeth, Lake Highlands High School, daughter of Kathleen Kelsey and Tom Sleeth, Texoma Medical Center in Denison, TX.
Dumas, Texas
Parker Hammons, Dumas High School, son of Angie and Steve Hammons, Sanders, O'Hanlon, Motley PLLC in Sherman, TX.
El Paso, Texas
Marlene Garcia, Mountain View High School, daughter of Maria Guadalupe and Lenin Garcia, Frontera de Salud in Brownsville, TX.
Euless, Texas
Shahil Tejani, Lawrence D. Bell High School, daughter of Yasmin and Abdulali Tejani, Le Royal Meridien in Mumbai, India.
Folsom, Louisiana
Jerold Murrell, St. Paul's School, son of Jan and Val Murrell, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Fort Worth, Texas
Nisa Satumtira, Texas Academy of Math and Science, daughter of Nimman and Pong Satumtira, University of Texas at Dallas, Dieckmann Laboratory.
Frisco, Texas
Shannon Lynn, Frisco High School, daughter of Melodie and Stephen Lynn, Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX;
Cullen Ryan, Frisco High School, son of Vickie and Dave Ryan, IBM in Dallas, TX.
Gilmer, Texas
Ashley Moore, Gilmer High School, daughter of Lisa Moore Jeffrey and Charles Williams, Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview, TX.
Grapevine, Texas
Shweta Parmekar, Colleyville Heritage High School, daughter of Suneeta and Sandeep Parmekar, Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania;
John Pruit, Cistercian Preparatory School, son of Joan and Thomas Pruit, Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, TX.
Greenville, Texas
Brandon Torrance, Greenville High School, son of Ricky and Margie Torrance, Texoma Veterinary Hospital in Sherman, TX.
Henderson, Texas
Jonathan Walgama, Henderson High School, son of Jana and Tom Tiefenwerth and U.S. Walgama, Henderson Memorial Hopital in Henderson, TX.
Houston, Texas
Michael Frazier, Cypress-Springs High School, son of Susan and Tom Frazier, Paris Orthopedic Clinic in Paris, TX;
Nikki Pham, St. Agnes Academy, daughter of Katie and Duncan Pham, Children's Medical Center in Dallas, TX.
Irving, Texas
George Jacob, Nimitz High School, son of Sara and Kollali Jacob, Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, TX.
Keller, Texas
Abhik Kumar, Fossil Ridge High School, son of Suda and Ashok Kumar, Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Dept. of Radiology, in Durham, NC.
Kemp, Oklahoma
Tamara Eskue, Ector High School, daughter of Mitchell Redden of Kemp and Marie Taylor of Ravenna, Texas, Cardiology Department of Texoma Medical Center in Denison, TX.
Kingsville, Texas
Michelle Hughes, Henrietta M. King High School, daughter of Juanita and Geoffrey Hughes, Department of Biochemistry – University of Texas in Austin, College of Natural Sciences in Austin, TX.
Lindale, Texas
David Savage, Lindale High School, son of Sandra and James Savage, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Longview, Texas
Zach Seifert, Sherman High School, son of Jerry Seifert of Longview and Yvette and Dale Lewis of Sherman, Lakeland Mental House Center in Moorehead, MN;
Reema Ritika Sikka, Pine Tree High School, daughter of Vijay and Suneet Sikka, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, NY.
Metairie, Louisiana
Jonathan Stout, St. Martin's Episcopal High School, son of Susan and Michael Stout, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler.
Murphy, Texas
Hoa-Anh Dang, Garland High School, son of Thu Thuy Pham and Anh Nam Dang, Medical Clinic in Sherman, TX.
Paris, Texas
Newman Carrell, Paris High School, son of Gable and Thomas Carrell, Carrell, Poole, & Yost in Dallas, TX.
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Jenny Watts, Waccamaw High School, daughter of Dawna and Micheal Watts, Pawleys Island Presbyterian Church in Pawleys Island, SC.
Plano, Texas
Zach McKee, Plano East Senior High School, son of Melody and David McKee, Goldman, Sachs & Co. in Dallas, TX.
Ravenna, Texas
Tamara Eskue, Ector High School, daughter of Marie Taylor of Ravenna and Mitchell Redden of Kemp, Oklahoma, Cardiology Department of Texoma Medical Center in Denison, TX.
Richardson, Texas
Chau Nguyen, L.V. Berkner High School, daughter of Lieu Luong, Crisis Center in Sherman, TX.
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Tatjana Talamantes, Maxine L Silva Magnet High School, daughter of Diana Talamantes and Luis Talamantes, both of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Ft. Worth Police Department Forensic Lab.
Rowlett, Texas
Courtney Boss, Rowlett High School, daughter of Eve and Terry Boss, AvreaFoster in Dallas, TX.
San Antonio, Texas
Kristin Saboe, Millard West High School, daughter of Julie and Gerold Saboe, Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce in Dallas, TX.
San Marcos, Texas
Rachel Martin, San Marcos High School, daughter of Sue and Paul Martin, Aramark Corporation in Coppell, TX.
Sherman, Texas
Nayan Patel, Sherman High School, son of Sumi and J.R. Patel, Juvendeep Hospital in Gujarat, India; Zach Ray, Sherman High School, son of Barbara Ray, WERS 88.9 FM Emerson College in Boston, MA; Zach Seifert, Sherman High School, son of Yvette and Dale Lewis of Sherman and Jerry Seifert of Longview, Lakeland Mental House Center in Moorehead, MN.
Terrell, Texas
Trisha Thompson, Leonard High School, daughter of Ron Taylor of Terrell, Texas and Sherri Taylor of Bonham, Texas, I.W. Evans Elementary in Bonham, TX.
The Woodlands, Texas
Ben Walker, The Woodlands High School, son of Paul and Bernadette Walker, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.
Wichita Falls, Texas
Nilay Mehta, Wichita Falls High School, son of Dr. Mrudula and Dr. Viren Mehta, The Office of Dr. Ponnuswamy Swamy in Sherman, TX.
Wimberley, Texas
Megan McCarty, Wimberley Secondary School, daughter of Cecil and Carol McCarty, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin, TX.
Woodway, Texas
Harrison Parks, Midway High School, son of Linda and Wayne Parks, The Office of Dr. Wayne M. Parks, D.D.S. in Waco, TX.
ZIMBABWE
Patricia Shongedza, Nagle House Convent, daughter of Mary and Antony Shongedza, The Office of Dr. Stacy Thornton in Sherman, TX.
Austin College’s four-week January Term, in which students take only one course, provides students opportunity for in-depth study of one subject — often outside their regular area of study. In addition to on-campus courses in specialized areas of study, many students spend the month in career exploration through individualized study at business sites or in study trips abroad. More than 200 students traveled internationally during January Term 2006, with study courses exploring Canada, Germany, Japan, West Africa, Scotland, New Zealand, Italy, Austria, Turkey, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, and India. Courses focused on a wide range of topics, including globalization, language and cultural immersion, the development of science, religion and culture in Africa, art, history, and literature. Students involved in career exploration and individual study traveled to Chile, New Zealand and Hawaii, Mexico, Rome, Istanbul, Vienna, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.