If you need some good luck for your finals, swipe next to see the albino squirrel! Happy holidays and have a great winter break. We’ll see you in 2022! ...

Life After Moody: Originally from Midland, TX, @utexascld graduate, Jordan Weatherl, is now living in Denver, CO as a Special Education Teacher and Coordinator. As a teacher, he uses his communication skills every day in the classroom as he leads the class, facilitates effective and efficient meetings and gets up in front of students and staff.

“Ethical leadership has also been really important when it comes to tough situations with students or families, choosing to focus on what is best for students and making a change in the school in whatever way necessary, even when there is push back. These skills helped me to take a leadership position my second year of teaching and affect change for my whole middle school in supporting students with learning differences.”

Weatherl said post-grad life can be difficult, especially if you are moving to a new city to start your career and figuring out who you want to be without the structure of college. “My best advice is to not be afraid to ask the tough, uncomfortable questions. Many people struggle to ask questions about spirituality, how to meet new people, how to negotiate your salary, or whatever you may have a tough time talking about due to your cultural context or just not being sure how to bring it up. Find someone you trust, who is wise and knowledgeable, and ask the really tough and uncomfortable questions because that is where the real growth is most often found."

Although he misses Moody College and learning new theories and ideas from his professors, he enjoys teaching. “Teaching is by far one of the hardest professions around and I am grateful every day that I get to come to a school to do some of the most difficult, complex and important work that I can do.” ...

Life After Moody: Sean Dolan (BS RTF ’20) went from being station manager at TSTV to working at The Walt Disney Company as a Network Origination Operator.

“As a Network Operator, I’m handling live television as it goes over the air, so what I learned at Texas Student Television on the studio floor solidified my ability to make quick decisions and last-minute changes. At our building in The Woodlands, we often have to make commercial changes on the fly, or a live broadcast may need an on-air recovery due to impairment as it’s going out. Of course, the radius of our broadcast is coast to coast, but the same drive for excellence found at TSTV is found at Disney.”

Dolan has enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life at Disney. He said there are a lot of different employee groups to join and it reminds him of all the various student groups at UT. “TV, at least the role that I play in it, is a very hands-on experience. It requires working on weekends and at bizarre hours, but the takeaway for me is once you enjoy what you’ve found and the people you do it with, it’s worth it to live outside the box a little bit.”

He misses the community at #TEXASMoody and the friends he made at TSTV. During his senior year, he had the opportunity to shadow David Schneider at Bevo Video Productions. “Learning as much as I could in the field and figuring out how to fix all of the things that broke was really my greatest teacher.”

Dolan’s advice to current students is to keep making friends while you’re a student at #TEXASMoody. “If this pandemic’s been any indication, forging new, organic connections is key to enjoying all the other parts of your life, whether you’re in a new city or a familiar place. Nobody talks about the difference between making friends in school and after school. It takes something different, and the better you are at it now, the more you’ll enjoy it after graduation.” ...

#LonghornFriday: As the week comes to an end, we’re shouting out one more global thinker at #TEXASMoody. Aram Baali is a junior RTF student from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this month, Baali shot his film “Eva” for his RTF 366K Narrative Production class. He told us it’s the story of a young girl being followed by a private detective and her attempt to turn the tables.

Baali was drawn to the United States for college because of the film and entertainment industry. He wants to take the knowledge he learns at UT back home. “I think of myself as a film pioneer in Saudi Arabia, where the industry is quite nascent. And I'd love to be a key part of those efforts. I also wanted to leave my comfort zone and grow as an independent person.”

What Baali misses most about back home is Saudi formal wear. “When I moved to Austin in 2019, I only had an ill-fitting, old outfit back from before when I developed an interest in fashion. So, when I was home this past summer (August 2021), I made sure to get a bespoke thobe, ghutra and egal—to feel like home sometimes and to celebrate some traditions and occasions with Saudi friends here in Austin.”

He chose to get an international education because of the opportunities it could provide him.

“I believe international education is a character-building experience. It pushes you to uncharted territory and teaches you about self-reliance, adapting to new environments, and thriving in strange new worlds. International education is one of those opportunities that you don't get much often, so capitalize on it if you do get the chance. It'll help you in finding plenty of opportunities for growth, personally and professionally. Leisure travel isn't remotely comparable.”
📷 x @ianferrellvisuals ...