While in high school, Raven Sanders was choosing between SMU and USC. She didn’t pick SMU because she’s a native Texan; she picked SMU because the scholarships they offered showed her that SMU wanted her there. In addition, SMU was one of the only universities that allowed her to double major in cross disciplines. Raven is a double major in Electrical Engineering and Cinematic Recording Arts. At first glance one might be curious as to why she chose these two diverse studies. According to Raven, she can go from working in a clean room at Lyle to mixing audio at Meadows which has allowed her to meet an array of people such as a Lyle graduate who works at Disney and a Meadows graduate who recently produced a feature film. Not only has she networked with inspiring alumni, but SMU has opened doors for her with the Innovation Competition. She and a team of her Theta Tau brothers won first place in the competition. Part of the prize is legal counseling for a patent on her invention. Raven says, “Getting to be a part of this process so early in my career is definitely something to be proud of.” So what does she plan to do with her future? Well, she’s going to Disney World! Raven would love to work in Imagineering or Research and Design at Walt Disney World one day.  The generosity of her fellow Mustangs have given her the opportunities to pursue that dream. Gifts to the SMU Scholarship Fund make an impact on students like Raven. Make your gift today at http://smu.edu/giving/classgiving.

What brought Ramon Vicente Trespalacios Fernandez all the way from Mexico to SMU? Scholarships. Ramon knew he wanted to go to school in the States because double or triple majoring is something that is impossible to afford in Mexico. When he began searching, he wanted something fairly close to home and had great programs in the arts and engineering.

Not only could he double major but he could double major in two different schools at the same time. Ramon says, “If it were not for scholarships, I wouldn’t be able to attend SMU. My sister and I were each awarded two scholarships and they are the reason our parents were able to send us to a foreign country to study college.”

Ramon is involved in a variety of organizations on campus such as Sigma Phi Epsilon, SMU Ambassador and Scholarship Chair for Student Senate just to name a few. He wanted to become involved in as many different organizations so he could enhance his out of classroom experience and give back to SMU because of what SMU has given him. Gifts to the SMU Scholarship Fund make an impact on students like Ramon. Make your gift today at http://smu.edu/giving/classgiving!