Hey everyone! My name is Palmer, and I am a sophomore studying Public Relations and Advertising. I am originally from California, but I live in Lexington, Kentucky, now. Dallas is the perfect blend of the big city culture of Los Angeles and the southern hospitality of the Bluegrass state.
Some of the best and most memorable experiences of my life have been at SMU. There is always something to do, and always someone to do it with. Whether you are Boulevarding on a Saturday or studying in a coffee shop in Deep Ellum, it is easy to become busy and let the time fly by. But, if you have some extra time, one of my favorite ways to meet other SMU students and learn about the Dallas community is through service and philanthropy! It might not be as glamorous as beating TCU (Go Stangs!), but if you like to volunteer or need some service hours for a scholarship, here are a few of the service experiences that have shown me what it means to be a Mustang.
Mustang Heroes
Mustang Heroes is the biggest service organization on campus. Mustang Heroes works with over ten nonprofits in the Dallas area, and so there are plenty of options for students to choose from, whether it is tutoring little kids or walking dogs at the animal shelter.
The Big Event
The Big Event is the largest, one-day, student-run service project in the nation. The Big Event was established at Texas A&M University in 1982 and continues to impact communities 36 years later. Each Spring, tens of thousands of students nationwide gather to serve their communities. It is so much fun to get to see so many friends, faculty, and staff members on one day and get to hang out and have fun while we help the community!
Dance Marathon
Dance Marathon is a year-long fundraising initiative that raises money for Children’s Health in Dallas. At the end of the year-long effort, we have a big dance party for 6 hours to celebrate all of SMU’s work in supporting the kids and families at Children’s. There are games, family speakers, music, performers, and more! For Dance Marathon 2019, we had Connor Saeli, an SMU grad and contestant on The Bachelorette, come and help us out! I am on the exec board for Dance Marathon, and so I got to work with the hospital families that visited and introduced them to Connor. I have never seen The Bachelorette or The Bachelor (sorry Bachelor nation!), but it definitely shows “once a Mustang, always a Mustang.”
There are so many more ways to get involved on campus, but these are a few of my favs! If you have any questions about these organizations or involvement on campus, please reach out at pbeldy@smu.edu.
Pony up!
Palmer Beldy
SMU Class of 2022