Finding A Voice
Ashley Bruckbauer, a senior majoring in art history and advertising, is a member of the University Honors Program and recipient of a Richter International Fellowship that funded a summer in Paris for independent, graduate-level research in art history. She calls the educational adventure “the first step on the path of a long journey as an art historian.”
Bruckbauer is wrapping up her third year with CORE, the Women’s Symposium student planning committee, and served as this year’s co-chair. “Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a recognizable face on campus,” she says. “Leadership is about networking with others and hearing their ideas and coming together to not only support a tradition, but to make a difference.”
When students do not find a fit in an existing group on campus, they have the freedom and encouragement to become grassroots organizers, says senior Robert Perales. The religious studies major is a student assistant in the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life and a resident college chaplain for SMU Service House and Moore Hall.
“Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a recognizable face on campus. Leadership is about networking with others and hearing their ideas and coming together to not only support a tradition, but to make a difference.”
With guidance from department chair Mark Chancey and assistant professor Jill DeTemple in Dedman College’s Department of Religious Studies, Perales established the Religious Studies Club “to create better relationships between religious studies majors, minors and professors.” The club has sponsored programs exploring such diverse religious movements as Scientology and Messianic Judaism.He serves as president and has started the chartering process required for the group to become an official SMU student organization.
There is no central, unifying theme at the University, but there is a place for everyone if you’re willing to look for it,” Perales says. “You can create your own place. There’s room for growth here, and that’s one of the most positive aspects of SMU.”
– Patricia Ward