Whitney Wolfe Herd ’11: Empowering women to make the first move
As an SMU undergraduate, Whitney Wolfe Herd ’11 started two companies in response to problems she saw in the world. Today she’s the founder and CEO of Bumble, the billion-dollar social connection app that empowers women to make the first move.
Growing green, sowing hope in Dallas’ food desert
Owen Lynch harbors a “crazy” idea – one that just might help eliminate the food deserts scattered throughout South Dallas.
All in: How Candice Bledsoe ’07 shows students ‘no dream is out of reach’
Candice Bledsoe ’07 founded the Cutting Edge Youth Summit at SMU to help younger students with big dreams visualize a future powered by higher education.
Navigating the intersection of commerce and compassion
In less than a year, Neha Husein ’19 has piloted Just Drive – a mobile app that awards points to drivers who lock their phones while driving – from a class assignment into a viable startup. Along the way, SMU’s innovation ecosystem put her on track for success. Her venture won financial awards from SMU, and faculty mentors helped steer her in the right direction. She even tapped into the Mustang alumni network to bring her idea to life.
Flipping a switch, igniting success: Aleena Taufiq ’18
Aleena Taufiq ’18 recently landed her dream job as a data engineer working in artificial intelligence at Verizon, a career she never imagined four years ago. She also expanded her Geared Up middle school enrichment program to schools across the country. Alumni support created opportunities for her every step of the way.
An education mixologist’s bold blend of science and the arts
Dedman College Scholar Sam Weber ’18 says he’s the “type of person who likes to stay busy.” That’s an understatement. As a student researcher,
he trains others working on cell biology experiments and explores the use of the performing arts in public health education. And he’s currently directing his second 24-Hour Musical. The senior dynamo says everything he has done at SMU has prepared him for his next goal: medical school.
SMU history: Experiencing challenges and triumphs over more than a century
Today’s health crisis and human rights movement may differ from anything we’ve seen before, but Mustangs of every generation have faced challenges in their times. Sometimes we’ve stumbled. Sometimes we’ve triumphed. But for more than 100 years, we’ve been engaged.
SMU and LIFT team up to reduce adult illiteracy in Dallas
Codex: Lost Words of Atlantis, an engaging game with an educational mission, earned the SMU/LIFT team, People ForWords, a place among the eight semifinalists chosen from 109 international teams competing for the $7 million Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE presented by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
Rising to the challenge
SMU has met the challenges introduced by COVID-19 with innovation, creativity and resilience. In the midst of the pandemic, here are some of the ways that SMU has continued to be Mustang Strong.
Army chaplain Jeff Matsler ’93 helps veterans work through ‘moral injury’
For more than a decade, U.S. Army Major Jeff Matsler ’93, a chaplain and bioethicist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, has made it his mission to study “moral injury.” Members of the armed forces return from war not only psychologically and emotionally battered but also spiritually injured. “Soldiers on the front line need to hear the message of forgiveness and redemption,” he says.