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On April 9, 2025, four graduate students took home awards for their research communication at The University of Texas at Austin's Empower Your Pitch competition. The 2025 competition included graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

As we commemorate the start of the 2025 Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week, I want to take a moment to honor and celebrate the invaluable contributions you make to The University of Texas at Austin and beyond. Your dedication to scholarship, research and creative work sits at the heart of our University's mission and has a profound impact on society.

Meet the 13 graduate student and postdoctoral scholar finalists from The University of Texas at Austin who will compete for prizes during the Empower Your Pitch Grand Finale and Celebration. This event is co-sponsored by the Graduate Coordinator Network and the Graduate School Office of Career and Life Design.

Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week recognizes the contributions, impact and value of our graduate and professional students. The Graduate School has partnered with the Graduate Student Assembly to host a week's worth of events celebrating graduate students the week of April 7.

Welcome to the March edition of our graduate student newsletter. I hope you had a great spring break and are rested and ready to take on the rest of the semester. Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation week is April 7-11, and we are partnering with the Graduate Student Assembly to celebrate UT Austin’s amazing graduate students.

The Graduate School is calling on graduate students to design the next UT Graduate School t-shirt! All currently enrolled master's and doctoral students are eligible to compete for a cash prize.

Alejandra Y. Castillo, an alumna of The University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, will return to her alma mater on May 10 to deliver the LBJ School’s 2025 commencement address. The ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. in the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium.

With 13 contestants performing talents ranging from singing to Indian classical dance, Jordan Cordel’s debut song “Lonely” took the hearts of judges and audience members.

Connor Crawford came to UT after spending nearly four years at Lockheed Martin. He received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2022, and then started Pike Robotics as an extension of his research. Pike Robotics aims to take people out of hazardous environments and improve the efficiency and safety of infrastructure inspections.

When Brien Smith, BBA ’79, MPA ’81, was inducted into the Texas McCombs Hall of Fame last fall, he told the audience of lifelong friends and family that he credits his time at UT for preparing him for success — not only in business, but in life. “I love this university. It’s given me everything,” he said.