Anika Patel

(She/Her)

Anika is a third-year student from Phoenix, Arizona majoring in Plan II Honors and minoring in Health Communication. During the peak of the COVID lockdown, Anika became interested in how medical professionals relay statistical and scientific data to a general audience. To that end, she currently serves as the Academic Co-Chair of the Plan II Students’ Association and an editor for the Texas Triple Helix to strengthen her interests in scientific writing and communication. Back in Phoenix, she is an undergraduate researcher at Mayo Clinic; her two newest projects are on assessing hospital programs that mitigate healthcare worker burnout and examining barriers for people in low-resource settings in understanding breast cancer risk. In her free time, she loves listening to music, cooking (or at least trying to cook), and watching the newest season of Succession with her friends. After her undergraduate studies, Anika hopes to pursue a career in medicine, using her interdisciplinary education to address poor communication ingrained in the healthcare system.

 

Olivia Castillo

(She/Her)

Olivia is a second-year student from Fort Worth, Texas. She is in both Dean's Scholars and Plan II, majoring in physics and planning to get a teaching certificate. Throughout high school, she regularly volunteered in her community and was heavily involved in political advocacy for progressive issues like gender equity, public education, and youth-focused civic engagement. Olivia continues this in college, working multiple internships and joining clubs like Texas Rising and Student Government. In her free time, she enjoys reading (novels, plays, feminist literature, and random Op-Eds), visiting art museums, working out (lifting, running, yoga, and bouldering), and anything that involves hanging out with her friends.

 

Sreeja Kuppam

(She/Her)

Sreeja is a sophomore who is double majoring in Plan II and Informatics on the pre-med track. She is a published author of two fictional books, and is currently on to her next literary endeavor (let's see how that one goes!). On campus, Sreeja is a part of the Her Campus Magazine where she publishes articles weekly, is a research assistant at the Gaudet Lab, is the Public Relations Director of Women in Informatics, is a part of the Plan II Student Association, and a member of Girl Up. She is incredibly passionate about the intersection of science and activism in the women's health field (which explains her passion to be an Ob/Gyn in the future), and hopes to explore this interdisciplinary issue through community-rooted solutions. Through being a Walker Fellow, Sreeja hopes to internalize the mindset of relearning and unlearning in order to continuously grow and better herself with her peers as she explores issues in the Austin community.

 

Vaishnavi Penta

(She/Her)

Vaishnavi is currently a second-year year student from Frisco, TX. She is currently double majoring in government and Plan II with a certificate in Core Texts and Ideas on the pre-law track. Vaishnavi has lived in various states across America including Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, California, North Carolina, and Texas. Living in these places invoked her interest in public policy and community service. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, participating in activist efforts, and watching shows on Netflix. Her favorite shows range from mystery to thriller across various languages (English, Korean, Thai, Japanese, Chinese). As a Walker Fellow, Vaishnavi hopes to become better immersed in the Austin community and learn about various issues in the city.

 

Paige Hoffer

(She/Her)

Paige Hoffer is a student at the University of Texas pursuing an Urban Studies and Plan II double major and a geography minor. Paige is from Houston, Texas where she first became interested looking at urban centers as ways to affect long-standing changes toward more sustainable, equitable living environments. Paige is specifically interested in She is involved on campus with Habitat for Humanity and as a Printwriter for Spark Magazine. After graduating, she hopes to continue her studies in grad school for Community and Regional Planning.


 

Klaudia Misztal

(she/her)

Klaudia is a second year student double-majoring in Plan II Honors and Psychology (B.S.) on the pre-med track. She was born in Poland and grew up in a variety of places, including California, Colorado, Scotland, and finally Austin, where she moved during high school. Klaudia’s deep fascination with psychology and human behavior from a young age fueled her passion for healthcare, particularly mental health, and she hopes to become a psychiatrist one day to help those suffering with mental health conditions. Klaudia is currently a volunteer Crisis Counselor for the Crisis Text Line, a research assistant at Dr. Jessica Church-Lang’s Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at UT, and volunteers in the emergency room at a local hospital. One of her favorite hobbies is learning languages (currently speaking Polish, Spanish, and French and hoping to add more to that list!) and she is pursuing a certificate in Spanish for the Medical Professions. As a Walker Fellow, Klaudia is incredibly excited to collaborate with her cohort using a shared passion for civic engagement to create a positive impact on the Austin community!

 

Jeanpaul Lugo Carrasco

(He/Him)

Jeanpaul Lugo Carrasco is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Chemical Engineering and pursuing the Pre-Medical track. Despite being born in Venezuela, he has had the opportunity to live in various countries such as Aruba, Canada, and Saudi Arabia, which has given him a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and an understanding of the unique challenges that communities face. Throughout his academic journey, Jeanpaul has been an advocate for serving marginalized communities, which led him to work with organizations like the E. Lee Walker Fellowship. His involvement in this fellowship has allowed him to engage in human-centered design, studying issues such as homelessness, food insecurities, and sustainability, leading to a broader perspective on how to enact change efficaciously. Consequently, he has developed a passion for promoting inclusivity and equality for everyone. Jeanpaul has recently been selected as the AICHE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) Service Chair for Fall 2023. In this role, he aims to host events, seminars, and volunteering opportunities that connect the engineering community and other departments within UT. He aims to educate and raise awareness about the underlying problems entrenched in society. Furthermore, by promoting collaboration, he believes attaining solutions and implementing designs for community needs is definitely possible.

 

Jacob Bubla

(He/Him)

Jacob is a third-year Government & Plan II Honors major from San Antonio, TX. He is also minoring in Law, Justice, and Society as well as a Bridging Disciplines Certificate in Public Policy. Being raised by a career title one school educator, Jacob has seen many of the inequalities permeating our school system firsthand. These experiences have led him to move towards pursuing a career in education policy, focusing on upholding equity and equal opportunity for all. To address this, Jacob is currently involved with The Plan II KIPP Mentoring Partnership and the Texas Educational Policy Club. In addition to the Walker Fellowship, Jacob is involved with Longhorn Band, Plan II Students’ Association, and Liberal Arts Council. In his free time, Jacob likes to play the trumpet, read historical fiction, and listen to shoegaze music. Following graduation, Jacob hopes to matriculate into a JD/MPP Program so as to combine his interests of policy and law, working towards making the needed changes within our education system.

 

Marilyn Okoro

(She/her)

Bio coming soon