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Faith Bombito Interview
No full textFaith Bombito (Class of 2025) was interviewed by Femi Omotayo via the Zoom internet-based video conferencing software on July 25, 2025. A triple major in political science, human rights, and French, Faith spoke about her upbringing as the child of Congolese immigrants in Cypress. She described growing up in a large family with ten siblings, a strong Christian foundation, and financial challenges that shaped her early life. Ms. Bombito emphasized the influence of her mother’s guidance around patience and decision-making as key to her personal growth. She also shared her experiences with racism and cultural isolation, explaining how her parents often struggled to understand what it meant to grow up Black in a predominantly white environment. Over time, she’s learned how to bridge those cultural differences. At SMU, Ms. Bombito initially felt isolated and unsure about choosing a predominantly white institution over an HBCU. However, her involvement in Student Senate, where she served as Vice President, offered both community and leadership growth. Despite facing challenges as the only Black executive member and navigating miscommunication within the Black student community, Ms. Bombito reflected positively on her time at SMU. She highlighted the value of the friendships she formed and her development as a leader, while also acknowledging the pressures of representation and the constant awareness of her racial identity in academic spaces. She advises current Black students to explore all opportunities, pursue financial literacy, and make the most of their college experience by asking questions and trying new things
Lucero Hernandez Interview
No full textLucero Hernandez (Class of 2024) was interviewed by Jenna Young in the Norwick Center for Digital Solutions on February 26, 2025. She is a first-generation college student who transferred to SMU her junior year. Born and raised in the DFW metroplex, Ms. Hernandez expressed a strong affiliation with SMU, which was encouraged by her parents. SMU became the only school she applied to and she was excited that her hard work during high school paid off upon her acceptance. She was a Fashion Media major and a minor in Business. She describes her experience at SMU as busy but fulfilling, characterized by supportive and impactful professors. She recounts there not being many Latiné students across campus, but expresses the respect and understanding campus staff and faculty possessed. She is currently planning to return to SMU sometime in the near future to pursue a Continuing Education Certificate to one day have a career in the marketing side of the fashion and beauty industry
Michelle Ried Interview
No full textMichelle Ried was interviewed by Laura Narvaez in the Norwick Center for Digital Solutions on April 7, 2025. Ms. Ried is the operations manager of the Bridwell Library at SMU. She discussed her upbringing in rural New Hampshire, where her father served as a police officer. When she went to college, she found the conservative values her parents taught her at odds with the values of the university, and ultimately failed out of school after two years. She discussed her desire to help make the world a better place, which helped fuel her decision to join the Navy the day after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Ms. Ried faced sexism in the Navy, but always found assistance from her commanding officers. She credits her time in the Navy with expanding her worldview beyond her white rural upbringing. A year after her daughter was born, she decided to leave the Navy to spend more time with her family. Ms. Ried, her husband, her daughter, and her two sons currently live in Dallas. She discussed her personal commitment to equality and her participation in protests since 2020. She is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Studies at SMU, where she has found encouragement from mentors in her work and school lives, especially with regards to her creative writing
Jo Lew Interview [Summer 2025]
No full textJo Lew (Class of 2023) was interviewed by Jenna Young via the Zoom internet-based video conferencing software on July 3, 2025. They graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Arts, triple majoring in Political Science, Public Policy, and Human Rights. Originally from Grapevine, Texas, Lew is the child of Chinese immigrants, one from Hong Kong and one from Malaysia, and was raised in the DFW area. At SMU, Lew was active in both residential and cultural life. They lived in Armstrong Commons for three years and served as a Resident Assistant and member of the Commons Council. Lew joined Asian Council during their first year and was selected as the Freshman Chair for the East Asian Student Association, where they helped organize events and build community among students of East Asian heritage. Their involvement in these organizations provided a space for cultural exchange and peer mentorship. Academically, Lew pursued a triple major and triple minor, completing coursework in political science, economics, and human rights. They regularly enrolled in summer courses and participated in study abroad programs in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Their study abroad experiences included human rights research and musical performance. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lew experienced housing insecurity, an experience that was later featured in the Dallas Morning News. During that time, they received support from SMU alumni who helped raise funds to keep them enrolled. Lew continued their education while also working in the Office of External Affairs and serving four years in the SMU Student Senate, including as Chief of Staff to the Student Body President. At the time of this recording, Lew was living in New York City and continuing work related to policy and community engagement
Jeffrey Diaz Interview
No full textJeffrey Diaz (Class of 2025) was interviewed by Edgar Velázquez Reynald in the Norwick Center for Digital Solutions on August 6, 2025. Mr. Diaz graduated from SMU in 2025 with a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Business and Economics. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Mr. Diaz comes from a large immigrant family from Honduras. Although he is the youngest of eight siblings, the age gap between himself and his siblings made him feel as if he were an only child. Regardless, the presence of a large extended family helped to create a strong community. Mr. Diaz became very involved in extracurricular activities in high school, which prepared him for his time at SMU. Very interested in politics, he opted to study political science. He worked for three political campaigns during his undergraduate career. Experience with the campaigns influenced him to view himself as an Independent voter, expressing that he believes politics have become too polarized. At the time of this interview, Mr. Diaz expressed interest in attending grad school at SMU
Sean Seibert Interview
No full textSean Seibert (MLS 2021) was interviewed by Laura Narvaez in the Norwick Center for Digital Solutions on October 3, 2025. He received his Master of Liberal Studies from SMU in 2021 and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Liberal Studies degree. Mr. Seibert's father was an American service member who met his mother while deployed in Germany. He grew up one of four siblings in the Chicago area before the family moved to Bedford, TX. Mr. Seibert knew he wanted to be a soldier from a young age, but decided to go to college first. He wanted to attend SMU at the time, but had focused more on sports than academics during his high school career. Instead, he attended the University of North Texas and was expelled after his first year for poor grades, whereupon he decided to join the Army. He credits his time in the Army with teaching him self-discipline, problem solving skills, and selflessness, all of which has been helpful in his graduate studies. Throughout his 34 years in the military, he was deployed to Central America, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Bosnia, and twice to Afghanistan. After retiring from the Army, he learned that the VA would pay for him to attend graduate school, so he enrolled in the Master of Liberal Studies program at SMU. After earning his MLS, he continued taking classes through the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies program before beginning his Doctor of Liberal Studies degree. In large part due to his education, he acquired a position as an adjunct professor at Dallas College's Law Enforcement Academy. He discussed learning to adjust his style of writing from a military approach to a more academic one in order to succeed in his graduate level classes. He has purposely chosen to take classes outside of his comfort zone in order to challenge himself as much as possible. Throughout his time at SMU, he has developed a close friendship with Dr. Rick Halperin, taking many of Dr. Halperin's classes on human rights. In the future, Mr. Seibert plans to move to Germany for a time while working on his dissertation, and hopes to continue teaching
Julian DiBona Interview
No full textJulian DiBona (Class of 2024) was interviewed by Laura Narvaez via the Zoom internet-based video conferencing software on August 12, 2025. Mr. DiBona graduated from SMU in the spring of 2024 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. He was born in Coppell and grew up in Frisco where he went to school. He grew up close to his family and maintains a strong connection with them. During Mr. DiBona's time at SMU he became a commons council president and later residential assistant for McElvaney Commons. Mr. DiBona became involved with ''The Big Event'', a community outreach program that takes place each year in which college students volunteer their time to the community. He eventually became its executive director his senior year, during which he partnered with Tango Charities and Feed My Starving Children to organize meal packing events on campus. At the time of this interview Mr. DiBona works at GDS Wealth Management where he feels he can put both his interest in helping people and finance to work
