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[John Wesley to unknown recipient, 1784 September 11]
No full textLetter from John Wesley to an unknown recipient
Tiffany Lam Interview
No full textTiffany Lam (Class of 2021) was interviewed by Sarah Khoja via the Zoom internet-based video conferencing software on June 21, 2022. Ms. Lam was born and raised in Plano, Texas. In her interview, she discusses her childhood in Plano, and how her family, while largely Americanized, celebrated Chinese culture in specific ways. She was inspired to apply to SMU after visiting campus several times with her father, who attended SMU to obtain his MBA. While at SMU, she was involved with a variety of student organizations, including the Hilltop Scholars Program, Bellatones (SMU's all-female acapella group), the Statistics Club, Heigi Career Leaders and more. She also talked about how there were few other Asian students in her classes and she only interacted with the Asian community via organized events rather than informally. She graduated from SMU with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Statistics in 2021. At the time of the interview, Ms. Lam was a Marketing Manager at a manufacturing company based out of Carrollton, Texas and kept in contact with her mentors from the Hilltop Scholars Program
Nia Kamau Interview
No full textNia Kamau (Class of 2022) was interviewed by Valeria Reynosa in the Oral History Studio of Fondren Library at Southern Methodist University on April 11, 2022. Ms. Kamau was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived in Los Angeles and Fort Worth before her family settled in Dallas when she was young. In her interview, she discusses her faith, her experiences in the homeschooling community in Los Angeles, and her day-to-day life. She also talks about her early interest in human rights, specifically related to combating human trafficking. When she was in high school, her father enrolled at SMU to pursue a doctorate of ministry, and she would join him for classes and his time on campus. Ms. Kamau applied at several schools with human rights programs and ultimately chose to attend SMU. While at SMU, she participated in Connect and was a resident advisor in Boaz Commons. She worked for the human rights office from the beginning of her time on campus and became a human rights fellow in her junior year. She was also one of the undergraduate research assistants on the Voices of SMU Oral History Project, conducting over forty interviews with SMU alumni of color. In her senior year, she was selected for the U.S. State Department Pickering Fellowship, which will pay for her graduate degree and then provide her with a position at the U.S. State Department. Ms. Kamau graduated in 2022 with degrees in human rights and international studies and minors in Arabic, public policy, international affairs, and economics. At the time of the interview, she was preparing for graduation and next steps in graduate school at Yale
Richard Neal Interview
No full textRichard Neal (Class of 1992) was interviewed by Jonathan Angulo at the Norwick Center for Digital Solutions at Southern Methodist University on August 5, 2022. He was born in 1970 in Oklahoma, where he spent some of his early life. His parents moved to Mississippi before settling in Grapevine, Texas, where he enjoyed being a part of high school organizations, including the cheerleading squad. Neal contemplated his sexual orientation during high school, wondering where he could find support for students about their identity during the 1980s. He stressed that the nation looked down upon gay men and lesbian women, making it incredibly difficult to find support organizations. Neal attended Southern Methodist University where he acquired bachelor's degrees in journalism and business. He wanted to be a part of the cheerleading unit on campus, but the NCAA's death sentence on the football team shut down games and supportive activities. Neal wanted more information about resources available to students who wanted support about their sexual orientation, leading him to go through ads in local newspapers, including the university's newspaper, the Daily Campus. He found several groups for lesbians and gays throughout Dallas in the Uptown neighborhood. As a result, he frequented the neighborhood where he learned that it was perfectly normal to be gay. Neal came out to his father in 1989. His parents were supportive, which influenced him to advocate for LGBTQ+ students at SMU. He was one of the essential founders of the Gay and Lesbian Student Organization (GLSO) at the university. He described how a university support group developed into the GLSO and its growth between 1988 and 1992, including their success in chartering the organization. Neal remembered some of the tense moments he experienced on campus, including protesters at the meeting of the student senate that officially chartered the GLSO, and comments made by student body president Jonathan Pollock about the organization. After graduating, he volunteered at the AIDS Resource Center and was involved with the Stonewall Business Organization in Dallas. After several years, he opened a comic bookstore, Zeus Comics, during the 2000s. He vividly remembered how the Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges led to several marriages in Dallas on the day of the ruling, including his own. He participated in the ''In Search of Belonging'' exhibit at SMU, which commemorated LGBTQ+ history at SMU in 2022
Amrita Vir Interview
No full textAmrita Vir (Class of 2012) was interviewed by Princess Igwe-Icho via the Zoom internet-based video conferencing software on October 18, 2022. Ms. Vir was born in Staten Island, New York, in 1990 to an Indian father and an American mother. Her family moved to Houston when she was young. Her father was an entrepreneur who spoke frankly with her about his business, and her extended family was involved in India's freedom movement, which influenced the direction of her career. Ms. Vir graduated from SMU with a degree in finance and minors in Chinese, economics, and international studies. She discussed feeling as though she needed to minimize her differences in order to fit in while at SMU. She found community through the Indian Students Association, the President's Scholars program, and the COX BBA Scholars program. She talked about her job as a radio DJ at KPNI, which directly influenced the creation of her finance podcast, The Green Room, during the COVID-19 pandemic. After graduating from SMU, she obtained her master's in public policy and her MBA from Harvard University, where she met her husband. She currently lives in Singapore and has worked for several start-up companies, including Grab. Her current work involves helping low-income factory workers in Southeast Asia acquire affordable access to financial services. She is passionate about microfinance and financial inclusion
