Profiles From the Class of 2028
An Introduction to Incoming UATX Students
A university is a human endeavor, and therefore it is a communal one. I (Corban) am so grateful for the honor of joining this fantastic student body and I look forward to the relationships that will sustain our bold adventure. While I cannot bring you into the coming conversations, I hope to share a portion of the burgeoning camaraderie. Hopefully, these few introductions will give you a small but insightful view of the people becoming UATX students.
Each respondent has answered the first question, “How did you become a UATX student?” to share their unique arrival to our common ground. Every second question was posed to draw out some of the revelation that comes from continued conversation. Here are glimpses of the stories being revealed as new students meet.
Sayer Baca
How did you become a UATX student?
I’ve always wanted to go into film. However, I wasn’t satisfied with any of my university options. Local college film festivals presented disappointing would-be classmates. High acceptance rates indicated an environment in which I would not be provided a challenge. As I earned my community college AA, the other film students seemed only to care about their own art to the exclusion of all other intellectual pursuits. Even worse, they were unwilling to bend beyond their own way (nothing against holding fast to a vision, but this was just stubbornness). Additionally, professors didn’t seem to trust their students enough to take the initiative on projects, so they had to spoon-feed us material and hold our hands through the assignments.
Then, my dad sent me a video by UATX. “We’re looking for a trailblazing first class. The Brave 100…you have the right amount of humility mixed with the right amount of grit to take on things that are hard…You run towards opportunities to engage on different points of view…What pushes you forward is discovery, adventure, a search for truth and meaning in your life and the world.” THESE were the types of classmates I wanted. Of course, this supposed student body, the incredible Talent Network, and institutional support seemed too good to be true.
I attended a UATX prospective student event in February and was blown away. Within a minute of meeting a new student, we were discussing politics, theology, economics, or filmmaking. Even the way the students approached these diverse topics was humble. After disagreement, they were still able to eat lunch across from each other, talking and laughing. I committed to UATX that night.
Why do you choose to devote so much of your life to the creation of art, to filming movies?
The short answer is that I love it. Countless hours of writing, editing, and revising aren’t always enjoyable, but they’re absolutely worth getting to see my family and friends laugh, gasp, or cry at my films. By seeing others react, I get to experience my own film through them. Ultimately, I make films for all the people involved—so I can work with others in various disciplines to create the best film together. Watching everyone’s hard work, unique contributions, problem solving, and creative duct-tape-just-out-of-frame wrapped all in one piece of art is such a satisfying feeling. Getting to know people better by creating or watching such a unifying and complex form of art is why I dedicate so much time to filmmaking.
McKenna Conlin
How did you become a UATX student?
I was raised in a liberal family that cared deeply about improving society, helping others, and serving the community whether that be through the PTA or public office. I have never shied away from difficult conversations and standing up for the things I believe in. My sibling would later go on to be a labor union organizer and I went to college to study political science and data science while I worked on campaigns.
It was in these positions that I watched many valuable institutions - political entities, universities, and businesses alike - tear themselves apart internally over ideological strife and saw solidarity lose its place as the reigning value of community building.
In the midst of increasing polarization and conflict, I learned about the University of Austin's Forbidden Courses series and was selected to attend in the summer of 2023. It is hard not to admire the herculean effort of building something new and offering alternatives at a time when many people have an appetite for exactly that. I am fascinated by what UATX has to offer and I love being a student. I am eager to try something different, learn from unique perspectives, and be an open-minded friend of the new.
What ways of blessing or providing a benefit to others are you most energized by?
I am many things. I am a citizen, a student, an employee, a friend, a daughter, a sister (perhaps soon, even an aunt!). I strive to show up for all these roles and be all these things with integrity.
Providing support to those who need it can take many forms. While I have served as an activist for policy that I believe helps people on the societal level, I am also an advocate for less conventional forms of support that I believe make a difference in the aggregate. I donate blood. I am learning how to live an anti-consumption lifestyle. I'll help you move (if you ask really nicely).
All of these things are based in my unfailing belief that individuals have a great capacity to do good and create change on the small and large scale. So whether it's affordable housing or a ride to the airport, I want to know what I can do for you.
Caterina Erlinger
How did you become a UATX student?
Since middle school, I knew that after graduating high school I wanted to pursue two seemingly contradictory things: I wanted to go out and create something for myself and I wanted a classical education. I didn’t really foresee college as a fulfillment of those dreams. I thought college would be after a few gap years and only for a very good program. At the end of high school, I didn’t apply to college and I took a gap year to pursue journalism. The following fall, when the time came to apply to colleges again, I was still reluctant to apply because there was nowhere I really wanted to go. Then, I came across an old video of Bari Weiss talking about the University of Austin on Real Time With Bill Maher. I looked up the school and immediately after reading through the UATX website I wanted to apply. I was so excited by the vision of a new institution, one that wanted to teach classics and also encourage discovery and creation. It felt like a God-sent opportunity, it fit me perfectly, so perfect it felt like the answer to my middle school prayer. I feel like this institution and I are on the same mission, that we share the same vision. It’s a great feeling to have the opportunity to join other people in building something new, to share a synergy and vision.
If you could talk to yourself in four years, what would you want her to say?
First of all, if I could talk to my future self I wouldn’t. I don’t want any spoilers. However, I would hope that in four years, when Caterina will have just graduated from UATX, she would say that she’s gained precious understanding and experience, that she has made friends for a lifetime, and that she’s on her way to a greater adventure after the one that will have just ended. I would want her to say that she’s on her way to build something, that she has all of the same ambitions, and that after four years of education she’s standing on firmer ground and has a better view of the world. I would also hope that she would speak with more clarity, more conviction, and always strive to say the truth.
Corban Fikes
How did you become a UATX student?
Much of my education was clearly a present, a joy to receive. Homeschooling permitted exploration and a personalized pace while the discipleship of the liberal arts high school taught me through rigor and relationship. I was blessed to be encouraged to love learning. Like any love, it has come with great disappointment. My first foray into higher education was a mostly awful struggle against mechanization. I was on an assembly line which incentivized efficiently satisfying assessment criteria, submitting to computized evaluation, and learning which labs/lectures to skip.
When people asked why I dropped out of college, the honest answer was that I didn’t have a reason to go. Even though I was confident in my choice, I was still unsure what a step away from school was a step towards. After (what turned out to be) a gap year of travel, volunteering and learning in a communal center, and surrender to the Lord’s guidance, I read UATX’s website and almost cried. My first two thoughts were, “Did I write this degree description? I didn’t know this existed!”
I am so grateful for the gift of becoming a UATX student. I have come to it through wonder, prayer, difficulty, and guidance, and I take the responsibility very seriously.
What book or piece of literature do you wish you would have authored and why?
My love for great works of literature includes the unique authorship of each one. I could not have a real wish to replace, say, G. K. Chesterton at the writing desk because it is precisely his wit that endears Orthodoxy to me. These books are so beloved for their nourishment on the one hand and their example on the other. How often has a good book quenched a thirst I did not even know was killing me? How often has a classic raised my authorial aspiration?
Of any piece of literature, I would choose to have authored George Washington’s ‘Farewell Address’. In the act of stepping down from power, Washington exhorts the nation in a way only a tried leader and a good father could. He speaks what a specific people need to hear, while also sharing a wisdom that would keep a country for the rest of its history. I am not Washington and I don’t want to be. But in a way only I could, I would love to write with such beneficent authority for my country.
Rhett Jones
How did you become a UATX student?
I want to make as much money and connections as possible and then make the world's most cost-effective, root-problem-solving, impact-maximizing charity of all time. I used to think it was a pipe dream, but after making a business that raised $3.15m, getting taught by my mentors, reading a bunch of stuff online, and meeting a few billionaires, I now realize that this is a completely doable goal that I am going to chase at all costs. As I transitioned from schoolwork to building a business, my original plan to go to an Ivy League turned into a plan to not go to college at all.
But then everyone told me UATX was the place to go for networking billionaire and cofounder connections, which, at a young age, is even more important than building a business. I'm now going to UATX for the network, as I believe it will really pay off to meet 100 ambitious people and a few billionaires, and have the status of a founding student.
What do you expect to be the hardest part of your time at UATX?
The work is probably going to be one of the most challenging parts. I’m used to a hefty workload, but what scares me more is the fact that we’re learning about ancient texts, Roman history, Shakespeare, high-level political history, etc. — these topics are extremely challenging!
Grace Price
How did you become a UATX student?
I became a UATX student because I’m drawn to the bleeding edge of education. When I first decided to transfer from public school in 5th grade to Alpha—an alternative school with no traditional teachers—I knew I was making a decision that would completely alter my life. Even at the age of 10, I had big dreams and ambitions that were stifled with every minute I spent in public school. At Alpha, kids loved learning, and they were encouraged to think big. I knew I needed to be there.
I found myself facing a similar decision when applying to colleges, specifically because of my unique k-12 experience. At Alpha, I discovered a deep passion for epigenetics and nutrition. This sparked my journey to flatten the curve of cancer cases for my generation by sharing insights from the research I consumed.
When it came to choosing which colleges to apply to, there were, of course, the well-established, reputable science schools that every parent dreams of for their child simply because that’s the social norm. And then there was UATX. UATX stood at the forefront of higher education. At a time when students and professors are silenced due to fear of being “canceled,” UATX leans even further into its value of free speech. When lies are more commonly being told and accepted, UATX fervently seeks the truth. The choice was between a safe option and taking a risk that could lead to the realization of my dreams. As Cal Newport says, “...You must first get to the cutting edge—the only place where the mission becomes visible.” Attending UATX is my way of taking a risk for a chance to see a little more clearly in order to achieve something extraordinary.
How do you define failure, and what past experiences have shaped your conception?
Failure is the inability to make progress. When I look back at my life, true failure has not been defined by performing poorly at something or making a mistake, but instead when I decide to quit or cease to make progress. However, this is easier said than done. As someone who has struggled with perfectionism and analysis paralysis, I have always struggled with making mistakes. Nothing could ever seem to take away the sting of disappointing others and myself. From messing up public speeches to having a major grammatical mistake in the official post of my documentary, I have had to confront this feeling many times.
Yet, my dad has always shared with me that failure means growth. After pondering on this for a while, I think I finally understand what he meant. If you have failed at something or made a mistake, it is likely because it is something new that you are unfamiliar with. The key here is being uncomfortable. Discomfort is the very essence of growth. Whereas comfort comes from things we are oftentimes extremely familiar with. Comfort can also come from simply doing what you want to do, but not what you know you need to do. So now, when I look back at my past mistakes, my only regret is not having more because every single one of those mistakes grew and changed me as a person.
Emma Shay-Tannas
How did you become a UATX student?
With miraculous timing and terrible circumstances, I had the opportunity to try this insane experiment out. I am at the University of Austin because of a 255 pound deadlift max and a back injury.
In my high school junior year, I was co-captain of White Rock Rowing and dead set on returning to the National Rowing Championships. Then, a month into the season, I got injured. I fought the pain for months, refusing to rest, refusing to lose time. If I lost time, I would lose Nationals. Two months before the regatta, my pain had not dissipated. Due to the impossible time crunch, I finally gave up this dream.
A day after this crushing decision, my mother slid me an application to the University of Austin's Intellectual Foundations High School program, a week before it was due. My mother was holding onto this application for months since it was happening during Nationals and, stubborn as I was, she knew that I would not even consider it while Nationals was an option. I was aware of the University of Austin before but because I was adamant about rowing in college, I refused to even consider it.
I submitted the application just in time. The conversations were spirited and free. There was no fear of retribution, just a free flow of ideas. I had never experienced anything like it. Without going to the Intellectual Foundations program which was during the rowing nationals, I would never have experienced UATX and its intellectual freedom and playfulness. A little divine intervention goes a long way.
Who have been your greatest teachers?
Dinner table conversation with my dad has taught me more than most of my teachers. At the table, I cannot claim anything without my dad challenging every statement and scrutinizing every word. I never get a moment of peace in my own beliefs. Constant questions keep me on my toes and bring me down from whatever ideal grabs my fancy at the moment. Where I give anecdotes, he demands evidence and when I give evidence he demands it to be well researched. The dinner table has been my debate arena for many years. It has torn down my unsupported beliefs and refined my arguments. It taught me to think before I make a controversial claim (not always). It has taught me that anything I say may be wrong and to be prepared to defend my ideas not just with emotions but with evidence and well thought out reasoning.
Constantin Whitmire
Updated on January 21, 2025 at the request of the author.
How did you become a UATX student?
I spent my teenage years in Bavaria and recently finished my Gymnasium “Abitur,” which is Germany's version of a university entrance qualification for high school graduates. So, in a way, I’m UATX’s first international student. Although I am a US citizen and was raised in an American family, my mother is German, so I often feel that I have been able to embrace the best between the US and Europe to help discover my own special “blend” in life.
Last Fall, I visited several universities I long aspired to attend. Although it is often said that every era has its share of turbulence, the campus turmoil I witnessed due to the cowardly and barbaric Hamas attack on Israel caused me to rethink my views about our country, and the world at large. In other words, there’s a case to be made that we’re living in the most important century ever for humanity, with more access to knowledge than ever before, and new scientific discoveries that will unlock new paths for the future. Yet, we’re also seeing an intensifying struggle between open societies and totalitarian governance systems, and a fracturing of international cooperation. All of which is happening against a backdrop of supercharged misinformation networks.
I find these events perhaps a metaphor for the broader inability of Western societies to find a way to move forward together. So, during my search for a university, hearing Bari and Niall talking about a new university they founded to reshape how young minds can impact the world, partly by thinking critically about it, was a serendipitous moment. My visit to UATX for an info weekend last Spring felt like finding a missing piece of a puzzle. It seemed like everyone was interested in finding new ideas to help solve outsized real-world problems. It was then that I suddenly knew this was my university.
What place does ‘success’ have in your life and what has shaped your conception of it?
My early life's trials have shown me that setbacks are inevitable, and failure is not just a possibility but a certainty at some point. So to me, success is less about achievement and more about the resilience and creativity required to overcome failure. My lens on this topic is probably best shaped by observing several startups, and seeing the hidden struggles and failures behind the rare founder triumph. Some of the startup founders I most admire seem to have discovered that to succeed where others fail, one must be willing to rethink the very nature of the problem (and somehow see beyond the obvious), which requires a deep reservoir of creativity. So, I feel that true success is built on a foundation of hard-earned lessons from failure and an internal “engine” to somehow outsmart failure (i.e. where creativity is not a luxury but a survival tool). Of course, sometimes failure wins, and it can be painful, but I believe that bouncing back and adapting, even when the odds seem insurmountable, is where true growth often begins.
Dylan Wu
How did you become a UATX student?
I'd heard the announcement of UATX years ago but I didn't pay much attention to it. Even after hearing from a close friend about UATX’s open undergrad applications I still didn't think too much of it.
I was working and generally had little interest in attending a school. However, someone I was interested in partnering with in the edtech space, Michael Strong, was the Executive Director of UATX's Adolescent Flourishing Initiative. He was going to be in Austin for a university event so I decided to go and meet him in person for the first time. Coincidentally, my friend's mom was at the event as well. She basically bussed me around and introduced me to as many UATX people as she could. There, I met Stephen Asoli, our director of admissions who gave me a deadline to apply. I attended UATX live, which was an event for potential students, and after learning more about the entrepreneurship focus and world view of the school, I was sold.
If someone who truly knew you were to give your eulogy tomorrow, what would they say are the things you have loved?
I think one of the core focuses in any person's life is to go out and collect stories of a variety of flavors. At the end of the line, every human being wants a story that people will tell, or that you will tell and feel proud of. That means you need to have an interesting story that has both happy and sad moments, good and bad, embarrassing and proud, all of the positive and negative emotions in the pantheon of human experience. An important note is that you can't do that alone because if you want to tell your story, there needs to be someone who cares enough to listen. Choose that audience wisely, and when you've chosen, cherish them to the ends of the earth, because loyalty is its own reward. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited to start school, because now there is an abundance of individuals who I have chosen to create stories with, and I hope they will value that choice as much as I do.