Mary Makary with Bill Archer, founder of The Archer Center
“Before enrolling, I had visited several other schools, some much larger. What drew me to UT Dallas was the individual attention that I saw students receiving. As I visited the campus and spoke with professors I quickly realized that they were interested in my input, wanted to hear what kind of college experience I was looking for. That sold me.
“As an undergraduate I had the opportunity to see the world from a variety of vantage points. When I interned with the Dallas mayor’s office my responsibility was to supervise correspondence with the city’s citizens. I got a good insight into what people want and expect from their government officials. My Archer internships gave me access to Washington, D.C., life. Watching the workings of the Supreme Court, I felt I got a lifetime education in a single semester.
“And, serving on Senator Hillary Clinton’s staff was a great experience. I helped with the managing of her schedule. In that capacity, I was able to interact with her a great deal when she was in Washington, getting to know her as a Senator and as a person. Women on the Hill have long had a reputation of being cold and a little hard-edged. I found her to be just the opposite -- a warm person with a good heart and at the same time one able to stand strong on issues that required her to do so.
“None of these experiences would have been possible had it not been for UT Dallas’ forward thinking and willingness to provide its students a wide-ranging educational opportunity.
“I remember my brother telling me that he felt the biology degree he received at UT Dallas had given him an advantage over many of his fellow students in med school. I think my experience will be the same.”
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Mary Makary, of Mesquite, Texas, majored in government and politics. Mary helped establish the University Democrats and serve on Black Students Alliance and the Student Government Association. An Archer Fellow, she interned with the Supreme Court of the United States and the office of Senator Hillary Clinton. She has been accepted at Harvard Law School. Her brother recently finished at Texas Tech Medical School and is in residency at University of Alabama-Birmingham.
- Updated: August 15, 2007
