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Catalina Cuervo

Junior from Bogota, Colombia (I’ve also lived in California, Houston and Midland, Texas)
Pre-Med (Biology major with a minor in Medical and Scientific Humanities)

Do you live on campus? If yes, what do you like about living on your own?
Yes. I love the independence, closeness to campus and living near friends.

List some of the clubs or organizations you are involved in at UT Dallas.
Student Ambassadors, First-Year Leaders, Living-Learning Community, Radio UTD, Collegium V.

List some of the clubs or organizations you are involved in outside of school.
Volunteering at Richardson Regional Medical Center, Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Scholars Program (Spring 2008).

List some of your hobbies.
Listening to music, watching indie movies, cooking and traveling.

Something that people may not know about me.
I have a pretty big family — I actually have 23 aunts and uncles and about 40 cousins!

Why did you want to become a First-Year Leader?
I think it would be really fun to contribute to the freshman experience of students at UT Dallas by sharing my experiences.

What advice do you have for the freshmen class coming into UT Dallas?
Don’t be afraid to step out of your box. There are many opportunities available in college that will introduce you to new ideas and perspectives. Go to lots of events and group meetings to see what you are really interested in, and then stay active with those you that you enjoyed the most.

What do you wish you did during your freshmen year that you didn’t?
I wish I knew more about the Metroplex. There are many really interesting and fun things to do around Dallas, and it is good to take advantage of UT Dallas’ great location.

Did you attend Orientation, Comet Camp, or Success Camp? If so, what did it do for you?
Yes, I attended Orientation. I actually met a few people that I later saw in my classes, so it was a nice introduction to the University and to have a way to meet more students.

What do you like about UT Dallas?
What I like the most about UT Dallas is the fact that it is in an active state of growth. This means that there are numerous opportunities to take an active role in making important decisions and creating traditions.

Why did you decide to attend UT Dallas?
There were many factors that contributed to my decision to attend UT Dallas. The quality of education, location, and financial aid available all factored into my decision.

What has been your favorite/best UT Dallas experience so far?
My best experience so far has been going with a large group of freshmen from the Pre-Health Living- Learning Community (LLC) on the DART to a full-day conference at UT Southwestern. I am one of the Pre-Health Advisers for the LLC, so it was really gratifying for us to organize this big excursion. Also, not only was it fun because we were able to go to one of the best medical schools in the country for a day, we were able to use our free DART passes to take a tour of downtown Dallas and have a chance to get comfortable using the public transport system. We also were only able to go to this great conference because of the valuable advice from the great Health-Professions Advising Office (HPAC) on campus.

What did you learn about college life that you didn’t know before?
Although my teachers in high school had told us about the drastic change in “timing” during college, I really didn’t understand this until I had been in college for a while. This difference in timing refers to the fact that we have much less actual class time than in high school, but drastically more work. All of this “free time” is hard to organize at first and is usually wasted. Not until you find yourself cramming for all of your classes do you realize that what every teacher has told you — “don’t cram, and study a little bit every day” — is actually really good advice!

What do you like to do to unwind after class?
I love to go out with my friends. It’s fun to go to the Angelika and watch a movie when there is time. Also, taking the DART down to a cool spot in Dallas is always cool. Most of the time, I unwind by listening to music. I especially like being able to enjoy good music while deejaying for Radio UTD.