Osvaldo’s interests include social entrepreneurship and international business. As a connecting experience he plans on studying abroad in South America and developing a project as an entry to the Dell Social Innovation Challenge.
BDP Student Advisory Council
The BDP Student Advisory Council members are the primary student representatives of our program. They are responsible for assisting the BDPs with outreach efforts and various events, as well as implementing new initiatives. They also act as a sounding board and provide feedback for the BDP staff, so feel free to let them know if you have any ideas or changes to suggest for the BDPs. The selection process for the Council typically begins in late summer/early fall; however, it’s never too early to start preparing now by brainstorming ideas!
Osvaldo Castellanos
Sophomore, Latin American Studies
Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship
Sydney Cruz
Junior, Radio-Television-Film
Digital Arts & Media
Sydney is interested in digital arts and media in the entertainment and gaming industries. She joined the BDPs to gain a better perspective on how digital media relates to animation and visual effects in the entertainment industry and to gain the essential skills of digital technology.
Gloria Delgadillo
Junior, Communications-Human Relations
Cultural Studies
Gloria is interested in studying how cultures shape our life and how we shape cultures. She is currently working on her Connecting Experience by completing a critical ethnography based on her observations and research completed in Hohoe, Ghana during Summer 2011. Gloria strongly believes that interdisciplinary studies help us better understand the past, the present, and the future, and open the door for worlds that have yet to be explored.
Daniel Hung
Sophomore, Plan II/Government
Ethics & Leadership
Global Studies
Daniel is very interested in Texas/American politics, in addition to international relations. For his first Ethics and Leadership Connecting Experience, he conducted research to explore the association between political campaign contributions and voting behavior among Texas State Representatives. Within Global Studies, he is interested in the East Asia region (Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea) and how their political and economic development affects the balance of power in the region.
Charlene Lam
Junior, Marketing
Social Entrepreneurship & Non-profits
Charlene is interested in learning more about non-profits and how her major in business can connect with that passion. She has a great appreciation for the arts, and as a marketing major, she is looking into interning for an art non-profit organization in the Marketing department next semester.
Tia Leone
Junior, Interntional Relations & Global Studies
Ethics & Leadership
Tia is interested in the analysis of how ethics and leadership contribute to social justice movements. She recently finished a project with the Texas After Violence Project in which she analyzed Texas County Jail policies towards transgender inmates. Next summer, she hopes to conduct research comparing social movements in Argentina with those in the United States.
Michelle Lin
Junior, History
Global Studies
Michelle is interested in studying international relations—more specifically, the causes and effects of international conflict. She plans to take part in connecting experiences that focus on the United States’ role in the international community.
Taylor McCaslin
Junior, Theatre & Dance
Digital Arts & Media
Taylor is a stage manager in the Department of Theatre & Dance, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is currently researching the implementation of digital art and multimedia in theatrical productions as well as the digitization of workflows. After college, he hopes to pursue a professional career in stage management as well as freelance web development.
Neeraja Prabhakaran
Junior, Biology
Social Inequality, Health, & Policy
Neeraja is a pre-dental student interested in social inequality, particularly health disparities, across the U.S. She is also interested in using health promotion and education to improve adolescent health in regards to issues such as obesity and dental hygiene. Last summer, she went on a medical trip to Nicaragua to observe healthcare in rural areas and bring medical supplies to those in need. In the future she would like to obtain a master of public health degree as well as a doctoral degree in dentistry.
Farhana Rabbi
Sophomore, International Relations & Global Studies
Human Rights & Justice
Farhana believes that adherence to basic human rights is the foundation of any well-functioning society and is committed to instilling social justice and equality throughout the world. Through the Bridging Disciplines Program, she hopes to work with Amnesty International and research methods of eliminating sexual violence. She will maintain her efforts towards human rights and social justice as she pursues a career in foreign relations.
Christopher Robertson
Senior, Sociology
Cultural Studies
Christopher is interested in the ways culture shapes and is shaped by social memory, collective identity, and group values. His research focuses on the use of qualitative methods in studying conservative social movements. This past Spring he conducted BDP-funded research at archives on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley as part of his Connecting Experience.
Margaret Smith
Sophomore, Psychology
Children & Society
Margaret is interested in studying how a child’s family and environment affects his/her development. This semester, she is volunteering with Zavala Elementary School’s after-school program. She wants to eventually have a career in counseling.