Alumni Stories
Thanks to the rigorous, liberal education of the Core Curriculum, graduates of the
University of Dallas have an advantage: They can reason well, communicate clearly
and act rightly in whatever calling they choose. As a result, every year, over 95%
of our graduates are accepted to a job or a graduate school within six months of graduation.
Here are some examples of recent alumni successes.
Bridgette Claire Alpar Major: Business, minor in ethics Like many students, Bridgette Claire Alpar, BA ’23, came to the University of Dallas for variety: Alpar was drawn to the soccer
team, the business program and UDallas’ Catholic identity. Before long, she found
a new reason to stay: community. “After my first semester, the sense of home and the community stood out to me,” Alpar
said. “I have met so many incredible people who I know I will keep in touch with for
the rest of my life.” As a business major, Alpar appreciates UDallas moral grounding. She said one of her
favorite courses was Business Ethics with philosophy professor Lance Simmons, PhD.
Alexa Hassell In 2018, Hassell enrolled in the intensive summer program Arete: An Introduction to the Classics, where, as she puts it, she "fell in love with the notion of the Core Curriculum." Hassell, who graduated from a public high school, had never been introduced to this
kind of classical education. UDallas made it so compelling that she reconsidered her
original plan of heading northeast and instead set her sights close to home. "The Catholic identity of the school and the Core Curriculum were big parts of my
decision," she remarked. "In no way has the University of Dallas disappointed me." Hassell said she has felt fulfilled daily by the education she receives. "I got to explore so many different fields and ask interdisciplinary questions, which
is essential to a good education."
Harrison Vetter "The more I learned about the university, the more I fell in love with the rigor of
the Core Curriculum and its strong Catholic identity," he said. After his first campus visit, it didn't take long for Vetter to change his academic
trajectory and choose UDallas. "My experience here has been a true blessing and one of transformative growth - intellectually,
spiritually, and socially," he said. Isaac Hellerman
Peyton, CO
Notable UDallas Memories and
Achievements: Beta Gamma Sigma,
Goldman Sachs internship, SCAC
Academic Honor Roll, member of
2021 conference finalist soccer
team, overcoming severe injury
to play senior year, graduating magna cum laude,
strengthening relationship with Christ
Future Plans: Working at Goldman Sachs in Dallas
after a week of orientation
“Business Ethics helped prepare me for being in the workforce outside of the UDallas
bubble and taught me how to incorporate my beliefs and morals into my work,” Alpar said.
North Richland Hills, TX
Major: Politics and Italian, concentrations in art history and ethics
Notable UDallas Memory: Taking the course Political Philosophy and the Middle Ages with Associate Professor
of Politics Gladden Pappin, PhD.
Achievements: Hatton W. Sumners Scholarship, Intercollegiate Studies Institute Honors Fellowship,
internships at the Dallas Chapter of Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums and
at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, president of the Art Village Association,
of the St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society, and of the Alexander Hamilton Society, Dallas
Forum Undergraduate Fellowship, Phi Beta Kappa, Hephaistos Society Founder.
Future Plans: Pursuing a law degree at the University of Notre Dame
"I ended up at the University of Dallas entirely by Divine Providence," said Alexa Hassell, BA '23.
Maple Grove, MN
Major: History, concentrations in American politics and political philosophy
Notable UDallas Memory: Riding a motorcycle into Haggar Cafe during the Tower Film Fest
Achievements: 2023 Lekai Award, 2023 Helen L. Corbitt Award, 2021 Rome Program Academic Excellence
Award, founder and editor-in-chief of Crusader Standard, chair of the Crusader Outreach Committee, vice president of the Alexander Hamilton
and Pre-Law Societies, Dallas Forum undergraduate fellowship, former intern for U.S.
Senator Ted Cruz
Future plans: Working as a paralegal and business operation manager for Larkin Law, a firm in
Washington, D.C.
Harrison Vetter, BA '23, initially wanted to attend Notre Dame, his father's and grandfather's alma
mater. His school counselor, a UDallas alumna, encouraged him to look into UDallas.
Vetter is thankful to have been part of a lively and passionate student body where
opportunities for intellectual and social formation continuously abound, be it by
spending an hour in the Charity Week jail, discussing Pope Benedict XVI's legacy,
or judging the artistic merit of student-directed films.
Silver Spring, MD
Major: Math, Concentration in music
Achievements: Putnam Math Competition prizewinner; summa cum laude
Notable UDallas Memory: Informally directing liturgical music with other student musicians at Rome campus
Future Plans: Completing a PhD in mathematics at the University of Texas
The Putnam Math Competition, a six-hour test widely recognized as the most challenging
and prestigious undergraduate math competition in North America, had a bit of an upset
in 2023. All of the top 25 competitors were from MIT, Harvard, Stanford, or Yale,
except for one: Isaac Hellerman, BS '23, a musician from the University of Dallas.
"I ended up taking that test after the end of classes last semester on the same day
that I was flying back home. It was just me in an empty office, looking at an exam,"
Hellerman recalled. "I was surprised at how hard it was. But I just looked at it and felt like I could
do pretty much all of it."
Hellerman said the Mathematics Department's approach to the discipline drew him to
UDallas.
"I was just impressed by the Math Department, how they had a good approach to teaching
the material and more of a focus on pure math," Hellerman said.
"I was impressed by the math program and by the Core. That was just a good combination."
