Award-winning artist Emily Fordan, '26, poured her creativity into every corner of University of Dallas campus life, designing event logos and shirts for many events including Groundhog, Mallapalooza and America 250, while her paintings earned her some of UD's most prestigious art awards.

Major: Studio Art — Painting

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Notable Memory: One of my most notable memories was from my freshman year. During my first Charity Week, I saw Fr. Thomas in a Moses costume preaching about divine retribution on top of a shoddily built wooden jail right before he struck a pinata. Then it started to pour. Everyone was soaked. It was the most lively enactment of the Ten Plagues of Egypt I had ever seen.

Achievements: Corbitt Award Winner, Novinski Art Award Winner, Lendvay Award Winner, CAB Intern of the Year (2025)

Future Plans: I plan to travel for the first month, then hope to secure an entry level position in marketing or graphic design.

Favorite Quote: "For the perplexity of life arises from there being too many interesting things in it for us to be interested properly in any of them." — G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

What I Love About UD: I love the classical education and active Catholic ministry on campus. Students are brought up in the ideals of faith, virtue and study. I also love UD's celebrated study abroad program in Rome. One of my favorite classes ever was an art history class in Italy where we studied a range of great works and sculptures and then got to see them in person in various museums, from the Uffizi Galleries in Florence to the Vatican Museums in Rome.

I am thankful for all the wonderful people who have supported me along the way: my friends, family, faculty and staff. I am grateful for the roles I have been able to occupy on campus, from lector for Campus Ministry to CAB marketing intern. I deeply appreciate all the help I have received along the way.