Graduate Following in Family's Footsteps

The jet black cap and gown that Giulia slips on today signifies more than the end of a four-year academic voyage.

For the 22-year-old student who graduates from UT Dallas with honors, the garment is more like a coat of arms symbolizing a family tradition.

Giulia will walk in UT Dallas’ graduation ceremony to collect Bachelor of Science degrees in both business administration and biology. But Giulia, the sixth of eight children, is not the first Ippolito to participate in a UT Dallas commencement. The University has helped four of the family’s eight siblings achieve their career goals.

Danny Ippolito, the third eldest, unknowingly set a precedent for his other siblings when he graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and later an MBA. Marco Ippolito, the second eldest, followed with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. After completing undergraduate work at UT Austin, the fourth-eldest Ippolito sibling, Cristina, received a master’s degree in neuroscience from UT Dallas and is now in medical school at UT San Antonio.

“My parents set really good examples for us, and family is extremely important to all of us,” Giulia said. “They stressed academics and preparing for our careers, but they also provided a good balance of church, community and extracurricular activities.”

The Ippolito siblings’ mom – an ophthalmologist – and dad – a plastic surgeon – moved the family from Sicily to Dallas when Giulia was 3 years old. Giulia graduated No. 33 in her class of about 500 students at Richardson High School.

Engaging, easygoing and intensely committed to academics, Giulia has made a mark at the university. A recipient of the UT Dallas Academic Distinction Scholarship and Management Honors Program (MHP) Dean’s Scholarship, she also has served on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, served as MHP president and co-founded the UT Dallas chapter of the Rotaract Club, a branch of Rotary International. She has also mentored children in the Richardson school district and volunteered at the biology lab.

“In addition to being bright and talented, Giulia is also passionate about helping others. She has done so many things to help people, which is a quality that will make her a wonderful doctor,” said Tracey Rockett, director of the MHP.

Giulia and two other students were selected last fall to travel to India with the School of Management dean and other University officials to visit one of the world’s most vibrant economies and meet a School of Management MBA graduate, who is an industrialist and political leader.

“UT Dallas has really invested a lot in me and my education and has helped prepare me for my next step, which is medical school. The biology program along with the business skills that I’ve learned here have really helped balance my career goals. UT Dallas helped put all the little pieces together for me, and I feel like I owe the University so much,” Giulia said.

“One of the best things I like about UT Dallas is the fact that it’s young and there are new traditions popping up all the time. The dean of the School of Management, Dr. Pirkul, has really done an excellent job of recruiting a wonderful faculty and building an excellent program,” she said. “I know of at least 20 professors who would drop what they’re doing if I walked into their office. They really do care.”

After graduating from UT Dallas, Giulia will be attending medical school at Texas A&M University. She may not be the last Ippolito family member to graduate from UT Dallas. The two youngest Ippolito siblings – Marta and David – are still living at home and going to high school at Bishop Lynch High School.