Jessica Smith, an ’07 Summa Cum Laude graduate of The University of Texas at Dallas, has been selected for the prestigious $10,000 Golden Key Graduate Scholar Award. Given to only 12 applicants nationwide each year, the award is Golden Key’s premier scholarship program.
Smith will attend Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma in the fall, where she is enrolled in the College of Optometry.
“I think optometry is a great career because I will get the opportunity to work with people one-on-one to help manage their health and vision” she said. “It is a very gratifying job that deals with such a complex sensory organ.”
Golden Key is an academic honor society that recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement and excellence among college and university students. The society awards its members more than $400,000 annually through 15 different scholarship and award programs.
Smith, who was a Golden Key International Honor Society member at UT Dallas, received her bachelor of science in biology from the university in May.
The scholarship is granted based on academic achievement, Golden Key involvement and extracurricular activities. Applicants must provide a recommendation and demonstrate related work in their chosen field of study.
A Plano resident, Smith graduated from Plano Senior High School.
Contact Jenni Huffenberger, UT Dallas, (972) 883-4431, jennib@utdallas.edu or
Katie Overzet, intern, UT Dallas, kmo053000@utdallas.edu
UT Dallas alumnus Jessica Smith is one of 12 applicants to win the $10,000 annual scholarship.