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Kaitlyn Emma Hadzi-Antich

Biography

Profile:   Kaitlyn Hadzi-Antich’s academic journey has taken her from her home state of Virginia to community college in New England and then to the Southwest where she graduated with honors from theUniversity of Texas in 2009.  Emma will remain in the Lone Star State when she begins graduate studies at Texas State University in San Marcos. Emma, her advisors say, has a gift for imparting knowledge to others and is a born teacher.  Good thing, because that’s her goal once graduate studies are complete . . . to teach on the college level.  Another University of Texas graduate, the famed newsman Dan Rather, once said that all our dreams “begin with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth.’”  And those are Emma’s marching orders as the next stop in her academic journey begins.

Inspiration: Emma and her husband, Ted, have been together for more than eight years.  “Without his support and encouragement, I do not know where I would be today,” Emma said.  “Through his own passion for the liberal arts, Ted showed me that a formal education could be rewarding and deeply satisfying.”  

Aspiration:  Although Fisher College where Emma began is now a four year institution, she did not forget the importance of making her mark in that type of two-year academic setting.  It’s Emma’s goal to teach on the community college level.

Making a Difference: In 2008, while still an undergrad, Emma co-authored and published two research papers on Texas’ public schools.  For both papers, she reviewed current Texas public education policies, compared data on student success rates, and made recommendations for the school system’s improvement.  “The act of writing with the knowledge that it will be published is unlike any other writing experience I have ever had. I see this accomplishment as a marker, which corresponds to my future hopes and desires.” 

Accolades: 2008 was a big year for Emma as she was admitted into the U of Texas Government Department’s Honors Program and also was awarded a scholarship through the George Stuart Heyer Foundation for work on her senior thesis.  She topped that in 2009, as one of the first students ever to graduate with a concentration from the Jefferson Center for Core Texts and Ideas at the university and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Interesting Fact: Emma loves to paint in her free time and is having her first art opening in October.

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