Today I had lunch at the UT tower with the Vice Provost/Dean of Graduate Studies, the Assistant Dean of External Events, and Dr. Steven Ungerleider, who is the benefactor of a graduate fellowship I was awarded for this current school year.

Another engineering student and I were invited to lunch with them because of said award. It was really nice to be around educators and faculty who really cared about the students at UT. I got the impression that they did their jobs for the benefit of the students here, rather than for their own fame and prestige. Certainly they deserve a pat on the back for their accomplishments in life, but I felt like that was put aside so that they could do the best job in their current roles.

The lunch was held in an office that was bigger than my own apartment. I was asked about my research and my future plans, and they shared with us about the various programs and benefactors that were being established so that more financial awards could be given to deserving students. I was amazed at the amount of financial support that is out there for people. In some way, it's true that you just need to know where to look.

Anyways, I enjoyed my time there today. We've got some good people running this place.