My name is Annabelle Judson and I’m from Austin, Texas. Throughout high school, I had many passions including Mandarin Chinese, community service, and filmmaking. While attending St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School, I co-founded and served as president of the Mandarin Club, a student organization that celebrated Chinese culture. I also served as president of the Cinema Club and social officer of the Sapphires Dance Team during my senior year. Additionally, I was a member of the highly-selective Senior Leadership Team where I led weekly church services and provided school tours.

Beyond these commitments, I was deeply engaged in National Charity League, serving as Vice President of Philanthropy my junior and senior year. Through NCL, I dedicated much of my time volunteering with Mobile Loaves and Fishes and Dress for Success. My commitment to service through NCL earned me the AmeriCorps Presidential Gold Award for completing over 100 volunteer hours in a year and the Senior Service Award for volunteering the most hours in my NCL chapter for six consecutive years.

Apart from community service, I have a deep love for screenwriting! This passion led me to win the Best Student Screenwriter Award at the Austin Revolution Film Festival. Additionally, I was a finalist in the Student Los Angeles Film Awards and the Panther City Film Festival. I also created my own short TV series called Aiding Austin which highlights nonprofits in the Austin area. Episode one of my series has aired on all of the Austin Public channels.

I plan to major in Radio, Television, and Film with an interest in directing and screenwriting. I am the daughter of Julie and Don Judson.

Major
Radio, Television, and Film

Other Academic Interests 
Possibly a double major in Advertising

Extracurricular Activities
Interned at the Longhorn Foundation
Created my own short series called Aiding Austin which highlights certain non-profits located in the Austin area.

What drew you to the Forty Acres Scholars Program?
Above all, I was drawn to the supportive community that the Forty Acres Scholars Program offers to students. Having attended an extremely small middle school and high school, I knew everyone by name and had built a close connection with my peers. I was originally overwhelmed by attending a university with tens of thousands of students, but the Forty Acres Scholars Program changed that for me. The aspect of a close-knit cohort meant I already had a group of friends at UT before stepping foot on campus. Knowing that I have a support system of people to lean on for these next four years and beyond, is something that I am so incredibly thankful for.