Amanda Sargent, UT Austin alumna (B.A., African and African Diaspora Studies/Education ’12) and former Advise TX adviser, has recently taken on a new role as a member of the DeSoto ISD School Board where she was elected on May 5th.

An alumna of DeSoto High School (class of ’08), Sargent aims to give back to her community by breaking down systematic barriers to higher education. She began this work while studying at UT Austin, where she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) Summer Associate through the Division of Diversity & Community Engagement’s VISTA program in 2012. While in the program, she worked with Con Mi Madre, an Austin nonprofit that helps mothers and their daughters prepare for college.

After graduating from UT Austin, Sargent began her career  at DeSoto High School while serving as a college adviser with the UT Austin chapter of the Advise TX College Advising Corps. In this role, she provided one-on-one admissions and financial-aid advice to students and family members. She also made numerous classroom presentations and led a number of group events to encourage students and their families to get into the college-going mindset.

She went on to work with UT Outreach Dallas while earning her master’s in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington.  She now serves as the interim director for UT Outreach-Dallas where she is continuing her mission to help students in multiple high schools to get admitted into colleges that align with their interests and goals.

This fall, in her newest role as a member of the DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees, Sargent aims to extend her passion for student and youth development as an advocate for high-quality education and accountability for all students within DeSoto ISD.