Alexis Blackman, Class of 2020, has called herself a Longhorn since she was a kindergartner on a new campus with a promising name: the University of Texas Elementary School. Now it’s official. Having earned a full scholarship from the University Co-op, she is fulfilling her dream to be the first UT Elementary student to attend “Big UT.”

From UT Elementary, Blackman went on to Austin’s Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders and then Crockett High School, where she earned numerous awards, including one for remaining in the top 10 percent of her class every year she was there. She attributes her success to the solid foundation UT Elementary gave her. At UT Austin, Blackman has chosen to major in electrical engineering, which she first became interested in as a fifth grader. Her desire for a career in the computer industry is rooted not just in her early exposure to science but also in the philanthropic values that UT Elementary instills in its young learners.

“One major career goal of mine is to develop hardware and software that will be cheaper, so that low-income families like mine will have access to a computer and the internet,” she says. “Especially since education is shifting online at all levels, not having a computer in your home is a disadvantage on top of being low-income.”