Students gracefully and comedically competed for the esteemed Mx. Plan II crown, demonstrating their talents, philosophical knowledge and performative style to a panel of professors, advisors, and peers. This lively tradition made up a single event of Plan II’s 90th anniversary celebration.
Last week, Plan II celebrated its 90th anniversary week by bringing back some of its cherished traditions, including music and art showcases, a flamboyant mixed pageant, competitive yard games and alumni career panels.
“Our two goals in planning Plan II week were to both try to revitalize the sense of community in Plan II … and really want to work to build a stronger Plan II culture,” Plan II Students’ Association co-president Molly Hennessy said. “Oftentimes it can feel pretty fractured, but we also want to work to bring back those traditions of Plan II that have fallen to the wayside.”
Plan II Students’ Association co-presidents Hennessy, Plan II and English junior, and Siyona Nayampally, Plan II and economics junior, spent hours digging through archives and scrapbooks to find the events that defined Plan II week in years past. Nayampally, who performed “Hotel California” on the violin during the musical show, said through the events, they were able to showcase the talents that are present within their organization.
“Plan II students are often multi-talented and have a lot to offer beyond just their academic interests,” said Nayampally. “The art show and music show gave them an opportunity to (exhibit their abilities).”
Plan II hosted its last official pageant in 2017, with winners forever preserved on a plaque on the wall of the Plan II office. Welcoming students of all ages to participate, the pageant serves to foster and integrate the community. Senior Tisha Chaudhuri, the newly crowned Mx. Plan II, said she came in with just one goal in mind: to be “the greatest Mx. Plan II this University has ever seen.”
“The things that have created the culture around what I’ve done at UT, the types of friends that I keep, and the things that I enjoy doing, (have) been impacted by being in Plan II,” said Chaudhuri. “Because of that, I really wanted to do as many of the fun Plan II things my last year.”
A series of alumni panels, including vice presidents of social impact, published fantasy authors, Emmy-winning journalists, national program leaders and more, served to educate students on the many paths their interdisciplinary education could take them. Janet Davis, director of Plan II, said the proof of Plan II manifests “in the way in which people both lead their lives as Plan II students, but then also what people do afterwards.”
“(A) building block of what Plan II is all about is … extraordinary academic rigor, and community building and this belief that you just have to get involved in everything,” Davis said.
