What does it look like when classroom learning moves beyond campus—and into real communities with real needs and major impact?

In this episode of The Other Side of Campus, we’re joined by Tanya Ratnani, an undergraduate senior in International Business and Business Analytics at McCombs School of Business (Class of 2026). Tanya reflects on her journey to University of Texas at Austin, her academic interests, and how experiential learning reshaped her understanding of business, service, and global responsibility.

Tanya discusses her involvement with the Bridging Disciplines certificate program at UT, an interdisciplinary opportunity for students across campus to break out of their respective silos. Through this program, Tanya found Project Advance Austin, where students collaborate with community and global partners to apply their coursework to public-good initiatives. She shares insights from her work with Caring for Cambodia, highlighting what she learned through cross-cultural collaboration and what it means to learn with—not just about—communities.

This episode is part of our ongoing exploration of how teaching, research, and service at UT Austin intersect to address pressing issues of the day—locally and globally.

Check out more at the links below:

• Project Advance Austin: https://global.utexas.edu/engagement/project-advance

• Caring for Cambodia: https://www.caringforcambodia.org

• McCombs School of Business: https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu

As always, thanks for listening!

Credits

Hosts: Stephanie Seidel Holmsten & Jen Moon

Music by various artists: Denys Brodovskyi, Alex Productions

Theme track: "Soul Sync" by Ketsa

Executive Producer: Michelle Daniel