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Here is the link:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... b3162.html
and the story:
SMU senior makes Glamour magazine's list for leadership
10:15 AM CDT on Thursday, October 12, 2006
By CASEY REIVICH / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Life for Liz Healy, a 21-year-old senior at Southern Methodist University, just got a little more glamorous.
REX CURRY/Special Contributor
Liz Healy caught Glamour magazine's attention with a 2005 SMU campaign that raised more than $50,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief. 'She was thinking outside of the campus world,' said Erin Zammett Ruddy, an editor at Glamour. Ms. Healy was recently named one of Glamour magazine's top 10 college women in the country. They are featured in Glamour's October issue.
The magazine's Top Ten College Women Competition, which has been around since 1957, recognizes accomplished and inspiring college women.
"It is to honor college women who go above and beyond," said Erin Zammett Ruddy, an editor at Glamour magazine. "It's not just about excelling in the classroom. It's about their leadership experience, their involvement in their campus life and community. These are women we feel have everything it takes to make a difference in the world."
Alumnae of this elite group include Martha Stewart, Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and City Council member Angela Hunt.
Ms. Healy, who attended Highland Park High School and is majoring in advertising at SMU, hit the ground running at her university. On advice from her older brother and fellow SMU alumnus, Rogers Healy, she was determined to make the most out of college.
Ms. Healy decided to make her mark in student government. She was the first female sophomore vice president of SMU's student body. She went on to become the first female junior student body president.
Ms. Healy's greatest accomplishment as president came in September 2005 when she quickly organized a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina relief. Donation jars were placed all over campus, in fraternity houses and in restaurants. Notices were posted on SMU's Web site, and letters were sent to alumni. In the three weeks leading up to the Sept. 24, 2005, SMU-Tulane football game, SMU raised $48,000.
The day of the football game, Ms. Healy appealed to the crowd.
"I told the parents on the microphone, 'Your students have been working so hard asking for help. We want to get over $50,000. If you haven't donated yet, we're still collecting money.' "
Ms. Healy reached her goal, and SMU presented a check at halftime for $50,524 to the Conference USA relief fund benefiting the American Red Cross.
It was her initiative and fundraising passion for Hurricane Katrina relief that impressed Glamour magazine the most, said Ms. Zammett Ruddy.
"It was the fact that she went out and decided to raise money for this horrible thing that happened. She was thinking outside of the campus world," Ms. Zammett Ruddy said.
Ms. Healy applied for the competition in February. She was named one of the top 10 in May. Glamour flew her and the other winners to New York in June for the photo shoot at Columbia University.
Last month, Ms. Healy was flown again to New York to attend the awards weekend. The women got a chance to meet successful women in a variety of fields, toured the U.N. building and were treated to a Broadway show and a day at a spa. But most important, they got time to get to know one another.
Ms. Healy was particularly inspired by Wellesley College student Chikoti Mibenge, a native of Zambia, whose parents both died of AIDS. Ms. Mibenge is studying biochemistry at Wellesley and is devoted to finding a cure for AIDS and helping Africans gain access to affordable AIDS drugs.
The experience only bolstered Ms. Healy's conviction to do great things in the future.
"Leadership is my passion," she said. "I have to do something where I'm fulfilling a purpose."
After she graduates this May, she plans to pursue a master's in organizational leadership at Vanderbilt University.
Casey Reivich is a Dallas freelance writer.
