After months of waiting, RyanCole Weldon-Carroll waits in excitement to see a patient with cleft foot take off his braces and walk for the first time. Since fall 2018, RyanCole has been interning at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

“So, I got to see him when he was done with his treatment, and he was up and just running around the room,” RyanCole said. “And it was just so cool to see.”

RyanCole found out about Scottish Rite through a connection in Austin, his hometown. He was involved at a philanthropic organization called St. David’s Foundation and knew the CEO. St. David’s foundation provides part of the funding for Scottish Rite.

After finishing a memorable year with Scottish Rite, RyanCole hopes to continue interning and volunteering with them for the rest of his years here at SMU. He encourages other students to get involved, too.

“I know the head of volunteering there, and she is just extraordinarily welcoming,” RyanCole said. “And the hospital as a whole is.”

In addition to volunteering, RyanCole recently started Curiosity Club this spring 2019.

“It focuses on helping students pursue their academic passions outside of the classroom,” RyanCole said. “So, we encourage students to do research on topics that they find interesting whether it be skydiving, Greek mythology, fashion, particle physics.”

The club is set up where a member goes out and researches a topic of his or her choice. After researching, the member presents his or her findings to rest of the club.

“I hope that members gain a passion or at least an interest in pursuing knowledge in general. Like any kind of knowledge,” RyanCole said. “I hope that they value learning and see how important it can be to look at things outside of the academic classroom.”

Curiosity Club meets at 9 p.m. every Thursday and is always welcoming new members. Keep up to date on their Instagram: @curiosityclub_smu