Austin Gardner is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in government with a certificate in German. On campus, he has worked as a tutor for student-athletes, a teaching assistant for the Liberal Arts Honors program, and a research assistant with the Texas German Dialect Project. In the summer of 2023, he studied abroad in Southern Germany, gaining firsthand knowledge of German politics and government. The following summer, he interned with the Texas Transportation Institute as a research assistant to quantify transit agencies’ investments in low-income neighborhoods. Gardner later worked at Lilly & Company, a national political fundraising and campaign firm, during the 2024 presidential election season. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career that combines his interests in campaigns and public policy.