Meadows Student Engages with Community through Music and International Studies

Alexandra Lahiri grew up ambitiously pursuing her passions in music and culture. A Highland Park native, she sang in choirs since she was nine years old and took piano lessons from the age of 10. She joined Varsity Choir and Latin Club in high school, while also serving as a student ambassador and president/founder of her school’s Hellenic Club. With so many exciting interests, it’s no wonder that Lahiri decided to study at SMU—where students are encouraged to thrive in multiple majors and minors.

“Having grown up in Highland Park, I have walked and driven by the campus innumerable times, and I often visited the Meadows Museum on campus,” Lahiri says. “My personal decision to commit to SMU was greatly due to the opportunity that I would be able to pursue double degrees from different colleges, Meadows School of the Arts and Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.” 

Now a junior at SMU, Lahiri is double majoring in Music and International studies with minors in Latin and Classical Studies. She has immersed herself in the SMU community through Meadows Chorale and the SMU RANG Bollywood Dance Club. Her engagement in culture and music doesn’t stop there. Lahiri’s extracurriculars extend to Carnatic Music (ancient Indian music lessons in Sanskrit) and Byzantine Chant (ancient Greek/Byzantine music in Greek), which connect her to her heritage. Lahiri is also active in the community at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, where she serves as Youth Choir Director, Assistant Choir Director and  Hymnology/Music Sunday School Teacher.

“I am very active in my home parish, and still being in Dallas gave me the opportunity to continue to be more involved,” explains Lahiri. “I knew I wanted to be pre-law, yet I did not want to give up music... SMU offered the opportunity where I could pursue a music major and something that would relate to my pre-law studies.”

Academically, Lahiri excels in programs like the Pre-Law Scholars and the Dedman College Scholars Program. She was excited to experience some crossover between her studies at SMU Meadows and Dedman College.

“One of my favorite classes I have taken for my International Studies major is ‘El Greco to Goya’ with Dr. Jasienski,” Lahiri says. “The class was held in Meadows Museum, and it was fascinating to learn about Spanish art and then walk upstairs into the galleries and see the artwork in person.”

Lahiri’s aspirations extend to international law, with a focus on the Eastern Mediterranean region. She is particularly motivated by her family history, as her great-great-grandfather was a victim of the Kalavryta Massacre during World War II. This personal connection drives her interest in international relations. This past summer, Lahiri served as a student ambassador at the American Hellenic Institute, where she visited Washington, D.C., Cyprus and Greece and met ambassadors and high-ranking diplomatic officials.

As she looks toward graduation, Lahiri considers pursuing a law degree a Fulbright Scholarship to research Greece during World War II. 

“My goal is to graduate with a J.D. and be an international lawyer... yet I still do not wish to give up my singing,” says Lahiri. "I additionally have the post-graduation goal to continue serving my church, if I do stay in Dallas.”

With her impressive accomplishments and unwavering dedication to her passions and community, Alexandra Lahiri exemplifies the spirit of an SMU Meadows student—an artist, a scholar and a community leader poised to make a meaningful impact in both her local and global communities.