Basketball connects UGA mentor with Destination Dawg

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In 2017, the University of Georgia launched Destination Dawgs to help students with intellectual disabilities gain the skills and confidence to prepare for independence and careers after graduation. Through the program, students immerse themselves in all UGA has to offer, not only gaining a fulfilling academic experience, but also a rewarding social experience.  

To help cultivate an even deeper connection with UGA, Destination Dawgs partners with the university’s Mentor Program to pair students with intellectual disabilities with alumni, faculty and staff mentors. The experience gives students insight and advice on life during and after UGA. 

It was through the UGA Mentor Program that alumnus Matt Cianfrone (AB ’12) met Jesse Pearson, a student in Destination Dawgs.

Meet Jesse

Jesse has been at UGA for about a year and will begin his third semester this fall. He is loving the campus experience, especially when he takes new classes and meets new friends.  

One of his favorite pastimes includes playing intramural basketball at the Ramsey Student Center, where he also is an intern. Jesse is passionate about basketball and hopes to become a coach for the sport after graduation.

Jesse contacted Matt through the UGA Mentor Program platform after seeing on Matt’s profile that they had a mutual interest in basketball. The two exchanged emails and found that they made a good mentoring pair since Jesse wanted advice about coaching and Matt is a coach.

“Matt is a wonderful mentor,” Jesse said. “He was always kind and ready to help. We have the same interests. He seems like he is a great coach, and he knows what is expected of him and how he can help others.” 

Meet Matt

Matt hails from Middlesex County in New Jersey. His hometown is small–just a single square mile–and the local high school comprising only 200 students. Attending UGA, where a single lecture hall can fit that many people, was an enormous shock to Matt.

Despite the drastic change in environment, Matt loved his time on campus. And although he has since returned to New Jersey to teach and coach basketball, he’s still connected to UGA and is eager to help students identify their passions.  

“Any way I could stay connected to campus was a big thing for me, so I jumped at the opportunity to sign up for the Mentor Program,” Matt said. “If I can help a couple people here and there, it is definitely worth it.” 

Their connection

After becoming mentor and mentee, Matt and Jesse often talked over the phone. Despite Matt living nearly 800 miles away from Athens, the two formed a meaningful connection, and Matt provided Jesse with valuable advice. 

“I learned so much from Matt and from his experience,” Jesse said. “Matt encouraged me to keep pursuing coaching. He explained that even if I do not stick to coaching, it would be reasonable to still find a career related to sports and the field I am passionate about.” 

As Matt mentored Jesse, giving him advice and telling him the steps that he took to become a coach, he found himself reflecting on his own journey. Their conversations allowed for both Matt and Jesse to grow and learn from each other, all while sharing their love of basketball.  

“The entire process was wonderful,” Matt said. “I already cannot wait to continue on as a UGA mentor, talking to more students and helping in any way that I can.”

Interested in connecting with students and contributing to their success? Sign up to be a UGA Mentor today! You’ll be amazed at how much you get back from giving in this way.

BECOME A MENTOR DONATE TO DESTINATION DAWGS

Ninth annual TEDxUGA awakens Wonder

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It’s no small wonder that transformation starts with one: one person, one muse, one idea. A single stroke of inspiration has the power to unite communities in pursuit of dreams that exist at the crossroads of the unfamiliar and the awe-inspiring. 

Some of the brightest UGA students, faculty and alumni will step onto the stage for the TEDxUGA: Wonder on Friday, April 1 at the Morton Theatre. The event will begin at 7 p.m. There is also a virtual livestreaming option for those who want to attend from the comfort of their own home.  

The lineup this year features eight UGA speakers, two of which are alumni, and one alumna serving as the program’s emcee. 

Speakers

Darrell Blocker (AB ’86) is the chief operating officer at the boutique strategic risk and crisis management, intelligence and security advisory firm MOSAIC. He creates espionage-themed content in Hollywood and volunteers with nonprofits dedicated to improving the future of youth in foster care and countering the exploitation and human trafficking of youth and women. In his talk, Darrell speaks on why the world should be a kinder place. 

Charlie Mustard (MS ’97) is the longtime head roaster at Jittery Joe’s, an Athens-based coffee roasting company. As a proud Athenian of 29 years and an engaged community member, Charlie takes the TEDxUGA stage to speak on the importance of community participation and how you can make your own home unique. 

Emcee

Dominique Holloman (BS ’01, AB ’01, MED ’04, JD ’04) is a former member of the Board of Visitors and the Law School Alumni Council, and she currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dominique was the inaugural president of the affinity group UGA Black Alumni and a member of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. In addition to her work as a government affairs professional, she continues to help create a more diverse and dynamic community at UGA. 

For nine years, TEDxUGA has brought UGA and the Athens community together to listen and learn from individuals and their extraordinary stories, philosophies and ideas. Consider registering to experience the connectivity that fosters creativity and inspiration from the university’s leading thinkers and doers. 

REGISTER FOR TEDXUGA

Navigating a male-dominated space

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In honor of Women’s History Month, the UGA Mentor Program is saluting women making strides in traditionally male-dominated fields and the men serving as allies for them. Meet UGA mechanical engineering student Camila Daffre, Class of 2024, and her mentor Aaron Stafford (BSME ’19).

The fact that Aaron was once the lone male on an otherwise all-female team helped him develop empathy for the challenges women face in the male-dominated world of mechanical engineering.

Camila is grateful for the additional people she’s met through Aaron’s introductions. “He has placed me in contact with a diverse group–not just ethnically diverse, but also people at different points in their careers–engineers just starting families and working moms who have risen in the profession. Their insight has been valuable in helping me plan for my future,” Camila said.

Introducing Camila to others in his workplace has benefited Aaron as well. “Connecting Camila with colleagues has raised my profile and strengthened relationships within my company,” Aaron said. “It helps that Camila is always prepared for these chats and asks such amazing questions. I hear good things back from my co-workers after a discussion with Camila.”

When Camila and Aaron met, their connection was instant. It has proven to be lasting, too, extending far beyond a standard 16-week mentorship and spanning a multitude of topics besides her chosen career path. Camilla now characterizes Aaron as “my life mentor.” They have been meeting up virtually every other week for two years now.

The format they’ve established for their meetings is based on the question, “What’s a challenge you’ve faced this week?” And the feedback/problem-solving flows both ways between the two of them. “I appreciate Camila’s perspective,” said Aaron. “Our relationship helps me prepare to be a manager down the line.”

Your experience could mean so much to a student following in your footsteps. Discover the joy of serving as a mentor. It may amaze you how much you get out of giving back in this way.

BECOME A MENTOR

Wait, there’s more!

Camila first sought to connect with Aaron because she found herself torn between the choice to pursue a manufacturing or a corporate path in mechanical engineering. Aaron has experience in both. To find out which path Camila chose and hear more from this duo about their dynamic mentorship connection, check out this episode of RealTalk, the UGA Mentor Program’s podcast.

And even more!

Join Women of UGA for the first Mentorship Monday of 2022, a virtual panel discussion with women in traditionally male-dominated spaces on Monday, March 21 at noon.

REGISTER

Oh, Danny Boy!

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Ireland-born Daniel Harris’s environmental work is all about making the world … green

Daniel Harris has a fond childhood memory. He’s a toddler on a shoreline near Sligo, his Irish birthplace. Bundled in oilskins, he’s helping his parents gather periwinkles, a tidal shellfish, to sell in town.

“It’s pretty clear from this memory,” Harris says, “that my career traipsing through intertidal waters and the natural world began at an early age.”

Daniel locating a puffin

As a kid, Daniel found a puffin nest on Skellig Michael. His dad would go on to see that same marked puffin every year for more than a decade.

The traipsing never stopped. Harris is currently polishing his dissertation for a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Georgia.

Harris came to the United States in 2006, after completing his undergraduate studies in geology and zoology from the National University of Ireland, Galway. After absorbing Southern culture from Georgia family members, he fell into a job in coastal waters almost by chance.

Or maybe it was the luck o’ the Irish.

“My aunt got jury duty, and another juror had a son who worked for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources,” Harris says. “They talked, and I learned about a job opening with UGA’s Marine Extension Service (MAREX). I applied and then found out my boss was also Irish and a NUIG alum.”

Harris guided oyster restoration projects and oyster shell recycling programs along Georgia’s rich Atlantic intertidal coastline.

Daniel Harris

Daniel is just one example of thousands of committed graduate students at the University of Georgia who are seeking to change the world through their research and service.

“I worked as program coordinator for G.E.O.R.G.I.A., which stands for Generating Enhanced Oyster Reefs in Georgia’s Inshore Areas,” Harris says. “I fell in love with the Georgia coast and its people.”

After praise for a presentation on his green work at “Restoring America’s Estuaries,” a big conference in Texas, Harris began to consider graduate studies in ecology.

He knew James Byers of UGA’s Odum School of Ecology, who conducted research on the coast not far from Harris’s MAREX office. Harris raised his profile with Byers, volunteering to help his team of researchers in various ways, including loaning expert boating skills. (Harris has thousands of hours of small craft piloting.)

Harris applied for the university’s doctoral program in 2012, and Byers gladly became his advisor.

“Daniel,” Byers says, “has used drone and airplane aerial photography, plus field and lab experiments, to study the relationship of two beneficial coastal organisms–the oyster and the smooth cordgrass growing everywhere in the Georgia estuary system. Daniel’s work has furthered our knowledge about how they interact.”

“Like the beaver,” Harris explains, “both species are ecosystem engineers, designing the environments around them. Our work mapped the distribution patterns of these two species, and we studied how those patterns might change with changes in climate and sea level.”

Harris says financial support from UGA has been fundamental, funding MAREX, where he worked six years, and relieving costs of his UGA studies and research.

“All of my work has been in Georgia,” Harris says gratefully, “and it’s been very much helped by people at UGA or affiliated with UGA.”

In 2020, Harris moved on to work with Katharyn Boyer at the Estuary and Ocean Science Center at San Francisco State University while finishing his dissertation. Harris and his researcher fiancée, Laura Hollander (BSFR ’09), share a tiny house a short walk from San Francisco Bay, where Harris designs innovative reef structures for oyster habitat in San Francisco Bay and researches habits of an endangered marsh bird.

The color green, to many Irishmen, means St. Patrick’s Day. Harris appreciates the holiday honoring Ireland’s patron saint, but he explains that the holiday is a much bigger occasion in the U.S. than it is in Ireland. He recalls colorful childhood parades, but nothing on the scale of holiday festivities like those in Savannah, where he lived five years during his Georgia coastal work.

Men in a St. Patrick's Day parade in Ireland

A St. Patrick’s Day parade on Achill Island features gentlemen wearing the bushes of shamrock that are characteristic of the celebration in Ireland.

“Now that’s a spectacle,” Harris says. “For two of the years I was there, the Savannah parade was the best-attended St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world–bigger than Boston’s or New York’s.”

“Not many people in Ireland would put on those shamrock-embroidered green blazers they wear in Savannah,” he laughs. “But it sure is a sight to see.”

Young Daniel Harris on St. Patrick's Day

Daniel, shown here with his St. Patrick’s Day hat and badge, was always up to no good, he says. He’d charge the drunken men to use the pub toilets in his hometown.

Donate to support Ecology grad students

 

A few notes:

  • Daniel’s father is publishing a book about life on Skellig Michael, an island off the west coast of Ireland. Read more about the book and peek at a photo of Daniel on the island … stalked by a puffin!
  • The Savannah Alumni Chapter will host a float in the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Follow their Instagram account for more details.

This profile was written by Charles McNair.

 

UGA Class of 2021 achieves 92 percent career outcomes rate

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Ninety-two percent of the University of Georgia Class of 2021 are employed, attending grad school or engaged in post-grad internships, all within six months of graduation, according to career outcomes data released by the UGA Career Center. The information includes undergraduate, graduate and professional students who earned degrees between August 2020 and May 2021.

Specifically, among 2021 UGA graduates, 63 percent reported being employed full time; 20 percent were attending graduate school; and 9 percent were engaged in post-graduate internships, fellowships, residencies, postdoctoral research, part-time jobs, reported their status as entrepreneurs or said they were not seeking employment.

“UGA students are exceptionally talented and possess not only the technical skills, but also key career readiness skills that employers are seeking. This includes leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and professionalism,” said Scott Williams, executive director of the UGA Career Center. “Furthermore, our university community is becoming more involved in helping students achieve their career goals, evidenced by the over 1,200 faculty and staff who were nominated and identified by students via UGA’s Career Outcomes Survey as individuals who greatly influenced their career development and decision making.”

A total of 2,950 unique employers hired graduates from UGA’s Class of 2021. Of the graduates working full time, they reported working across all sectors of the economy, including:

  • Business – 73 percent
  • Education – 17 percent
  • Government – 6 percent
  • Nonprofit – 4 percent

Top employers for the Class of 2021 include AT&T, Cox Communications, General Motors, State Farm Insurance and Wells Fargo & Company.

Of those graduates employed full time, 61 percent said they secured employment prior to graduation and 99 percent were hired within six months of graduation.

Following time off for travel, December 2021 graduate Merryn Ruthling will work as a SHINE marketing associate at Deloitte (a Top 25 Employer for the Class of 2021). She credits the UGA Career Center as the number one reason she landed this role. She met with her UGA career consultant to practice interviews, build a portfolio, create targeted resumes and cover letters and, finally, for tips on salary negotiations. Ruthling first visited the Career Center as an incoming freshman.

“Meeting with various career consultants helped me learn that getting a job is a combination of who you know, your experiences and what you study–not just what you majored in,” she said.

UGA welcomes and prepares students from around the world, but as a land- and sea-grant institution, it places great emphasis on ensuring the state of Georgia has a strong pipeline of leaders across all industries. Of the Class of 2021, 71 percent accepted jobs within the state of Georgia. The other 29 percent secured positions across 48 states and 21 countries. Some out-of-state destinations include Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

The 20 percent of 2021 graduates furthering their education have enrolled in top schools, including Columbia University, Duke University, Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the University of Virginia and, of course, UGA.

For example, Lizy Hoepfinger, a December 2021 UGA graduate, chose to continue her education rather than entering the workforce following graduation.

“Using resources provided by the UGA Career Center, I determined what kind of job I want; from there I realized that going to grad school was the best next step for me,” she said.

Hoepfinger began a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence at UGA and plans to pursue a career with an innovative tech company upon completion of her degree.

The UGA Career Center calculates the career outcomes rate each January by collecting information from surveys, phone calls, employer reporting, UGA departments, LinkedIn and the National Student Clearinghouse. The preceding data is based on the known career outcomes of 7,618 graduates from the Class of 2021.

Learn More Hire a Bulldog

Representation matters

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In honor of Black History Month, the UGA Mentor Program highlights the warm relationship between two outstanding student mentees, current UGA law student, Sydney Cederboom (AB ’21, AB ’21), and Belen Gad, Class of 2022, and their phenomenal mentor, Stacey Chavis (MSL ’19).

The UGA Mentor Program understands that representation matters. Students want to feel seen and validated by a mentor who shares aspects of their identity. Advice from a mentor who previously dealt with a common circumstance is more credible than recommendations from someone who has never had to handle the same situation.

“I would encourage all our Black alumni to mentor,” says Stacey. “Open yourself to the process. There are so many resources available to help guide you in building a relationship. Mentoring opened my eyes to different things and I learn a lot in return.”

BECOME A MENTOR

Tyler Jefcoat (BBA ’07, MBA ’13) guides a new generation of accounting graduates

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In 2002, after graduating high school in Columbus, Georgia, Tyler Jefcoat (BBA ’07, MBA ’13) took an interest in Athens and the University of Georgia for two reasons: its music scene and its business school. While music stayed as a hobby, Tyler thrived in UGA’s Terry College of Business as an undergraduate.

After graduating and working as a retail bank manager, Tyler realized that corporate culture didn’t suit him. With encouragement from two key figures in his life, his dad and father-in-law, he returned to UGA and enrolled in an MBA program. It was here where he found his true passion for entrepreneurship.

“I came out of that MBA experience realizing that I just wasn’t a great corporate guy. I needed to build something for myself—so, I did,” Tyler said. “I literally got to present a concept company that we built, Care to Continue, as my final project in the MBA entrepreneurship class. I got great support from the university and from my classmates.”

Care to Continue trained and empowered caregivers for in-home senior care. Tyler stayed with Care to Continue for five years. The first year was difficult as they tried to market their name and build a loyal client base. By year two, though, the company was well-established within the market.

27 target customers met with Tyler and his cofounder to help build the essence of the brand in January of 2013. The name, Care to Continue, came out of this focus group.

“We were onto something because we understood our customer,” he said. “I think we were in a good market, but it was hard; it was crazy. And I was grateful that I got to sell my part of that business, because that was a 24/7/365 animal.”

Tyler sold his portion of Care to Continue in 2018 after realizing that the direction the business was heading didn’t follow his vision. He helped train the new leadership team for 100 days. While selling his part of the company benefitted him and his family, he stressed over what his next steps should be.

His wife, Emily (AB ’08)—whom he met through an undergraduate club at UGA—was by his side the entire time, assuring him of his path while keeping their two daughters in mind.

“I had a bunch of great opportunities. And my wife said, ‘Tyler, these opportunities all seem to be in Chicago or Atlanta or New York. You need to find something that’s not in Chicago or Atlanta or New York.’ And so, we started looking for ideas.”

Not wanting to uproot his family’s life for a career in a big city, Tyler found the answer in Athens. While having a coffee with one of his friends, Tyler considered a new idea: e-commerce. He found that there was a need he could fill in bookkeeping for small-scale entrepreneurs.

“I went to my wife—like I did when I started Care to Continue—and said, ‘I’m thinking about starting a company in an industry in which I’ve never worked or had any business with … what do you think?’” he laughed. “Thankfully, she told me that we should do it.”

In 2018, Tyler launched Seller Accountant, an accounting firm that provides e-commerce sellers on Amazon with bookkeeping and fractional CFO (financial coaching) services. The business works with sellers to create and implement customized accounting plans for each unique circumstance.

Using the experience and knowledge he gained from his first company, Seller Accountant quickly became one of the top accounting businesses in the Amazon marketplace.

Ashley Carter, Partner and COO of Seller Accountant, standing with the company’s first four Terry interns: Lizzie Rose (BBA ’20), Erna Brandt Braxton (BBA ’19, MAcc ’20), Addie Young (BBA ’20, MAcc ’21) and Christian Joseph (BBA ’20, MAcc ’21) in their original 1 Press Place incubator office in downtown Athens.

Tyler is passionate about helping others, and with his new business, he leverages his business and finance background to assist small sellers.

“Leading and encouraging small business owners makes me feel alive,” he said. “It gets me so excited.”

His drive to help others led him back to UGA, where a friend encouraged him to rent space in the Delta Innovation Hub in the Innovation District.

The Innovation District connects bright minds from UGA and beyond. Located across multiple buildings in North Campus and downtown Athens, the Innovation District connects students, faculty, alumni and local businesses. Tyler immediately connected with the Innovation District’s vision.

“The vision of the Innovation District—attaching faculty and alumni ideas to reality and helping them come into fruition—I was like, ‘Man, that’s where I am right now with Seller Accountant.’”

Tyler moved his business into the Delta Innovation Hub in 2021. Now, he and Seller Accountant find inspiration within the Hub while working alongside UGA’s graduate accounting program to help UGA students and alumni.

Tyler proudly wearing UGA gear.

“We’ve made it our mission to empower students, and we’re seeing results,” he said. “Like graduate assistantships for the graduate accounting program: two years in a row, one of our few students has landed that opportunity. We’re seeing anecdotal evidence that they’re getting higher salaries coming out of the accounting program.”

Knowing what it’s like to be an uncertain graduate, Tyler hopes to foster an environment where a student can succeed in finding the career most suited to them–whether that’s as an employee at Seller Accountant or an entrepreneur forging their own path.

“Could I be a part of someone’s story or their career and get a lot of benefit from it? Absolutely. And there’s no better place to be than on UGA’s campus for that to happen.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT UGA

DC Dawgs: a love story

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UGA has brought so many couples together over the years, but the love story of Lynne (DVM ’03) and Rob (BS ’99) Randolph differs from the usual tale. They met after graduating: during flag football practice on The Ellipse near the White House, to be exact. It’s a little unconventional, but UGA still played its part in uniting the couple through the Washington, D.C., alumni chapter.

Before meeting, Lynne and Rob came to the university for very different reasons. Lynne’s family has a long history with UGA. Her grandfather, Dr. John Munnell, was a professor emeritus in the College of Veterinary Medicine, which inspired Lynne to follow in his footsteps and attend UGA’s veterinary graduate program. Her stepdad, John F. Munnell Jr. (AB ’77), her uncle, Clayton Munnell (BSED ’91), and her many aunts, Ginny Munnell Morris (AB ’80, JD ’06), Emily Ann Munnell (ABJ ’82), Amy Munnell (AB ’84) and Mandy Munnell (BFA ’85), all graduated from UGA. Emily even works for UGA’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations. Lynne always knew that she would become a Bulldog because of these relatives.

Rob, on the other hand, grew up in Montana, where the winters are cold and harsh. Tired of temperatures that pushed into the negatives, he decided to transfer to a school in a warmer climate and that offered a late acceptance deadline. While UGA wasn’t a place he felt destined to attend, Rob still became fully immersed in Bulldog culture. He roomed with a few men’s tennis players and partied hard when they won the 1999 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship in Athens.

Lynne and Rob together at the 2022 CFP National Championship in Indianapolis

Lynne and Rob together at the 2022 CFP National Championship in Indianapolis.

While the two never met in Athens, they like to believe that they took a class together. Lynne took an undergraduate class in biochemistry and may have sat in the same 300-person lecture hall as Rob. They also frequented the same spots downtown. It’s not for certain, but they think it’s fun to believe it was.

Lynne and Rob officially met as DC Dawgs in August of 2004. They each joined the chapter to reconnect with fellow Bulldogs and became active members: watching football games as a group (Dawgs Never Bark Alone, after all) and playing flag football, which brought the pair together. While they didn’t begin dating until later, Lynne recalled what would become their first outing–when Rob “bamboozled” her.

Lynne loved live music—another reason she appreciated Athens—and discovered that a band she followed, OLD 97’s, was playing in D.C. at the 930 Club. She asked alumni in the chapter if anyone wanted to go with her, and Rob responded, “I love going to live music.” She found out later why he spoke so carefully: he listens to NPR and doesn’t actually like music all that much.

Rob maintains that he did not bamboozle her, and he went along solely to spend time with her. “He didn’t know any of the songs,” Lynne laughed, “but he still had fun, and it all worked out.”

Adalynne and Jack sitting on the throne chairs at Manhattan Cafe.

Adalynne and Jack sitting on the throne chairs at Manhattan Cafe.

While they never bonded over music, Lynne and Rob did bond while attending different chapter events. They got married on May 25, 2008, and now have two children, Adalynne and Jack, who is named after Lynne’s grandfather. They’re in elementary school, but Lynne and Rob hope they’ll attend UGA when they’re older.

The Randolphs make regular trips to Athens with Adalynne and Jack and try to attend at least one football game a year. They walk around campus and local parks and ensure they dine at their favorite Athens eateries, including The Taco Stand, Little Italy and The Grit.

“If we cannot go to those three places, it has not been a successful trip to Athens,” Lynne said. “Another must-do is that we have to go to Manhattan Cafe. That’s one place Rob and I had in common while we were in school. We love to take the kids there. The owner has kids, too, and he loves when we come.”

Despite living over 500 miles from UGA, Lynne and Robert are still Bulldogs at heart. They love that they can still engage with the university through the D.C. Dawgs Alumni Chapter. They regularly buy UGA gear for themselves and their children and recently received their order of championship merch in the mail. The UGA Alumni Association has been great for this couple, and they’re forever grateful that it brought them together in the first place.

The Randolph family on Christmas wearing their UGA gear.

The Randolph family on Christmas wearing their UGA gear.

G-Day 2022: The Dawgs’ title defense begins here

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For the first time since their national championship celebration, the Georgia Bulldogs will return to a packed Sanford Stadium for the 2022 G-Day game on Saturday, April 16!

The annual spring scrimmage caps the Dawgs’ spring practices, which begin March 15. Check here in the weeks to come for more information on how to secure your spot at the debut of the 2022 Georgia Bulldogs squad.

Kirby Smart’s seventh UGA team enters 2022 having finally conquered the program’s demons, and the shine of the Dawgs’ first national championship trophy in 41 years is unlikely to fade any time soon.

Kirby Smart speaks to a reporter prior to the 2022 CFP National Championship

The Bulldogs are expected to compete for another championship in 2022. The schedule opens with a highly anticipated contest against the Oregon Ducks—now led by former UGA defensive coordinator Dan Lanning—in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Home games against Tennessee and Auburn, away games against South Carolina and Kentucky and the annual clash with the Gators in Jacksonville all add up to an exciting slate for the Dawgs.

The Bulldogs will be without a number of 2021’s standout players—get ready to hear a whole lot of Georgia names called during the 2022 NFL Draft—but they retain experience and leadership at several key positions.

Stetson Bennett scrambles during a play during the 2022 CFP National Championship

Stetson Bennett, MVP of the 2022 CFP National Championship Game, returns at quarterback, and linebacker Nolan Smith, the two-time 2021 SEC co-Defensive Player of the Week whose sack of Bryce Young was the final play of the national championship game, will help lead the defense.

Additionally, defensive tackle Jalen Carter will assume the mantle held last year by Jordan Davis, Brock Bowers will continue to victimize every player who attempts to guard him, Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh will carry on UGA’s tradition of talented running back tandems and Kelee Ringo, Chris Smith and Tykee Smith all return to lock down opponents’ passing games.

Nolan Smith sacks Alabama's Bryce Young during the 2022 CFP National Championship

The Georgia sideline will feature some new faces in 2022.

  • Bryan McClendon, who played wide receiver for the Bulldogs from 2002-2005 and served as a graduate assistant or coach with the team from 2007-2015, returns to Athens as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. McClendon has also been offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for South Carolina (2016-2019) and passing game coordinator, wide receivers coach and interim head coach for Oregon (2020-2021).

  • UGA’s new outside linebackers coach is Chidera Uzo-Diribe, who played for the University of Colorado from 2011-2015. Uzo-Diribe was a general assistant at Colorado from 2016-2018, coached outside linebackers for the Kansas Jayhawks in 2019 and 2020, and most recently served as defensive line coach for Southern Methodist University in 2021.

 

We may be months away from the 2022 season, but you can start gearing up today, figuratively and literally!

  • UGA alumni can stay plugged in on the latest Bulldog news—from on and off the field—by updating their info at alumni.uga.edu/update.
  • Want to show off your Bulldog spirit and your hometown pride all at once? Head over to the UGA Bookstore and find your state decal. Bonus: every purchase includes a $5 donation to the Georgia Fund, which supports scholarships and the areas of greatest need at UGA.
  • Tennessee and Florida Dawgs: with your help, Bulldogs across the Volunteer and Sunshine States can purchase specialty license plates that rep the G! Check out the Tennessee and Florida license plate campaigns to find out how you can make UGA car tags a reality.

UGA sorority alumnae establish endowed scholarship

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UPDATE: As detailed in the original story below, in addition to establishing a Georgia Commitment Scholarship in 2022—which has since been awarded to its first recipient—Alpha Kappa Alpha alumnae took on a fundraising campaign to establish a second, merit-based scholarship to support Franklin College students who are committed to furthering the advancement of girls and women in their community and in higher education. In the year since this story was published, 233 donors gave over $100,000 to establish this scholarship. This accomplishment was one of the many celebrated at the Eta Xi chapter’s 50th anniversary gala in Athens on March 14, 2023.

Alumnae of the Eta Xi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha gathered in Athens to celebrate the chapter's 50th anniversary on March 14, 2023.

Alumnae of the Eta Xi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha gathered in Athens to celebrate the chapter’s 50th anniversary on March 14, 2023.

More than 100 alumnae of the University of Georgia’s Eta Xi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., gave a total of over $50,000 to establish the 1973 Eta Xi Alumni Association Inc. Georgia Commitment Scholarship, which will provide need-based aid to UGA students in perpetuity.

“I am grateful to UGA’s Alpha Kappa Alpha alumnae, who are setting an outstanding example of generosity at our university,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Their support of current students through the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program will make a lasting impact on the lives of UGA students as well as their families and communities.”

Near the beginning of 2021, Eta Xi alumnae set out to raise $50,000 by the end of the year to create a scholarship that would help ease students’ financial burdens and introduce different perspectives to the campus community. Once that goal was met, their collective gift was matched by the UGA Foundation (UGAF) with an additional $50,000 through the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program, thanks to funding provided in August 2021 by the UGAF board of trustees.

The scholarship will benefit students in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and the first recipient will be named in fall 2022.

“Giving to student scholarships enables me to honor the rich history of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at UGA through Eta Xi Chapter while also celebrating current students,” said Natalie Lewis (ABJ ‘91), a member of the Black Alumni Leadership Council and life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. “As an alumna, I am truly proud to support UGA students’ success and grateful for all the donors to this effort. The tenacity and drive—particularly of students of color—are remarkable in these tough times.”

Since surpassing their fundraising goal, the Eta Xi alumnae group has continued raising support for scholarships. They are currently raising funds for a second Eta Xi alumnae scholarship, which will be a merit-based scholarship to support students who are committed to furthering the advancement of girls and women in their community and in higher education.

“I give to UGA because I am a firm believer that education and exposure are the keys that unlock potential and opportunity,” said V. Gail Bibbs Holmes (BBA ’92), Eta Xi alumna. “When a young person is fortunate enough to interact and learn with people from all over the world, their perspective grows, their thoughts expand and, hopefully, they are positively influenced by this experience. Unfortunately, there are still too many young people who have the desire and capability to attend college but do not have the financial means.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. was the first Greek-letter organization established by African American college women. Sixty-five years after its founding, on January 13, 1973, the Eta Xi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha was instituted at UGA by women who sought to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards and promote unity and friendship among college women.

Today, Eta Xi members and alumnae strive to build upon the sorority’s legacy through a commitment to scholarship, leadership and service to the university and Athens-Clarke County communities. The need-based scholarship they have established and the merit-based scholarship to come are the latest demonstrations of that commitment.

Scholarship support allows deserving UGA students to focus more on their coursework and participate in extracurriculars that promote growth and experiential learning opportunities. To learn more about supporting student scholarships at UGA, visit give.uga.edu/removing-barriers.