Leveling the playing field

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In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, the UGA Mentor Program is focusing on what it means to be neurodivergent and is emphasizing how asking for accommodations is not seeking an unfair advantage—it is simply gaining equal footing.

Meet Scott Frasard (BBA ’03, MED ’06, PHD ’11)

Scott’s higher education journey was atypical, even before he realized he was neurodivergent. He didn’t enroll in college until 12 years after graduating from high school–first working as an EMT and then paramedic. Even then, he went to school part time while continuing to work full time, eventually becoming a member of the first graduating class from UGA’s Gwinnett Campus. His college experience piqued an interest in adult education, so he continued to commute to the Gwinnett campus in pursuit of a Master of Education. He then moved to Athens to take courses on UGA’s main campus, eventually earning a Ph.D. in adult education.

It wasn’t until two years ago that he learned of his autism. The formal identification sent him on a journey of discovery.

“It was definitely a learning curve for me,” said Scott. “I had to become comfortable with my autism first, before sharing with others.” Scott turned to the internet. Reframing Autism, a website for an Australian nonprofit organization, has proven helpful. So has the Autism Self Advocacy Network website.

Even though he comes from a medical background, Scott found he was more comfortable with the identity-first descriptors for his autism versus the traditional medical point of view, preferring a statement like “We are autistic” to “We have autism.”

Scott says, “Autism is my identity. You can’t separate me from my autism. Saying ‘We have autism’ implies illness and disability, and that there is something wrong with us. We are not less; we are simply wired differently.”

Leveling the playing field

Learning he was autistic after nearly 30 years of teaching prompted Scott to reevaluate his teaching practices and make changes to be inclusive of neurodivergent learners. This includes creating a safe space in his classroom—an environment that is welcoming to all. He encourages students to talk about what they need up front before it becomes a problem. He shares things about himself to make students more comfortable to talk about themselves.

“I prepare others to expect ‘stimming’ or self-soothing behaviors they might see me do to help regulate my emotions,” explains Scott. He alerts people to his bluntness and explains that they should not perceive it as rudeness; he is simply getting straight to the point. Scott notes that because he interprets language extremely literally, he has learned to ask lots of clarifying questions. These advanced explanations help stem frustration on both sides of his interactions with others. Scott has learned to have these conversations not only with his students, but with his co-workers as well.

“In the hiring process for my last job, I was up front with HR and the hiring managers,” said Scott. “It helped them understand why I asked for what I needed and why these were reasonable accommodations.”

Scott is extremely sensitive to external stimuli. Sounds and movements easily distract him. They grab attention away from what he wants to focus on and create anxiety. For instance, fluorescent lights that flicker and buzz—something neurotypical people ignore or don’t even notice—are quite disruptive. So, Scott works remotely from his home. Like many autistic people, Scott is an introvert. His co-workers understand his need to block out time in his calendar to prepare for and/or decompress from meetings.

Bringing his experience to the Mentor Program

As a mentor in the UGA Mentor Program, Scott uses his experience to help students navigate their UGA journeys. He wants to empower students to ask for what they need from the start.

“Professors understand that to truly measure what someone has learned, they have to remove the barriers that disrupt the measurement,” Scott said. “If students need more time to process test questions and need a quiet environment in which to concentrate, these are not bonuses. They are not asking for extra; they’re seeking equal opportunity to perform at their best.”

Your uniqueness is valuable.

Your experiences may help a student on their UGA journey. Discover how fulfilling being a mentor can be.

BECOME A MENTOR

Learn more.

Find out what it means to be neurodivergent and how you can be an ally to the autistic community. UGA Mentor Program Ambassador Cassie Turner, Class of 2022, sat down for a discussion with Scott in an episode of RealTalk, the UGA Mentor Program’s podcast.

LISTEN NOW

Know a student struggling at UGA?

Scott is just one amazing professional available to serve as a mentor. In fact, the Mentor Program platform makes it easy for students to search through thousands of experienced faculty, staff and alumni mentors to find someone who matches their interests and background and can relate to their strengths and challenges.

FIND A MENTOR

Celebrate UGA’s national championship with a themed background

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Since we won the national championship, we’ve been looking for any excuse to show off a little. If you’re like us, these customized backgrounds should help do the trick. 

We created six national championship-themed digital backgrounds for you to use during your Zoom/virtual meetings. Celebrate on the field with Kirby Smart and confetti or present beside the championship trophy. Whatever you choose, your meetings will burst with Georgia pride!  

Don’t know how to set a background? Don’t worry! 

If your computer is compatible with Zoom backgrounds (most are), follow the steps below to show your Bulldog pride.

  1. Select your favorite background images and save them to your desktop to make it easier to find during this process.
  2. Open Zoom and click the gray gear icon in the top right corner below your profile. *Make sure you are on your Home tab on the menu at the top of the application.
  3. Settings will open in a new window. On the right menu, click Background & Effects. *The icon is turquoise and looks like a person on a computer monitor.
  4. Click the gray plus icon in the right center of the window, and then click Add Image. Navigate to the background you’ve chose, select it and click open. *Make sure you are on your Virtual Backgrounds tab on the menu under your video display.
  5. The background will appear alongside all the other virtual background images on Zoom. Make sure it is selected before you close your Settings, and you’ll have a new championship background! *If your background looks like it’s backward, be sure to uncheck the box next to Mirror my video under the virtual background images in Zoom.

Rather have something more classic? 

We have other UGA-themed backgrounds to choose from, as well as several seasonal options. 

Want more ways to support athletics? 

Consider donating to the UGA Athletic Association to help UGA student-athletes achieve both on and off the field.  

SUPPORT UGA ATHLETICS

40 Under 40 Spotlight: Mario Cambardella reinvents urban landscaping

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For Mario Cambardella (BLA ’06, MEPD ’11, MLA ’13), connecting his professional purpose to a personal passion to make a difference ultimately set him on a pathway for success. It’s why he pursued a variety of service-oriented efforts to reinvigorate urban landscapes before turning his attention to starting an innovative business that relies on technology to better connect Georgia farmers with new markets in the Atlanta area.

For his personal, professional and philanthropic achievements, Mario ranked among UGA’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2021. The program celebrates young alumni leading the pack in their industries and communities.

Mario and his wife, Lindsey Cambardella (JD ’12).

How did Mario Cambardella find his purpose?

During his time at UGA, Mario connected with Jack Crowley, a professor emeritus in the College of Environment + Design. Mario found that “he understood how to find a solution that achieved true sustainability by balancing economic, social and environmental factors in equal harmony.”

After earning his master’s degree in landscape architecture in 2013, Mario landed an internship with a prestigious firm based in Colorado. However, many of his assigned projects didn’t align with his belief that designed landscapes should have a more holistic function that better supports the people who live near them. That’s what ultimately put him on a journey to become the first Urban Agriculture Director in the country.

“The premise is the landscape can be more than beautiful—it can perform, and it can have a function,” Mario said.

He would go on to lead the AgLanta initiative, focusing on bringing sustainable landscaping practices to underutilized properties in the Atlanta area. Relying on its Grows-A-Lot program, Mario acquired several vacant properties that had fallen into disrepair in USDA-defined food desert areas and converted them into community gardens. These spaces would help generate healthy food for the surrounding areas, and would be aesthetically pleasing and create a sense of place for the community.

Mario also helped cultivate the country’s largest municipal food forest, Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill.

What is ServeScape?

After focusing the first phase of his career on revitalizing urban communities, Mario embraced a new challenge when he founded ServeScape. Its goal is to bolster the green industry’s supply chain and enhance its use of technology to better serve customers and empower Georgia’s growers. It is Atlanta’s largest online-only garden center and wholesale plant nursery, sourcing a variety of Georgia Grown plants from farmers and horticulturists across the state.

ServeScape connects the bounty of growers with wider audiences, expanding their market and boosting revenues, while enabling property owners in urban areas to curate their own sustainable landscapes with native plants.

“We can enable beautiful and resilient landscapes all across the country because we’re relying on technology and a simple methodology,” Mario noted. “It’s bringing forward the idea that the products of every farmer can now get to market. And then when it gets to the market, we can actually make sure that it gets to the right hands.”

Mario (left) with his ServeScape team.

How is ServeScape sustainable?

Mario created ServeScape with sustainability in mind. ServeScape elevates locally grown products and locally stationed experts to foster a closer, greener community in the Metro Atlanta area. The company brings together landscape designers, plant experts and professional installers to create a landscape that challenges the norms of retail sellers.

By being a fully online marketplace, ServeScape does not waste resources on large, expensive plant nurseries and instead ships plants directly from the farm to clients’ doors. ServeScape’s designers also create a customized landscape that can last in each individual environment. Plants are meticulously curated to not only be beautiful, but also functional and resilient, reducing the need for replacements and leading to economic and environmental success.

“Through every job and project, I keep in mind that working in the natural and built environment makes you a student of each project site,” Mario said. “I hope I never lose the sense of adventure and excitement of seeing a site for the first time. Losing touch with the land distances yourself from many of the reasons this profession is so unique, engaging and rewarding.”

ServeScape is provides landscape design services throughout metro Atlanta and the Athens area, while AgLanta continues to advance its mission of advancing and supporting urban agriculture in the city.

Do you know an outstanding young grad leading the pack in their industry or community? Nominate them for the 2022 Class of 40 Under 40! Nominations close on April 8.

NOMINATE A GRAD

Written by Johnathan McGinty (ABJ ’00), Partner, The Trestle Collective

Donors make 9,339 gifts on Georgia Giving Day

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UGA’s first 24-hour fundraising campaign smashes goals, nets $5.3 million to areas across campus

The University of Georgia’s first institution-wide, 24-hour fundraising effort, Georgia Giving Day, finished at midnight PST on April 1 after receiving 9,339 gifts.

UGA’s goal for its inaugural giving day was 1,785 gifts, but overwhelming support pushed the campaign past its first goal, a second goal of 3,318 and even a third goal of 6,000.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who contributed to this astonishing result, and I want them to know that they are part of more than just a successful fundraising effort,” said Kelly Kerner, UGA vice president for development and alumni relations. “They are now part of a student’s journey to Athens, a community solving local issues through UGA research, a team of students and faculty finishing a project that puts them on the national stage. All these things and many more are made possible with the help of our donors.”

Georgia Giving Day generated $5.3 million in new funding, with gifts going to each of UGA’s 18 schools and colleges. Donors came from 50 states and 16 countries.

Some donors did more than donate, however. UGA alumni chapters across the U.S. organized events for Georgia Giving Day that encouraged attendees to make gifts while participating in a variety of activities. Events from St. Louis to Dallas to Savannah to Boston saw Bulldogs giving back while bowling, brunching, wine tasting and more.

UGA enlisted a number of prominent alumni to promote the effort. UGA head football coach Kirby Smart, broadcasters Deborah Roberts and Maria Taylor, author and Super Bowl champion Malcolm Mitchell and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks—all Georgia Giving Day donors themselves—helped reach out to UGA supporters.

“When Bulldogs come together, our wins extend beyond the football field into the very heart of what UGA stands for: a better quality of life for everyone,” said Smart in a Georgia Giving Day promotional video. “With all of the Bulldog Nation working together, there’s no limit to who and where we can help.”

Students played a notable role in the day’s success through the annual Senior Signature campaign, which allows graduating students to have their names included on a plaque in Tate Plaza with a $30 gift supporting UGA and the school or college of their choice. The campaign’s final day was March 31, and thanks to Georgia Giving Day efforts, it acquired nearly 22 percent of its student donor goal in a single day.

Those who were unable to donate on Georgia Giving Day can still make a difference at UGA. Visit givingday.uga.edu to make a gift, learn more about Georgia Giving Day and watch a special video from Coach Smart.

UGA advertising alumni shine with Super Bowl commercials

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Jason Kreher (ABJ ’00), a Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication alumnus, had a hand in creating two of the most popular commercials during this year’s Super Bowl.

He served as creative director for both the Irish Spring cult-horror parody and the minimalist Coinbase DVD logo reference. The Coinbase ad was ranked No.1 by Ad Age and AdWeek and received a Super Clio for best ad in the Super Bowl.

View Irish Spring Ad View the Coinbase Ad

Getting to know Jason

Jason enrolled at UGA in 1996 already interested in the journalism school. He gives a lot of credit to Karen Whitehill King’s media class in which he said he learned “literally everything I know today.” 

After graduating in 2000, Jason traveled to Florence, Italy, before returning to the United States and landing a job as an assistant account executive on the intel account. In 2008, Jason joined the international advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy where he worked his way up to the creative director of its entertainment and editorial division.  

During this time, he earned the 2017 Henry W. Grady Mid-Career Alumni Award. Though he finds the ‘Mid-Career’ part of the title “hilariously diminutive,” he still asserts that this was the most exciting award to receive—and he’s received a lot of awards, including two Grand Prix’s at the Ciclope International Festival of Craft and the AICP’s Campaign of the Year, to name a few.  

After 14 years with Wieden + Kennedy, Jason found a new position as chief creative officer North America at Accenture Interactive. It was with this agency that Jason created and directed the Coinbase and Irish Spring ads for the Super Bowl. 

Jason (right) with Karen Whitehall King and Grady alumnus Tatum Shaw (ABJ ’02).

About the ads

He says he is pleased with the ads’ receptions. He prides himself on creating provocative ads, so when Coinbase’s one-minute-long bouncing QR code received mixed reviews, he was thrilled it was getting lots of attention.

“The Coinbase response was incredibly fun to watch happen in real time,” he said. “I love that once the dust settled, the spot came in first in the AdWeek and Ad Age polls and dead last in the USA Today poll. We knew the commercial wasn’t for everyone, but that was never the point. The number of people who scanned and the number of people who stayed and signed up exceeded our clients’ wildest expectations.”  

Despite being the more traditional of the two commercials—if you can call a sweaty man stumbling into a cleaning-obsessed cult traditional—Jason is happy with how the Irish Spring ad turned out, too.  

“Irish Spring made a few top ten lists as well,” he said. “But the funniest part is that I snuck in my high school’s logo on the main character’s shirt. Apparently, Brookwood pride is very real, almost alarmingly so. My clients were like, ‘why is our social feed lighting up in Snellville Georgia all of a sudden?’ Nice work, Internet Broncos.”  

All of Jason’s work—advertisements, short films, songs and more—are on his website. 

Jason shooting a campaign in Prague.

If you want more Super Bowl ads by Georgia Bulldogs …

Grady alumnus Andy Pearson (ABJ ’06, AB ’06) also had a hand in a popular regional commercial for Liquid Death.

View Liquid Death Ad

Andy served as the vice president of creative services for the ad which featured small children (and one pregnant woman) partying and drinking the non-alcoholic sparkling water to Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law.” The brand purposefully markets itself to look alcoholic to give those who don’t want to drink a healthier alternative without feeling pressured.

Andy also has his own website with his many advertising campaigns. He and his wife, Liza Behles, also have a joint website where they freelance remotely as a creative duo.

Support the next generation of ad industry professionals by giving to the Advertising Education Fund.

Donate to the Advertising Education Fund

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.

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