One Year in the Classic City

This week I'm celebrating one whole year in the Classic City!

Since the first time I drove through the Athens city limits I knew it was a place I needed to be.  I was visiting Atlanta for the weekend and decided to drive east to the University of Georgia.  I remember walking through North Campus and down Sanford Drive to the stadium in complete awe.  The campus was beautiful with its early fall colors and majestic buildings!  The rich character and small-town feel of Downtown Athens immediately had me hooked.  The atmosphere on a September Friday before gameday is something that screams pride and excitement.  I knew right then and there that Athens, Georgia is a special place.

About 8 months later it was official that I'd be a Georgia Bulldog and 3 months after that I was moving into my apartment in Athens.  Less than a year after visiting Athens for the first time, I was calling it home.  And today I'm still so grateful and feel blessed that I get to live here.  That I get to be a Georgia Bulldog!  I have completely fallen in love with this town.  The pride engulfed in those who love the Dawgs.  The atmosphere on Saturdays throughout the fall.  The glow of the Christmas lights through downtown during the winter.  The diversity and originality of the many restaurants that make up the food scene downtown.  Athens, Georgia is a treasure.

Since the moment I stepped foot in Athens almost 2 years ago I longed to be a part of the culture that surrounded The Classic City.  I'm grateful for the path I took to arrive in Athens.  This year has been hard and challenging.  I am away from my family and close friends that I miss on a daily basis.  I also had to get through an immense loss mostly on my own.  There's still immeasurable heartache and struggle after the dust settles.  But this year has also been so fun and rewarding.  I've grown and learned  an incredible amount this year- about myself, about life, and about what I want for my future.  And I can honestly say that Athens has become home.  I have a love for this place that makes me smile from ear to ear.  Thanks for a great year, Athens, I love you!

Being a Student-Athlete Mentor

Working with student-athletes is a big part of the career I’ve chosen and hope to continue in.  In communications, I try to coach them on ways to speak to and handle the media- for them to build their brand through their interviews, for them to answer questions in a way that both impress and benefit themselves, the reporter and the reader.  Student-athletes are in the limelight and most of them want to make good impressions and be role models.  They want to be well-liked and rooted for- on the field, off the field and into the future.  They have to learn how to use social media and the platform they’ve been given to their advantage and that’s something I try to help them with as a communications professional.  

This semester I was able to work with student-athletes in a different way.  I became a student-athlete mentor.  Here at Georgia, a mentor is someone who provides leadership and guidance to assigned student-athletes.  We help them manage their class schedule, make sure they’re studying and doing their assignments on time.  We help them balance the roles of both being a student and an athlete, because after all, they are students first.  We meet with them a few times a week and I was fortunate enough to grow great relationships with my athletes.

Throughout the semester I got to see life through the eyes of a student-athlete.  I saw perseverance with an athlete coming back from injury.  I saw frustration from an athlete struggling in a class and having to work extra hard to get the desired grade.  I saw obedience and respect for the people around them who are there to help, support, and guide them to success. 

Sure, some athletes fall into the general stereotype of “I’m too good for this”.  I worked with one who seemed to care less about the “student” part of the title, but still worked hard to obtain the necessary grades.  That type of athlete, though, is not the majority from what I can see.

I’d say the most important thing I saw this semester was the dedication and determination in these athletes.  These athletes want to get good grades by putting 110% into their homework, tutoring, and studying.  They also want to win by putting 110% into their practices and work outs.  They work hard, they’re determined, and they’re committed to the “G”.  They don’t take the opportunity they’ve been given lightly and know they’re lucky to be a student-athlete.

I’m lucky to get to know and work with some great student-athletes.  I hope I can continue to learn as much from them as I hope they learn from me. 

My First Y'all

January 22, 2015- a date which will live in infamy.  Okay, so it's not actually that dramatic.  But on January 22nd I caught myself saying something I had never knowingly said before.

It was a Thursday night in Athens.  The Lady Bulldogs were playing the Aggies of Texas A&M with hopes of extending their at-home winning streak to 12.  Georgia fought hard against their No. 10 ranked opponent and sealed the win in the final seconds of the game with a final score of 54-51.  It was exciting!  The type of buzzer beater us sports fans love, especially when your team is the underdog and they come out on top!

We conducted post game interviews with smiles on our faces and excitement for what this season might bring.  Things winded down as our team was getting ready to call it a night and just like that I said, "bye y'all" as I was walking out of the media room at Stegeman Colosseum.

I think I gasped.  It was the first time I heard myself say y'all so involuntarily.  It just came out like word vomit!  I'm not sure if anyone else noticed the difference between my "y'all" and normal "you guys", but I sure did!  After 12 months of living in the south, y'all effortlessly came out of my mouth.  I'm not saying that it's going to be a regular thing, but I can't say I'll stop it!  Here's to continuing to embrace the southern culture I love so much!

A Season in the Press Box

This has been a football season to remember.  I know it’s technically not over yet, but we’ve shut the lights at Sanford Stadium for the year.  I can’t put into words how fast these last 14 weeks have flown by or what they’ve meant to me.

Since first stepping foot on the beautiful campus of the University of Georgia in Athens last September, I knew this was a place I needed to be.  Fifteen months later, I’m living in that wonderful town and just wrapped up my first season as a Bulldog.  This was also the first time I’ve spent a season watching games from the press box. 

Every Saturday that the Dawgs were home in Athens, I was in the press box at Sanford Stadium.  Being a part of the communications/stat team this season has been unreal and not a day went by that I didn’t feel grateful or have “pinch me” moments. 

Saturdays in Athens are wonderfully hectic and exciting.  Distributing information/stats and making sure the press box was set for media personnel was the first thing we’d do.  With a credential around my neck, I would spend some time on the sideline with my co-workers during warm ups.  I would make my way back up to the press box in time for the team to make their dramatic entrance and the singing of the National Anthem.

I usually felt a string of butterflies as the teams were getting ready to kick off and the crowd was wild with anticipation.  The string of butterflies was often joined by giddy excitement and just like that the Dawgs were ready to tee it up Between the Hedges. 

The atmosphere at Sanford Stadium never ceased to amaze me.  I’ve never experienced anything like it.  It’s an experience not adequately described with words but with emotions that simply over take you- the passion, intensity, camaraderie and tradition that is Georgia.  If you’re a sports fan, it’ll change your soul. 

A part from being proud to be a Georgia Bulldog, I am extremely blessed to be learning from the best of the best here at Georgia.  I’m not only immersing myself in the culture of this wonderful town, but taking full advantage of every opportunity to enrich my career.  Athens is a special place and I can’t wait to see what else it has in store for me.