Laila Ward still remembers the feeling of awe that washed over her when she first set foot onto the Tyler Perry Studios campus in Atlanta. 

“It was so surreal,” said the ĚÇĐÄVlog senior fashion merchandising and apparel design student. “There were so many moments during that day and the days after where I stopped and thought, ‘I’m really here.’” 

Ward secured a coveted internship with the production company for the 2025 summer semester. Out of 1,900 applicants, she was one of the 14 who were chosen. 

She started as a costume production assistant, coordinating costume logistics and maintenance across the various film sets spread out over the massive campus. 

“We kept everything organized,” Ward explained. “We made sure that merchandise and costumes were properly stored, and made sure that everything ran smoothly.” 

Things have to run smoothly on the studio grounds. The 330-acre campus is situated on the site of the former U.S. military installation Fort McPherson in Atlanta, whose soldiers enforced federal regulations after the Civil War. The property features multiple sets that are constantly in use, whether for a Tyler Perry production or otherwise. 

After a few weeks deep in the studio trenches, Ward and her fellow interns were challenged to go a step further. 

“We were given a surprise project to make our own short film,” said Ward. “We were given a budget, a location on the studio campus, camera equipment and props. We only had one week to film, but we were able to create a 10-minute short film.”

She recalls the late nights her team spent working on their film. They would stay up until 3 a.m., consulting with studio executives about how to create the best version of their work while meeting deadlines. 

“They already had their own work to do, but they made themselves available for us,” she explained. “The culture at the studios, everyone feels like family. We all want to help each other succeed.” 

The relationships she built with these industry professionals made her realize how similar they all were. 

“I had no idea I’d be able to get here,” said Ward. “The crazy thing about it is that everyone working here all felt the same. Their journey wasn’t linear. It was all over the place, just like mine.” 

Her passion for fashion started at an early age. As a child, she was a constant fixture at her grandmother’s side, learning to sew. Her grandmother always encouraged her to make her own clothes, inspiring dreams of a future as a designer. But as she got older, she fought with her own fears, second-guessing her choices. 

“I feel like I’ve been mediocre in a lot of things my whole life,” she admitted. “I really wasn’t that athletic. I’m not a straight-A student. I felt like I wasn’t really good at anything.  

“After high school, I took a gap year and discovered that my natural gift was styling people,” Ward continued. “It was so much fun and my friends would always come to me for outfit advice. It felt like I was actually doing something.” 

She had her ‘aha’ moment when she found Georgia Southern’s Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design. 

 â€œThe fashion program at ĚÇĐÄVlog is really rewarding,” she said. “I can comfortably say it’s given me the skills I need to succeed in the industry, as well as understanding how important it is to create opportunities for yourself.”  

It was this winding road that brought her to the front door of Tyler Perry Studios, giving her an experience that has helped define her future. 

“I realized that my superpower wasn’t just in fashion and clothes,” she explained. “But in pushing people, including myself, to show up as their best selves.”

That’s what led her to start her own organization, Potential.

“Potential is a collective I started that’s all about connecting people who want to grow in the creative arts job markets,” she explained. “I wanted to create something that helps people realize how special they all are.”

She credits Perry’s real-life challenges an actor and writer looking for a break as a key influence in strengthening the trust she developed in herself.

“You have to believe in yourself, just like he did,” said Ward. “And you have to make sure that you’re taking the time to grow in your craft, just like he did. Once I started doing that…I realized there was genuinely no limit to what I could accomplish.”

Yorkis Caro Pena is a psychology student minoring in Spanish at ĚÇĐÄVlog. She spent the majority of the Fall 2024 semester as an apprentice at the Coastal Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC) Hispanic Outreach Center in Savannah. 

Caro Pena would greet children and their families coming into the center, all while working on things like document translation, developing social media content and preparing for community events.

“While we want to make materials to educate the parents about our services, we’re also making sure that the children know that we’re advocating for them,” explained Caro Pena. “We want to connect directly with the children so that they know we’re here.” 

The nonprofit agency provides free services for children who have been abused or witnessed violence, as well as additional services for non-offending family members. And although the CCAC has been in operation since 1991, Executive Director Rose Grant-Robinson realized there was a population they were not targeting. 

“I knew there was a big Hispanic population here,” explained Grant-Robinson. “But they were not coming to us.”

That’s what led Grant-Robinson to open the Hispanic Outreach Center in 2016. Since then, she and her staff have helped more than 300 Hispanic children escape abusive situations, unpack their trauma and reclaim their lives. 

As with any nonprofit, their team is small, operating on a thin budget and looking for any help they can get. That’s where Georgia Southern Spanish professor Grant Gearhart, Ph.D., saw an opportunity for students to get involved through the Community Apprenticeship Program run by the .

“I’ve always wanted to do a community service learning program for our students,” he said. “So when I found the Hispanic Outreach Center, I asked them if they would be interested in having students work with them.” 

Grant-Robinson jumped at the chance to get students in the Center. 

“I love interns,” she said. “Yes, I love interns, because I want them to have hands-on learning. Come in, put your boots on the ground and feel it for yourself.”

Caro Pena, a psychology major with a minor in Spanish who hails from the Dominican Republic, did just that.  

“I want to specialize in mental health advocacy and, you know, offering help specifically to the Hispanic community,” she said. “So this was a perfect opportunity.”

Spanish major Alexandria Shearer also served in a similar role at the Center. She said that ultimately, it’s not just the kids who are benefiting from the work the Center does. 

“Working with this team gave me hope in humanity even when facing such an ugly side of what humanity can do,” explained Shearer. “The advocacy center provides support to families and children as they face some of the most difficult challenges. It was an honor to learn from an organization dedicated to giving children the genuine, authentic care and attention they deserve.” 

Elise Aleman, a ĚÇĐÄVlog Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduate, spent much of her adult life in South Florida working as a graphic artist. She moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 2017 to pursue a new calling in painting. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Aleman decided she wasn’t done yet.

Aleman dreamed of becoming an art teacher, and she wanted to have a graduate degree to boost her applications. While looking for a master’s program, she was recruited by a friend to look at Georgia Southern. Shortly thereafter, she became a member of Eagle Nation.

As she developed her portfolio in the graduate program, she found herself going to a familiar source.

In the 1960s, there was a wave of immigration from Cuba into the U.S. This pattern of immigration was called the “Freedom Flights.”

When she was just seven years old, Aleman and most of her family were on one of those planes in July of 1967. 

The Communist regime believed all who left the island were deserting their nation, and they took many of the families’ belongings in retaliation. 

“When people would get on the flights, the military was at the airport,” she said. “They would go through all your bags, they take anything  that either they wanted to keep for themselves or just to be spiteful. A lot of the time, they would take photographs and just throw them out.”

To avoid losing their family pictures, Aleman’s mother left their photos with relatives in Cuba.

After landing in the U.S., they settled in a small community in New Jersey where they learned a new language and way of life.

Over time, deliveries began arriving in their new home in the Garden State. They held the family photos they had left behind, sent by relatives who had been protecting them.

“I use the photographs from Cuba that were sent to us when we came in,” she said. “There’s a series in my scope that I did that is about those photographs and immigrating here. I wanted to make people see them and really connect with it in their own way.”

Those paintings were featured in a recent art exhibition, “Theopoetics Prothesis,” on the University’s Armstrong Campus in Savannah, which explored the intersections of her faith, exile and transformation through two parallel yet interwoven bodies of work. One aspect reflected on her family’s immigration from Cuba, and considered how cultural displacement shapes identity, memory and faith. The other engaged directly with biblical themes, using scripture as a foundation for conceptual exploration.

“My goal was to make both scripture and personal history compelling and relevant,” she said. “The Bible is more than just a religious text—it’s a multidimensional tapestry of history, poetry, prophecy and metaphor. Likewise, the story of exile and displacement is not just my own but a universal narrative of survival, adaptation and faith. I wanted viewers to engage with these layered meanings, finding connections between the sacred, the personal and the collective.”

As Aleman prepares to graduate this week, she’s reflecting on the journey her family took to make it possible. She’s also grateful to the Georgia Southern community for welcoming her, despite the age gap between her and other MFA students.

“Those students, especially in the grad program, they just embrace you,” she said. “I never felt like an outsider. ‘Oh, there’s the old lady,’ you know? We have a very tight group in the fine arts program.”

After working a 12-hour night shift, Jazmine Jenkins headed to Memorial Health in Savannah, Georgia, to complete her round of clinical rotation for the day. From 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., she would prepare patients for various imaging procedures and attend to their needs. 

All the while, the phrase, “Give me 18 months, and I’ll give you a lifetime,” from her faculty mentor, Rochelle Lee, Ed.D., in the radiologic sciences program at ĚÇĐÄVlog, helped her push through the exhaustion. 

Her endurance paid off this spring as she crossed the commencement stage to earn her bachelor’s in radiologic sciences with a concentration in nuclear medicine. 

“Dr. Rochelle Lee helped me a lot,” Jenkins said. “I would definitely say that my love for nuclear medicine stemmed from her.” 

Jenkins also credits Lee with investing in her and her classmates.

“Nuclear medicine is a very small program, so my class was only seven people,” Jenkins said. “Dr. Lee really took time out to get to know each and every one of us. She’s a really concerned, loving professor. She helped me a lot.”

Jenkins’ degree path wasn’t always clear. Instead, trial, error and determination guided her steps along the way. 

She began her journey studying early childhood education at Albany Technical College in her hometown of Albany, Georgia, before transferring to Georgia Southern in 2020. 

“A lot of the classes I took didn’t transfer to Georgia Southern when I started here in 2020,” she said. “It felt like starting over.” 

Navigating a new university far from home was at times a struggle for Jenkins as a first-generation college student who had to learn how to balance studying, working long shifts and staying connected with her family several hours away. 

“It was a bit difficult because your family may call while you’re studying and you just don’t know how to tell them you’re very busy because they never experienced that,” she said. “I had to tell them I needed to study and I cut out part of my social life. After a while, it became very exhausting.”

But Jenkins was intent on following her dreams of working in health care. Inspired by her mother’s pregnancies with her younger sisters, Jenkins enjoyed the atmosphere of doctors’ offices and wanted to become an ultrasound technologist. 

Once at Georgia Southern, she began studying nursing, but it didn’t feel like the right fit. She then pivoted to exercise science, hoping that would better align with her interests. 

She soon found something was still missing. 

“I wanted to change from exercise science, but I was just so lost, so I stuck with it,” she said. “I knew I wanted to pursue ultrasound technology. That ultimately led me to radiologic sciences.”

When she didn’t get into the sonography program, her professors and advisors encouraged her to pursue other options. 

“They gave me the option between nuclear medicine and radiation therapy, and that’s when I ended up choosing nuclear medicine,” she said. “I didn’t know anything about it at all, I just decided to give it a try.” 

Jenkins admits she wasn’t excited about nuclear medicine at first. 

“I was really stuck on becoming an ultrasound technologist,” she said. “But I had come far enough and just wanted to do something at that point, and that’s when I reached out to Dr. Lee.”

Navigating changes in coursework didn’t come without its share of challenges for Jenkins, who also commuted and worked a nearly full-time job while studying and participating in clinicals. 

“‘How did I balance it?’ That’s a great question,” she said with a laugh. “For the most part, I just never thought about it. People did ask me, ‘How do you do it?’ And I could never tell them about it, you just have to do it.”

For Jenkins, the ultimate goal of having financial freedom and being a mentor for her younger sisters contributed to her resolve to finish her degree. 

“I really wanted to move out of the state,” she said. “My mom encouraged me all through college to get through it and said, ‘You’ll be able to live the lifestyle that you want. That mindset helped me keep going.”

Even though the path wasn’t always clear, Jenkins can look back and appreciate the experiences. 

“The core classes I took while planning to join the nursing and exercise science programs tied very closely,” she said. “Psychology taught me about how the mind works, and my pre-nursing, like human anatomy, helped a lot. Once I joined the radiologic sciences program, it felt like I hit the ground running, and all that knowledge helped me. I even took more classes than I should’ve because of the change of majors; however, each class I took, I don’t regret because it has made me a better radiologic student.”

Spiritually grounded, Jenkins also found peace and strength through her faith.

“When I came to Savannah, I found a church home,” she said. “That helped me be more positive, knowing that God had my back in every room I stepped into.”

As she prepares to enter the workforce for a career in nuclear medicine in Richmond, Virginia, this June, Jenkins isn’t done dreaming. She still feels pulled toward maternal and infant health and knows her journey will continue. 

“In the medical field, you can’t know everything at one time,” she said. “It’s an ongoing journey of learning. You never stop learning.” 

Statesboro, GA – ĚÇĐÄVlog’s fraternity and sorority groups made a significant impact on the Savannah and Statesboro communities during Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) Serves Week, during which the students served more than 1,000 service hours.

Held from April 19-26, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life’s (OFSL) annual event featured a variety of service projects, philanthropic events and community engagement initiatives, showcasing the spirit of collaboration and commitment to service among fraternity and sorority members on both campuses.

Statesboro Campus events: 

• Eagle Essentials Pantry Food Fight
• Volunteering with the ROTC Freedom Run 5k/10k
• Volunteering at the Kennedy Pond Conservancy
• Volunteering at Feed the Boro
• National Volunteer Month Community Engagement Panel
• Philanthropy and service workshops
• Philanthropy/service tabling event
• Volunteering at ArtsFest
• Faculty/Staff Appreciation Ice Cream Social

Armstrong Campus in Savannah events: 

• Pickleball for a Purpose Donations to the Captain’s Cupboard
• Earth Day Campus Clean Up Service to Success Community Engagement Panel
• Grillin’ with the Greeks pop tab collection and clothing drive

By the numbers: 

• Hours served: More than 1,000
• Volunteers: 239
• Items donated to Eagle Essentials Pantry and Captain’s Cupboard: 2,877
• High priority donations: 1,370
• 4,000 pop tabs collected for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire
• 650 clothing donations to the Old Savannah City Mission

The number of volunteers for this year’s FSL Serves Week grew by 40% over last year. Service hours also rose significantly, increasing by 70% from 650 last year to more than 1,000. Notably, this was the first year the Armstrong Campus participated in FSL Serves, expanding the program’s reach and reinforcing a multi-campus commitment to service.

The OFSL partnered with the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement, The Eagle Battalion Army ROTC Program, the Kennedy Pond Conservancy, Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department, The Gardens Senior Living and Memory Care Facility, Statesboro Farmers Market and the University Facilities Department to create a successful week of events.

For more information about FSL Serves Week or to learn how to get involved, please contact the .

Shaheim Johnson is reaching a significant milestone this May by becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. He describes his journey as a first-generation student at ĚÇĐÄVlog with two unforgettable words: “No regrets,” adding, “If I could, I would do it all over again.”

Growing up in Brunswick, Georgia, the University was always on his radar. It was a popular choice among the teachers who influenced him. However, it wasn’t until a visit to the Statesboro Campus that the then-high school senior decided to enroll.

Recalling that visit, he said, “I fell in love with the campus, the staff and faculty. I didn’t want to leave. I asked my mom then and there if I could stay.”

As a first-year student, Johnson set his sights on a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in history, inspired by the teachers who had guided him.

“This major allows me to make an impact on the future of our country,” he explained. “I want to give back, just like the many educators who motivated me throughout my PreK-12 years.”

A self-described go-getter, Johnson quickly found his footing on campus, readily embracing new challenges and opportunities. Yet, his initial year was also marked by the difficult loss of his grandfather.

“It was very tough being away from home and experiencing such a huge loss,” Johnson shared. “I was considering leaving Georgia Southern, but the supportive community is what led me to stay.”

Ultimately, his choice to remain at Georgia Southern enabled him to fully engage in college life,  especially through his extensive involvement in campus activities. He served in various roles in the Student Government Association (SGA) and was the founding president of the Aspiring Educators of Georgia Southern. His proudest accomplishment was ending his final year as the SGA president. That role gave him the honor of speaking to his fellow students at both the December 2024 and May 2025 commencement ceremonies.

“This was a dream that I had for many years, and I can say that I achieved it,” Johnson said.

With graduation now a reality, Johnson reflected on his personal growth, noting that his years at Georgia Southern totally changed his outlook on life. As he put it, “Life is going to come with endless challenges and obstacles that make you want to quit or settle for the bare minimum. But you can’t let that stop you from seeing what bigger things you can accomplish or will be granted when you run through the fire of obstacles and worries.”

For those considering Georgia Southern, the education major advised, “Georgia Southern is a place of huge opportunities. No matter what your interests are, you will find your opportunities here. Come here, have fun, make new lifelong friends and enjoy all the things Southern has to offer.”

The May graduate is set to begin teaching U.S. history at Effingham County High in the upcoming academic year and eagerly anticipates organizing and decorating his classroom. For now, foremost in his mind is the gratitude he feels for the support he received from Georgia Southern’s College of Education.

“It’s difficult to name just one professor because so many have left an indelible mark on my academic journey,” Johnson explained. “They challenged me to think critically, inspired me to strive for excellence and equipped me with the knowledge and confidence I need to step into my future classroom as a capable and passionate educator.”

The budding teacher knows his parents are proud of his achievements, particularly as a first-generation college student. He acknowledged, “Moving away from home to come to Statesboro was a challenge for them, but I have definitely shown them that it was the best decision ever.”

Looking ahead, Johnson intends to return to Georgia Southern to earn a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Eventually, he plans to transition into education administration, demonstrating his continued commitment to the institution that changed his life.

Shaped by the resilient spirit of her Gullah Geechee heritage in Harris Neck, Georgia, Kay’La Brennon’s path at ĚÇĐÄVlog has been one of self-discovery. Although she initially applied as a nursing major, her first semester as an undeclared major revealed her true calling: public health.

Reflecting on this shift, Brennon shared, “What pivoted me was realizing that I wanted to become a physician. After becoming involved in research, I realized I wanted to become a physician-scientist, leading me to find the major that would allow me to fulfill these passions and interests. Public health is an interdisciplinary field that allows me to fuse all my identities and interests in uplifting communities.”

Taking dual enrollment courses in high school enabled Brennon to start her college career early and quickly dive into research, the invaluable hands-on learning experience Georgia Southern provides undergraduates and graduate students.

“Joining research projects my freshman year and attending and presenting at conferences ignited my passion for it,” she recalled. “I wanted a career where I could impact patients directly through patient care and breakthroughs, and developments in research.”

In her years at Georgia Southern, Brennon was an Honors College student, Goel Scholar and chaired the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee, which provides a forum for students to address their concerns in the .

Now that she is graduating this May with a bachelor’s degree Brennon admits her years of study have been filled with challenges, victories and failures. But the confidence she gained is what surprised her most.

“I’m from a very rural county and have been pretty shy and reserved my whole life,” the public health scholar explained. “Being in college, I’ve broken out of my shell and gotten to know so many amazing people and shown my leadership skills in many positions. From starting an organization on campus, Resourceful Ambassadors of Medicine (RAM), to joining my illustrious and impactful sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA), I’ve spread my wings and seen my own capabilities.”

During her time on the Statesboro Campus, Brennon actively engaged in opportunities that fostered her commitment to service, including leading volunteer trips with Serve912, and participating in the Southern Leaders program. Those experiences resonated deeply with her involvement in AKA, a sorority with service at its foundation.

“Part of its purpose is service to all mankind,” Brennon stated. “One big principle in my life is community, and that is where my heart is… and so being a part of this sisterhood, I could impact the community.”

Brennon’s journey at Georgia Southern was deeply influenced by her upbringing. Born in Angleton, Texas, and raised with both an older sister and an older brother, she experienced both joy and sorrow. Her brother passed away at age 19. Her family returned to Harris Neck near Savannah, Georgia, to help care for her grandmother who had Alzheimer’s disease. Still, the new graduate remembers her early life warmly. 

“My childhood was always filled with family, love and joy no matter the circumstances, she said. “My family has always supported each other, with prayer being in the midst of it all.”

These strong family bonds instilled in her a remarkable resilience, a quality she identifies as a significant achievement during her college years.

“Even when things get tough, and they surely do, I find a way to get things done,” she affirmed, adding that she credits her mother’s strength and caring for her drive and motivation. “She’s the kindest, strongest and most loving person I know, so I am honored to be her daughter and make her proud. I thank her and my Oma for their support and desire to see me succeed.”

As she looks back, Brennon recognizes her time at Georgia Southern has been transformative, extending far beyond academics. She acknowledged, “My perception of myself has changed. I’ve learned more about my capabilities and what I used to perceive as possible. I have no doctors in my family, which played into the reason I applied to Georgia Southern as a nursing major. I did not see being a physician, let alone a physician-scientist, as a possibility.”

Brennon is ready to embark on a future she once didn’t imagine. She will work as a Doctoral Diversity Program Scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and is eager to impact a new community through her research and volunteer efforts.

Hard work and a willingness to embrace new experiences at ĚÇĐÄVlog have paved the way to Harvard University for graduate Eric Njoroge. This fall, he will begin his studies at Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston, an achievement he credits to his transformative undergraduate experience.

“Coming to Georgia Southern, I definitely had the goal to venture beyond my comfort zone, but the extent of my involvement surpassed all my expectations,” Njoroge acknowledged. “I was not that involved in high school, but Georgia Southern provided me with countless opportunities to learn and push myself.”

Growing up near Atlanta, the son of Kenyan immigrants decided to earn his college degree at an institution in Georgia. 

“What first made Georgia Southern stand out was its location,” Njoroge explained. “It was the furthest from home, which pushed me to do some deeper research. That’s when I discovered a community-oriented campus focused on providing many opportunities for students to grow.”

Though initially considering engineering, Njoroge’s childhood interest in that field eventually evolved into a genuine appreciation for the healing arts.

“When I arrived at Georgia Southern, I knew I liked health care, but my passion for dentistry began after volunteering in a free dental clinic during my first year,” he recounted. “While volunteering, I saw patients come in with pain from toothaches or insecurities about visible cavities. But many times, all it took was an extraction or filling to uplift the spirits of these patients and restore their smiles.”

As a biology major, Njoroge credits the faculty within the for equipping him with a robust foundation in STEM, which was crucial for his competitive score on the Dental Admission Test.

“Many of my professors were so helpful and supportive, and even with the rigorous nature of STEM classes, they made the subjects enjoyable,” he noted. “In addition, during my Harvard interview, I received a lot of praise for my extracurricular activities at Georgia Southern.”

Driven to challenge himself, Njoroge engaged in numerous facets of university life. He was a student in the Honors College, found camaraderie in a fraternity and led two student organizations as president: the Georgia Southern Pre-Dental Society and Resourceful Ambassadors of Medicine, an initiative he co-founded with his peers.

“I’ve been fortunate to dedicate my time outside of class doing things that are both meaningful and fulfilling,” he revealed. “It’s been rewarding to watch Resourceful Ambassadors of Medicine grow into a space that engages many pre-health students in different opportunities throughout the Statesboro community. … I never participated in a leadership position in high school, so obtaining two presidential positions in college has been shocking.”

Njoroge is leaving Georgia Southern with deep gratitude and experiences to last a lifetime.

“I have learned many life lessons from different people here at Georgia Southern that I would not have gotten had I not attended,” he shared. “Because of the countless people I interacted with here, this school will forever hold a special place in my heart.”

As he prepares for his move to Boston, Njoroge expresses appreciation for the unwavering support of his parents. 

“My parents could not be happier,” he commented. “As my greatest supporters, they have always encouraged me to value education to make a better life for myself. Graduating from college just shows them that I continue to believe in that idea.”

As a child, Margaret Riggs’ first designs looked like the sketches of most kids: two-dimensional dresses with blocky sleeves, colored in crayon. A far cry from her latest masterpieces, which earned the graduating fashion merchandising student a nomination from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival this year.

Riggs was drawn to the fashion merchandising program at ĚÇĐÄVlog after running out of an audition for a high school play. Acting in “Shrek the Musical” was not her cup of tea, she decided, but making and mending costumes for her classmates suited her hobby of sewing clothes. One show led to costuming most of the shows at her high school, including “Bring It On,” for which Riggs received an honorable mention at the .

“I realized I could just keep doing this; I didn’t have to stop,” she said, reflecting on her decision to continue the career she started in high school. “I love designing, but I also love creating the costumes and going from designs to patterns, to sewing them together, to the finishing touches – I love the whole process.”

Of all the programs in the state, the Georgia native picked program because it offered an emphasis in design and instruction on operating relevant software. With her education from Georgia Southern, Riggs has been able to master garment construction, patterns, drafting and more while being mentored by her professors and participating in more musical theater shows like “,” which was nominated for an award at the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Challenging her typical “neat and clean” aesthetic, “Peter and the Starcatcher” called for bold patterns to dress pirates, rough-and-tumble orphans, a colorful nanny and mermaids that looked as though they had been conjured from pieces of the ocean floor. Riggs wove wooden sea creatures into wigs, stretched netting over tails and used bright sequins and stripes to keep the motley crew looking appropriately chaotic.

“Getting out of your comfort zone is where the most creativity is,” she reflected. “The show pushed me to think outside of the box and not do things based on my gut reaction, but on how everything incorporates together and what the designs communicate. Being uncomfortable made the designs unique and visually appealing.”

With nothing but a tassel between her and graduation, she is looking forward to the next step in her career: a summer internship as a stitcher in the costume shop at the Tony-award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. After her internship, she is considering continuing in theater or expanding her skills by exploring different branches of fashion, such as merchandising and film, and earning a master’s degree. Wherever Riggs’ artistic journey takes her, she’s eager to face the challenges ahead and continue to push herself.

“College has definitely been about learning to take risks and try new things,” she said. “Looking back today and seeing all the ways I’ve changed gives me a lot of hope. I’m not the person I was when I started college, and that’s a good thing.”

“I am never going to Georgia Southern,” graduating senior Whitley Gatch recalls saying as a high school student. 

Before the coronavirus pandemic set Gatch on a track to earning her undergraduate degrees in history and at ĚÇĐÄVlog, her mind was firmly set on attending any other school. She’d spent enough time on campus already, she insisted, drawing on memories from her childhood when she toddled around the office of her mom, Delena Gatch, Ph.D., an associate professor and the associate vice president of institutional effectiveness and accreditation. But when the crowded hallways of Gatch’s high school raised the risk of bringing infection home to her aging grandparents and an immunocompromised family member, she knew she needed to reconsider the university she’d once ruled out.

This led Gatch to consider dual enrollment at Georgia Southern, where she could get a head start on college credits while fulfilling remaining requirements for her high school diploma without sacrificing the safety of her family. At Georgia Southern, Gatch was relieved by the virtual and hybrid course model during the pandemic, which helped maintain social distancing without slowing down educational opportunities. Before committing, though, she sat down to have a talk with her mom.

“My mom and I agreed that if I was going to start dual enrollment, I should take a subject I enjoy,” she explained. “I found a course in anthropology that fulfilled a social science requirement for high school, and the rest is history – literally.”

History and anthropology have always interested Gatch. Her family often traveled with her mother when she attended conferences across the country, and they made a point of visiting historical battlefields. From their visits, Gatch became fascinated by the Civil War era, and has made the era her academic focus since graduating from high school and enrolling as a full-time college student.

“I absolutely ate my words,” she laughed, reflecting on her decision to stay at Georgia Southern. “I realized there’s no better place to be.”

The opportunity to center her studies on conflict archaeology sealed the deal for Gatch. Now, when she visits historical sites like , one of the largest prisoner-of-war camps in the Civil War, she has a trowel in hand to dig up bullets and other artifacts. With her findings, she can construct an archeological lens for understanding the social aspects of the time period and the implications of violence and warfare.

One of Gatch’s projects is currently on display in the Henderson Library on Georgia Southern’s Statesboro Campus. Having noticed the lack of representation for African American soldiers based in southeast Georgia, Gatch worked with Professor Brian K. Feltman, Ph.D., her classmates and staff in the Library’s Special Collections department to build “,” an exhibit that displays letters written by local soldiers along with military gear and books related to the time period. Among the artifacts are a gas mask and helmet that Gatch was entrusted to collect from the University of Georgia.

“It was so fun because you’ve got to think about applying the aspects that you learn in your history classes,” she said. “You can write a paper, you can read the books, you can learn it, but what are you going to do with it? Creating that exhibit meant a lot because it’s a hundred years later and those soldiers are finally getting the commemoration that was given to the white soldiers who died in the same war.”

Having grown up in Bulloch County, Gatch has worked on additional projects related to the area. This included , which experienced a major environmental crisis in 2011. Meanwhile, , examining the historical markers in Georgia’s Coastal Plain and low country that commemorate Sherman’s March to the Sea.

Other highlights of Gatch’s college experience include , receiving multiple academic scholarships through the Honors College, leading clubs on campus and studying abroad in Wexford, Ireland. After graduating and completing a summer internship at Ocmulgee National Park as an archaeological technician, she’ll attend Yale University, where she will earn her master’s in archeology. With her graduate degree, she hopes to build more exhibits like “More than a Name” and intends to become a professor so she can share her knowledge and enthusiasm with the next generation.

“One of the taglines I was always given in my classes was that, as archeologists and historians, we are supposed to give a voice to the voiceless,” she said. “People like you and me will die one day, and nobody will remember us, so it’s really what’s left of people, those artifacts, that tells you about them. I like helping curate that memory.”