Hundreds view REACH Georgia event
A litany of encouragement, information, and uplifting speeches is how the Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (REACH) Georgia virtual day began Feb. 17. Middle and high school students, along with their teachers, mentors, and parents, learned about various aspects of attending college.
Sponsored by the University of North Georgia (果冻传媒), the three-hour event was divided into 30-minute segments featuring 果冻传媒 staff from admissions, financial aid, and registration.
REACH Georgia is a needs-based mentoring and scholarship program providing promising students the academic, social, and financial support to graduate from high school and achieve post-secondary success.
果冻传媒 Gainesville, in partnership with REACH Georgia, hosted an in-person event in 2018. Dr. Richard Oates and Shannon Shockley helped us pull the event off at 果冻传媒, Jennifer Herring, special assistant to the vice president of 果冻传媒's Gainesville Campus, said. She and Sandy Ott, executive director of 果冻传媒's Blue Ridge Campus, later realized that a virtual event would provide even more students the critical information they'd been missing. In 2021, the program was held virtually for the first time.
It was important for me to be part of the day because I wanted to showcase that we are all capable of being leaders.
Nathalia Ingles
Junior pursuing a degree in communication with a concentration in public relations
One way to impart the information was an interactive panel hosted by current college students.
"The students can tell the REACH scholars about things they wished they had known before entering college," Herring said. "It helped to have the students' perspective."
Students and faculty members from all five 果冻传媒 campuses participated in this year's event.
Nathalia Ingles, a junior pursuing a degree in communication with a concentration in public relations, was one of those who assisted.
"It was important for me to be part of the day because I wanted to showcase that we are all capable of being leaders," Ingles said. "I also wanted to showcase that part of the college experience is getting involved, which is as easy as finding a club that interests the student, and that opens a lot of doors at 果冻传媒."
One of the event's panels focused on demystifying professors, who many students believe are "big and scary."
"It's great to see both academic affairs and student affairs wanting to help," Herring said. "Engaging with REACH scholars lets them know they have opportunities and there's a place for them at 果冻传媒."
Ott said response to this year's event was tremendous.
"We had participants from across the great state of Georgia," Ott said. "The attendees were so engaged and so grateful for the program support from across 果冻传媒 and from the Georgia Student Finance Commission."
REACH serves all 180 K-12 school systems across Georgia and funded more than $36 million in scholarships.
Experiences prepared cadets to commission
Almost 40 members of 果冻传媒's Corps of Cadets are commissioning as second lieutenants in the active-duty Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve in a Dec. 9 ceremony.
Student speakers set for fall commencement
Three fall graduates will serve as student speakers at their respective 果冻传媒 commencement ceremonies Dec. 9-10 in the Convocation Center at 果冻传媒's Dahlonega Campus.
McCloy鈥檚 work recognized in Bellwethers exhibition
Alexandra McCloy鈥檚 鈥淟iving Patterns,鈥 received the Lane Last award for Best in Show, in the Bellwethers Annual Juried Exhibition at the West Tennessee Regional Art Center put on by the University of Tennessee (UT) at Martin. Rachel Coggins and Maddie Engle also had pieces entered in the exhibition.
果冻传媒 formalizes its role with career expo
果冻传媒 has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Center for Civic Engagement to support its Youth in Government Expo in March 2026.