Shelby Jarrett, age 23, grew up in Madison County, Georgia. Shelby says the rural county has a very strong sense of community. She grew up on a farm raising livestock, and even though she was an only child, the entire community, not just her parents, took responsibility for raising her and the other children growing up there. She remembers it fondly and still travels home to visit her parents when she can.

Because she grew up in such a remote area, Jarrett spent a lot of time reading. Like many children of her generation, she developed an especial fondness for the work of J.K. Rowling. Having never quite outgrown the series, she was delighted to visit the Elephant Cafe in Edinburgh this summer, which is generally acknowledged as the birthplace of the Harry Potter series. The series made Shelby love words and writing, and even though it was fiction Rowling still managed to create a real world for so many people.

This is not to say that her taste in books has not grown over time. Of the books she has read lately, her favorite is entitled My Own Country. This memoir was written by the Indian-American physician Abraham Verghese who lived and worked in rural Tennessee during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. As a person of color who was working with a generally reviled portion of the population (namely, the LGBTQ) community, Verghese experienced firsthand both the stigmatization and moments of acceptance experienced by patients with HIV. Jarrett loved this book for its incredible story, the author’s writing style, and for what she learned about HIV/AIDS.

So too have developed her career goals over time. Jarrett began her graduate studies hoping to pursue a career in the publishing world after a series of related internships. After spending some time investigating health and medical journalism, Jarrett thought very seriously about switching concentrations. “It’s very, very interesting to read about obvious topics like cancer and obesity… but really everything [is] a health story,” she says. However, after considering the matter seriously, she decided it was best not to backtrack in her degree and is therefore continuing with her original instinct to pursue academic publishing. “A job where I got to read books all the time would be awesome!”

She is unsure about what specific area of publishing she would like to pursue, however, which also creates uncertainty in where she would like to be in 5 years. After living in the Athens area for most of her life, she hopes to be somewhere new.

Shelby’s six years at UGA have thus far been the result of practical decision-making. She originally chose UGA over other schools, like Washington and Lee, because the Zell Miller Scholarship made the cost of attendance so affordable. She wasn’t sure she would continue at UGA for graduate school but ultimately accepted an assistantship at the university. Despite choosing UGA over her dream schools, she says she doesn’t regret the decision. During her time at UGA, the worst course Shelby experienced was through a Women of Sub-Saharan Africa class. Though the class discussions were intensive and in depth, the professor graded unbelievebly harshly and gave no acknowldgement of the worthwhile class discussions.

No matter where she ends up after grad school, however, she will miss the sense of new beginning that comes with each semester, a quality of college life she will miss after leaving UGA.

Jarrett’s favorite piece of writing thus far is a piece that she wrote about nutrition in rural south Georgia schools. According to Jarrett, she values this piece because it allowed her to feel like a real journalist for the first time. “I got to leave Athens for a week to work on the story and was actually able to spend time interacting with kids about the food they were eating at school versus at home. It felt so much more like real journalism than most class projects at Grady,” she said.

Shelby’s grandmother once told her “this too shall pass”, which means no bad situation can last forever. Whenever she is facing a challenging situation or struggling with school, this phrase comforts her and makes her believe that she will get through it.

 

Xirui Dai, 22, grew up in Xiangyang, China. The history of Xianyang goes back to 1066 BC. When Qin Shi Huang established the first centralized empire in Chinese history in 221 BC, he chose Xianyang as the capital city, and then Xianyang became the center of politics, economy, and culture. After Qin dynasty collapsed, Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han dynasty, built a new capital called Chang’an near the old Xianyang in 202 BC. Since then, Xianyang became the imperial tombs of Han and Tang dynasty. The city houses over 20 emperors’ mausoleums, including Wu Zeting, the only female emperor in China’s history. Xirui learned this rich history from her parents, who took her to visit the city’s museums and emperors’ graves as a child.

JK Rolling is Xirui’s favorite author and she grew up reading the Harry Potter series. When she was 10, her father introduced her a book called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. she was captivated by the magical world created by Harry Potter and admires the fantastical creatures and creations that came along with it. As she has grown up, she realized that this book has a lot you can learn about life friends. While Xirui truly loves the entire Harry Potter series, her favorite book is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She is fond of the third book in the series because it was more emotional than the first two; Xirui was touched by the love and friendship between Sirius and Harry.

Studying abroad has always been one of Xirui’s dreams. In the junior year, she began to apply for graduate school in America, Hong Kong, and the UK. In the end, She chose the University of Georgia.

“It’s not my dream school and I never thought I’d be here.” Xirui said.

Originally, she applied to ten different schools, including Columbia, but was rejected from some. She only began considering UGA after stumbling upon an article listing Grady College as one of the top five journalism schools in the nation. After more research, she decided UGA’s low tuition and high rankings made it the best choice for her.

The academic environment of UGA is what Xirui appreciate and she especially enjoyed the Narrative Journalism class. “I’m not sure what I will miss about UGA when I leave but I will miss the time I spent here,” Xirui said.

When taking the Narrative Journalism course, Xirui wrote the story of the 38-year separation of her great-grandparents following the Chinese Civil War, also known as the War of Liberation or Guó-Gòng Nèizhàn. This is Xirui’s favorite and best-written work because, to her, it is not simply the story of her family, but of many families across the nation who experienced similar separations.

The worst class Xirui ever took was an Undergrad college course in China on international journalism. Though it was her major and she was excited to learn more, the professor insisted on using boring powerpoints and suggesting endless links to websites for more research information. Xirui remembers how illogically the course was constructed and that assessments contained questions that weren’t even relevant to his lectures.

While interviewing, Xirui prefers to use a recorder. She finds it more convenient, as it ensures that she won’t miss anything that was said. She also likes that using a recorder allows her to maintain eye contact and have a more natural conversation with her subject.

Xirui’s career goals have stayed consistent throughout her time at UGA. She has always been interested in journalism, but especially broadcast journalism. “I love the video and I love writing so I want to combine those two together… [perhaps as a] program producer.” She wants to make her own program, be it a talk show, a cooking show, or a news program.

However, lack of confidence may be a stumbling block on her career path .”I really want to do something but I always feel I can’t do it, and I am afraid others would laugh at me if I screw it. So I would rather choose not to do it. ” Xirui said.

“You are more beautiful than you think.” This phrase came from a short film produced in 2013 as part of the Dove’s marketing campaign.  When Xirui first watched the video, she almost cries. This phrase inspired her a lot. Whenever she feel self-doubt or feel hesitate about doing something, she told herself, “Don’t worry. You can do it. You are more beautiful than you think.”

In 5 years, Xirui sees herself living in a nice home with a husband and children. She plans to have a swimming pool and garden, as well as two pets: a cat and a dog. She hopes that she will have a successful career in broadcast journalism or as a producer.

“Also, I hope I can have a good figure,” Xirui said,”I’m trying to lose weight.”

 

 

Walls fights to follow dreams despite scholastic restraints

By THE CLASS

Sarah Walls, 21, grew up in Cleveland, Georgia. Sarah said what’s special about the northeastern town of Cleveland is that it is an oasis of rural escape from the hectic pace of Atlanta and Athens. As a rural-minded person (she definitely does not call herself a city dweller), she loves it.

Sarah was initially torn between attending UGA, the College of Charleston, and the University of Miami. After deciding Miami was too expensive, Sarah toured Charleston. She was blown away by the school’s beautiful setting and Spanish moss, but felt a distinct lack of connection to the University. Sarah felt like she instantly belonged at UGA on her final college tour.

Sarah Walls sees herself writing on a beach in five years. She wants to be writing fictional works, though she’s currently a journalism major.

“It’s kind of too late now,” Walls said, explaining why she didn’t switch her field of study at this time. However, she said she might see how the traveling aspect of journalism can influence how she develops her characters. If she did end up pursuing journalism, Wall said that it would be for the travel aspect.

Sarah started UGA with hopes of becoming a marine biologist. “I really like travelling. I really like writing. I really like the ocean,” Walls says. But her career goals quickly changed away from a scientific profession. She is currently trying to find a career to combine her three main interests. She thinks that travel writing might be a fun way to do so, but worries about the limited opportunities in the field. She has considered taking a year off after school to pursue her writing and explore perhaps becoming an author.

After leaving UGA in May 2017, Sarah will miss the ease of living and socializing with friends that college life brings.

J.K. Rowling is Sarah’s favorite author. She wants to be a writer and feels that Rowling has always been an incredible role model. Sarah thinks it’s amazing to see what Rowling has done with Harry Potter and how she has managed to make it a staple for so many people around the world to bond over.

Sarah’s favorite book is The Dive by Pipin Ferreras. This work is a true story about love, death, heartbreak, determination, and the incredibly dangerous, adrenaline-fueled sport of free-diving. Sarah enjoyed it because she is an avid scuba-diver and finds her true passion in the ocean, and the book was able to describe the ocean in a way she could relate to. She was intrigued by the adventure and danger, and, while she never wants to get into free-diving herself, would love to read more stories about ocean and diving endeavors.

Sarah’s favorite and best written work is a piece that she wrote for a creative writing course about scuba diving. She loved writing it because she was able to mix her two biggest passions, writing and scuba diving, to create something for others to enjoy.

The most meaningful advice Sarah has gotten is “keep trying no matter how many times you fail.” To be an author is Sarah’s career goal. Whenever she feels self-doubt or her work is criticized by someone, this phrase encouraged her a lot. She used J.K Rolling’s experiences as an example. Even J.K Rolling was rejected by twelve publishers, she kept trying and achieved success eventually. Sarah got this advice from her boyfriend who graduated two years ago and started his own business.

Sarah prefers to use a recorder while interviewing. She finds that both she and her subject are often slightly nervous at the start of an interview, and using a recorder allows for a more natural conversation, which puts both parties more at ease.

The worst class Sarah has ever taken was a Geology course taught by Professor Protino-Douce. She claims the professor was aptly named as he was very strict about cellphone usage in the classroom and made the course as awful as possible for the students. 

 

Schroder: Act Two

by THE CLASS

Maryann Schroder grew up in upstate New York, about an hour-and-a-half from New York City during the 1950s and ’60s when children had a lot of freedom to roam about.  As long as she headed home when hearing the family dinner bell, she could be gone all day without anyone being worried.  She considers it to have been an idyllic and safe environment for childhood exploration.

Perhaps that sense of freedom contributed to her resistance in high school to being contained in school all day.  It was pretty easy to just walk out the door, affording a situation she took advantage of regularly.  Unfortunately, that’s called truancy!  As a result, the best advice she ever got was something she deduced after being confronted by her high school principal at the time of graduation.  He reminded her that, in spite of good grades and having never gotten into any real trouble, her record of absence was not something to be proud of.  From this, Schroder came to realize that it’s not just what you accomplish that matters but how you go about it – your integrity and character.  This became a wake-up call and the most meaningful advice she ever got.

She has applied this advice to endeavors since then, including academic studies.  After receiving an undergraduate degree in psychology and a doctorate from Fordham University, Maryann has worked in the field of psychology.  She decided to return to school to begin a new area of study after moving to Georgia.  UGA seemed like “the best opportunity for a new adventure”.   Schroder took spring and summer courses, including one on rhetoric, with her sights set on journalism courses through Grady College.  She is now at Grady as a part-time, nontraditional student, not pursuing a degree “in a traditional sense of preparing for a career.”  Maryann said about her work in psychology, “It is something that I enjoy, but I would like to explore writing.”  “It is a time of new beginning,” she added.

When asked where she saw herself in 5 years, Schroder paused before saying, “I think that question has a different weight at different times in life.”  She acknowledged being a senior citizen now and not sure what that would feel like in 5 years.  However, she was certain about the general direction.  “I see myself as contributing to a broader understanding of the world around us.”

Although she has not done work as a journalist, Maryann’s favorite writing project so far was about her encounter with a homeless man in Athens.  According to Schroder, the story is her favorite because it allowed her to take a personal journey through which she had to confront her own reactions to the realities of homelessness and to this individual. “It wasn’t published. I wrote it for myself, but I loved writing it because I learned something about the world and my community,” she said.

Maryann imagines that she would prefer to use a recorder over a notebook while interviewing.  She thought that carrying a notebook, for her, might become more of a prop than a true tool.  She also thought that it could be a barrier, as people may find it intimidating to see their words being transcribed.  There is less distraction with a recorder, she said, though she would still carry a notebook to record her own thoughts, impressions, and questions during the conversation.

Schroder enjoys reading fiction, satirical essays, and journalistic nonfiction.  One of her favorite books in recent times was The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom.  She described it as an inspiring work of historical fiction about an Irish girl who immigrated to America and, upon becoming an orphan, is raised by slaves on a plantation. Maryann loved this book because it is an inspiring and powerful story about the meaning of family and identity, exploring issues of free will and determinism at the same time.  When asked about her favorite author or journalist, she said that two came to mind, first citing David Sedaris.  Schroder explained that Sedaris writes humorous essays about his life in a way that reflects on absurdities of life.  She enjoys looking at those kinds of things, particularly contrasts that are in our everyday lives. The second author she cited was Malcom Gladwell, a journalist who offers unique perspectives on different aspects of life, often centering on social phenomenon.

Maryann Schroder is not yet envisioning a departure from UGA since she has just gotten started!  However, she expects that, when that time comes, she’ll miss interacting with the bright and vibrant students of UGA.