Senior Jeff Emanuel has been widely recognized for his community work, and today he has even higher aspirations. Before he came to UGA, he spent five years with the U.S. military in Iraq, Korea, and other countries, working as a member of different special operations units and teaching English to disadvantaged Korean youths in his free time. Now, he is pursuing a double major in classical culture (with a concentration in classical archaeology) and Latin. He volunteers for the UGA College Republicans, is a member of the Athens Area Habitat for Humanity public relations board and serves as an Athens-Oconee Court Appointed Special Advocate, acting by judicial appointment as an advocate for abused or neglected children in juvenile court deprivation proceedings. He is a member of the Blue Key Honor Society and has made the dean’s list. When he graduates from UGA, he plans to work in the global telecommunications industry.
Hometown:
Peachtree City, Georgia
High School:
McIntosh High School
Degree objective:
A.B. in classical culture (with a concentration in classical archaeology) and A.B. in Latin
Other degrees:
A.A.S., Information Systems Management, Community College of the Air Force, 2002
Expected graduation:
December 2007
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I was named Student Leadership Center’s “Pillar of the Community” in 2004-05, and also received the Student Leadership Center “Bulldog Vision Award.” I received the Rotary Club of Athens and UGA Rotaract “Rotary Top 12” Award as top student-citizen in Franklin College. Additionally, I received the Rotary Club of Athens and UGA Rotaract “Rotary Circle of Excellence” Award for worldwide community service, and made the dean’s list in 2005 as well. I received the Classics Department Paper Prize from Dr. Norman for best lower-level undergraduate research in Classics in Spring 2005. I am a member of the Blue Key, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Golden Key Honor Societies, a Franklin College Ambassador, and public relations director for the UGA College Republicans. I also serve on the public relations board of Athens-Clarke County Habitat for Humanity. I have been a member of the UGA club water polo team, and am a member of the club triathlon team. Additionally, I am certified as an Athens-Oconee Court Appointed Special Advocate, acting by judicial appointment as an advocate for abused or neglected children in juvenile court deprivation proceedings. In this role, I work with the juvenile court and DFCS to gather information about each child’s case. Then I attend all court proceedings and provide an independent report to the judge on a suggested course of action, including services and placement, in the best interest of the child.
Current Employment:
I am a weekly political columnist for the Athens Banner-Herald newspaper, and am a columnist, contributing editor, and weblogger for news and opinion website Townhall.com. I have also been a very part-time youth swim instructor at the Ramsey Center.
I chose to attend UGA because…
…of several reasons. It has an outstanding (and continuously improving) academic reputation, and it offers a wide range of subjects which interest me. The opportunity to study Latin under Dr. Richard LaFleur was another plus, as was the city of Athens itself. The size and scope of the city offered wonderful opportunities to make an impact on the community through volunteer and service work, which is very important to me.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…exercise at the Ramsey Center, read in the Alexander Room in the Classics Library at Park Hall, go to class, attend lectures and symphony/choral concerts, play water polo and Ultimate Frisbee, and walk around North Campus while eating ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery.
When I have free time, I like…
…to read fiction, especially the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I also like to read about history and religion. I am an avid runner, swimmer, and biker, and love almost anything outdoors from rock climbing to caving to skydiving and scuba diving. I also love to play music; I’ve been playing guitar for 18 years, and I like to dabble in piano and other instruments as well.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…probably jump out of airplanes. Although I’ve done quite a few crazy things in my few years away from school as a result of my work in the military, skydiving is the craziest thing I continue to do.
My favorite place to study is…
…at a restaurant. I like to sit down to a great meal at Longhorn or Outback steakhouse and read; it’s both enjoyable and relaxing. A close second would be in a private classroom at the Student Learning Center, where I have the UGA online network at my fingertips, Jittery Joe’s coffee down the hall, and a dry-erase board on which to organize my thoughts!
My favorite professor is…
…Naomi Norman, associate department head of Classics. She is the most engaging, dynamic lecturer to whom I have had the pleasure of listening, and the combination of her enthusiasm for her subject, her academic knowledge, and her real-world experience in classical archaeology (including excavations in Carthage) make her a fascinating person as well as an outstanding teacher.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Jesus. I think that a person whose story has endured and inspired for two millennia would be an absolutely fascinating person with whom to spend time, and I would definitely be hard-pressed to fit all of my questions into a single afternoon.
After graduation, I plan to…
… work in the global telecommunications industry, helping to bring people from across the globe together through more accessible and more efficient communications technology.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…studying abroad in Switzerland in the summer of 2005. The program was terrific, and the people on the trip made up the best group you could possibly imagine. The academics were outstanding under Drs. Naomi Norman, Ervan Garrison, and Jace Weaver. I had a wonderful time traveling to Paris and Venice, and I enjoyed spending a weekend in the Swiss Alps where a pair of us summitted one of the mountains.
