English and theatre major Collins Goss says that the University of Georgia is what she pictures when she hears people say the word “college.” She’s been coming to campus for football games with her family since she was a toddler, and says she has always known that UGA was where she wanted to go to school. In her time here, she has raised money for Dawgs for Haiti, participated in the theatre department’s undergraduate organization and has been named one of the Top 100 Student Workers at UGA for two years in a row. She’s inspired by the philanthropy of TOMS shoes founder Blake Mycoskie and is considering graduate school followed by a career in public health after graduation.
Hometown:
Albany, Ga.
High School:
Deerfield-Windsor High School
Degree objective:
B.A. in English and theatre, Interdisciplinary Writing Certificate
Expected graduation:
Spring 2011
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I am the current public relations coordinator and incoming president of the English department Student Advisory Council (SAC). Through the SAC, I have helped coordinate several events such as the English department’s graduation ceremony and the annual department T-shirt sale. This past year I organized and ran a bake sale through SAC to raise money for the Dawgs for Haiti campaign. I was the runner-up for the Joshua Brown scholarship, and I have been one of the Top 100 Student Workers at UGA for the past two years. I am also involved in the theatre department’s undergraduate organization, the Thalian Blackfriars. Outside of school, I am involved in the Wesley Foundation, and I will be on children’s ministry leadership next year.
Current Employment:
I have worked for the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection for the past three years. I am a student archivist for the Peabody Awards Collection. Every January, I help to process the incoming entries, and I spend the rest of the year formatting past entries into the Peabody database so that scholars, researchers and the public can see what the Peabody Collection contains.
Family Ties to UGA:
Most of my family has attended UGA. One of my grandfathers, both of my parents, most of my aunts and uncles, and several of my cousins are alumni of UGA. My younger sister will be entering the class of 2014.
I chose to attend UGA because…
… UGA is what I think of when I hear the word “college.” I have been coming to UGA football games since I was a toddler, so I have always associated UGA and Athens with college life. When it came time for me to decide where I wanted to go to college, I did not have to think about my answer. UGA is the only school I have ever wanted to go to, and I have loved every second I have gotten to be here.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
… look at the flowers on North campus in the spring and the leaves in the fall. I am from South Georgia, so spring and fall are almost nonexistent. Up here, the seasons last longer, and I love it when North campus bursts into color. Most of my classes and my job are on North campus, so I get to see the flowers and leaves every day while they are out.
When I have free time, I like…
… to craft. I love to find old things that people have discarded and to give them a new life. For example, my desk is made out of an iron fish tank stand and a cabinet door. I also love to read, to spend time with my friends and family, and to garden.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…learned to weld. This isn’t very crazy, but it is a new experience for me. This semester I took a scene fabrication and design class, and I learned how to stick weld. It is one of the coolest things I have done in a college class.
My favorite place to study is…
… my room. It is quiet, and it is my little space. The fluorescent lights and the shuffling of people at the Miller Learning Center or library start to distract me after a while, so I like to get away from everything to study or to write papers.
My favorite professor is…
… I don’t think I can pick one. I have loved working with Dr. Elizabeth Davis in the English department. I have taken three classes with her that center around rhetoric and composition and the evolution of the web and web writing. I have learned so much from her, and her classes are so much fun. I have also loved working with Dr. Sujata Iyengar. She is the English department undergraduate coordinator and the head of the SAC, so I have gotten to know her on a more personal level. She has encouraged me to push my boundaries to see what I am capable of doing. In the theatre department, I have enjoyed working with B. Don Massey. Over the past three years, I have run lights for him, and he has taught me how to weld, to use the huge shop power saws, and to paint sets. He is one of the most patient teachers I have had at UGA.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
… Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS shoes. I think that he has the most inspirational story, and I would love to hear more about his one-for-one, giving-based business model. He took a huge risk when he started TOMS shoes, and because he was willing to follow his passion and ignore people’s discouragement, he is helping children all over the world. I would love to have his courage to follow my passion and to be able to help other people on the scale that TOMS is helping children.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… go to New York to work for a little while. I don’t know what I would do or how long I would go for, but I think that I would like to try.
After graduation, I plan to…
…to graduate school. I am still trying to figure out my specific path, but I am leaning towards working in public health.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
… the Auburn blackout game my freshman year. I have been to countless UGA football games, but that one was the best. Everyone was so excited, and there was so much energy in the air. It was a blast!
