Jhaycee Barnes is not one to shy away from opportunity — in fact, she’s often pursuing exposure to new mentor relationships and chances to try new things.
“If I’m exposed to it, if others are exposed to it, you notice that thing as a possibility,” Barnes said. “My whole overarching thing is opportunity and access.”
On Jan. 16, Barnes received the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award at the 22nd Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast. The award is given to individuals in the UGA and Athens-Clarke County communities who are working to make Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream a reality.
She said she is incredibly grateful to who nominated her — the nominees aren’t told who puts their names forward — and to know that they associate her with moving King’s dreams forward, along with her own.
Barnes is a fourth-year student studying economics and political science with a minor in Spanish. As a senior in high school, Barnes wanted to apply to UGA and the Foundation Fellowship program. While she hadn’t taken an official campus tour, she was familiar with the area, having visited in the past through her involvement with 4-H.
“I came here for the interview weekend, and it was the most life-changing experience,” Barnes said. “Everything that I wanted out of the college experience was here at UGA through that fellowship.”
Between being high school valedictorian, serving as her school’s student body president and attending the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program, it’s little surprise Barnes was accepted to both UGA and the Foundation Fellowship program.
“I kind of came into freshman year with a ‘try everything’ mindset,” Barnes said.
She serves as a campus tour guide through the UGA Visitors Center. Barnes joined the Student Government Association her freshman year, later becoming the director of First-Year Senate. Currently, she serves as vice president of SGA.
In that role, Barnes does a lot of meeting and managing. She and the other SGA executives work across campus every day to address concerns that students raise. Barnes said she appreciates that even students she doesn’t know well feel comfortable reaching out to her about ways they’d like to see campus life improved. Additionally, she oversees both the Professional Clothing Closet and the Fresh Express Food Pantry.
Barnes is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., where she currently serves as financial secretary and chair of the Economic Development Committee. Barnes is a DST legacy, and several of her mentors were also members, which inspired her to join the chapter.
“I just felt welcome from day one,” Barnes said.
One recent project that Barnes has begun is The Stargirl Diaries, where she uses her social media platforms to give tips and guidance about basics of the corporate world. Inspired by her time interning last summer, she teaches her more than 4,000 Instagram and 3,000 TikTok followers key lessons like how to send a professional email, how to network and small talk. She plans to continue The Stargirl Diaries long term as a platform to mentor students in internships and their early careers.
“I wanted to see more content online about people navigating internships,” Barnes said. “I never had that exposure to the corporate world, so I basically created that platform to teach people.”
Be it through The Stargirl Diaries or other personal relationships, Barnes is a big proponent of mentorship. Even before she got to campus, she was reaching out to current students to learn more about opportunities that interested her.
“If I hadn’t had mentors, I wouldn’t have joined the clubs that I did, and I wouldn’t have taken the classes that I did,” Barnes said. “You can only learn so much on your own. I think a lot of knowledge come from other people.”
Another driving force in her life is gaining exposure to and pursuing various opportunities.
Coming from a small town, Barnes says she didn’t see many people going off to college and doing big things. She credits her family with providing her key support to get to where she is today. Both of her parents are educators.
“They were really focused early on exposing me to as much opportunity as they could,” Barnes said. “From an early age, they really instilled in me that if you put in a good effort, and that thing is meant for you, everything is going to work out.”
While she’s kept the same course of study, Barnes’ career aspirations have change over the course of her college education. She initially was pre-law, though a year of mock trial helped her determine that wasn’t the path for her, even though she did have a “great experience.” Since then, she’s had multiple internships in management consulting. After graduating this coming May, Barnes will move to Chicago to pursue a career in that field.
Down the line, she hopes to continue doing strategy work, looking at big ideas for innovation and progress. And, of course, she plans to continue her mentorship work through The Stargirl Diaries.
“I love connecting with people,” Barnes said. “I feel like a success with someone that I help is a success for me as well.”