Senior Santrice Jones had narrowed her college choices from four to two: UGA and Tennessee. What sealed the deal for her was the chance to spend the weekend as a UGA student. She participated in a program called GA DAZE, in which accepted minority students spend the weekend as if she were a UGA student. She attended classes and sessions about the university, talked to enrolled students, went to events such as Dawgs After Dark and stayed in a residence hall. Now she helps direct the program for other incoming students. She was 2006 Miss Black University of Georgia, 2006 Homecoming Parade Coordinator, 2007 Homecoming Coordinator, and a member of the 2008 Homecoming Court. After graduation, she plans to take some time off before starting graduate school and working in student affairs administration.
Hometown:
Decatur, Ga.
High School:
Dunwoody High School
Degree objective:
B.A. in speech communication with an emphasis in sign language
Expected graduation:
Fall 2009
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I have been involved with the African American Choral Ensemble as the vice president and Black Educational Support Team – Special Events Chair in 2006-2007. In fall 2005, I was the African American Choral Ensemble’s Freshman of the Semester. In 2006, I was Miss Black University of Georgia. In 2006, I was also UGA’s Homecoming Parade Coordinator, and in 2007, I became UGA’s Homecoming Coordinator. In 2008, I was a Homecoming Court Member. In 2008-2009, I was president of Omicron Delta Kappa. For 2009, I am the GA DAZE planning director.
Current Employment:
I currently hold two jobs, one is at The Reserve of Athens where I am a leasing professional. I am responsible of informing prospective tenants about the property, handling the daily activities of the office and forming relationships with the current residents. I am also the site coordinator for the National Lighthouse Foundation in Athens. I am responsible for all of the Lighthouse Foundation tutors in the Athens area, making sure that they have what they need to be successful in preparing students from kindergarten to 8th grade for end of the year exams. I am also a tutor at Howard B. Stroud Elementary School for this company.
I chose to attend UGA because…
I only applied to four universities: Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee and Xavier. After visiting Auburn and Xavier, I knew that they were not for me so the decision was between Georgia and Tennessee. Then, I was invited to a program at UGA called GA DAZE. GA DAZE is a recruitment program in which accepted minority students have the opportunity to visit the university for a weekend. This program gave me the opportunity to not only experience college life to the fullest extent, but to begin lifelong friendships with people who were here. I not only attended classes, but I was a Georgia student for a weekend! I had sessions about the university, talked to enrolled students, went to events such as Dawgs After Dark and actually had the opportunity to stay in a residence hall. After this weekend, I was completely sold. I quickly turned in my $200 deposit, and I began anticipating the day I would be able to walk through the Arch instead of around it.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…Walking by the fountains on North Campus. I have had many great conversations with friends there while walking, eating, or just sitting and taking a break from life. Another favorite of mine is walking into Sanford Stadium on a perfect fall Saturday afternoon to call the Dawgs and watch the action between the hedges. My new favorite thing to do is walk into Tate and make my way to the new Student Activities and Organization Space. Although you hear all of the time that we have more than 500 student organizations on campus, this space shows a small portion of those student organizations and how diverse they are.
When I have free time, I like…
…going to lectures, films, concerts, plays, dance performances, or open forums. I try to expand my horizons by attending an event that I haven’t before. Other than that I love getting together with friends to go to the outlets in Commerce to shop—since it is only 20 minutes away—or renting a movie, taking a deep breath and relaxing.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
During my freshman year in Brumby Hall, we had these huge bins that people used to transport their belongings. One day I was helping my roommate unpack her things from her bin after she got to the room. She left for a moment, so I decided to play a joke on her. I got inside of the bin and hid. When she came back, I jumped out and scared her. We then decided to roll each other down the hallway in the bin. It was so much fun!!
My favorite place to study is…
…on the 5th floor of the Main Library at a desk that is beside a window that looks onto the middle of campus. The view from this window reveals almost every aspect of this campus I love. I can see Sanford Stadium, the Miller Learning Center and the Tate Center. I see sports, entertainment, student organizations and academia all in one glimpse. Day and night are polar opposites from this view. During the day this scene looks like mass chaos with people walking, buses running and cars zooming, but at night everything is so peaceful and quiet.
My favorite professor is…
…Tina Harris. If I could sum her up in one word, it would be amazing. She is not only a professor, but someone to whom I can relate. If I have a problem academically, I can talk to her. If I have a personal problem, I can talk to her. She will never make anyone feel like they are incompetent or crazy. In the classroom, she is very professional, yet her class is still relaxed and enjoyable.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Michelle Obama. I admire everything about this lady from her style, to her confidence, to her class. She has it all. I would love to talk to her about how her life has changed within the past year especially, to learn more about her past and to get any advice that I could from her as to what I need to do to be one of the most influential women of all time.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…give every child the ability to attend college without having to worry about how to pay for tuition, housing and living expenses. I am a true believer that education is imperative in this world. Yes, there are successful people who do not have a degree, but furthering your education is the greatest investment anyone could ever make. Your mind is your power!
After graduation, I plan to…
…take a year off to prepare myself for graduate school. I hope to become a VP of Student Affairs at a college or university.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…moving into my dorm room freshman year. My entire family—approximately 15 people—came to help me get settled! We traveled in four cars, and every car was filled with stuff for me. After getting checked in, we saw my room and began laughing because there was no way all of the stuff I brought would fit! We made it work though. The ladies of my family went to work organizing things, and the men kept bringing things inside. In about two hours, the once-bare walls and floor looked like I had been living there for years.
