Teresa O’Neal’s résumé reflects her dedication to higher education and her love for UGA. She is one of two student representatives on an internal task force assessing UGA’s general education requirements and approaches to student learning. She hopes to offer a fresh perspective on the different issues discussed because she wants UGA to continue to be among the top universities in the nation. O’Neal’s involvement with other UGA activities shows her commitment and loyalty to making this happen. She is a member of the Arch Society, the university’s student ambassador program that welcomes visitors to campus. She also is a member of the Georgia Recruitment Team and the High School Outreach committee, two volunteer student groups in UGA’s admissions office that reach out to prospective students through campus visitation days and information sessions. O’Neal recently was part of a panel about student life at UGA during Explore Georgia Day, a campus event introducing prospective students and their parents to UGA’s academic and co-curricular opportunities.
Hometown:
Warner Robins, Georgia
High School:
Warner Robins High School
Degree objective:
B.S. in Psychology
Expected graduation:
May 2005
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
Some key moments for me related to the overall college experience would be the people I’ve met and worked with through different organizations. For example, I currently serve on the family relations committee of Dance Marathon, which raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network, directly benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I also am involved with Volunteer UGA, the campus volunteer center. I have been on the black cultural programming committee for University Union and the minority affairs committee for the Student Government Association. I’ve been involved with UGA’s All-Star Competitive Cheerleading Squad during its first year of competition and have volunteered with high school girls working with Clark Central High School’s cheerleading program. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite organization because I have had such wonderful experiences and met so many fantastic people in all of them. I love the spirit of community on campus. I’ve always been amazed by the amount of student organizations that participate in various community service projects. I think it is easy sometimes to get caught up in what is going on in your life as a student. However, I’ve been fortunate to get to know many selfless people.
I chose to attend UGA because…
At a young age, UGA was implanted in my mind because I had two uncles who graduated from here. However, I was offered a wonderful scholarship from the University of Tennessee and even committed to going there. Nevertheless, after visiting UGA with my parents, I was pulled in. It just felt right and I knew that this was the place I wanted to be. I made the decision to come to UGA, sent my apologies to Tennessee and could not be happier with my decision.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…to hang out at the Tate Student Center with friends between classes. Also, sometimes my roommates and I get the chance to grab lunch downtown and enjoy eating it on North Campus.
When I have free time, I like…
…hanging out with my roommates and other friends, going bowling, reading, shopping, eating and sleeping.
My favorite place to study is…
…the Student Learning Center. It’s ideal for people like me who have a hard time studying at home due to distractions or the temptation to just go to sleep. The individual study rooms are really great for quiet individual study or group projects or study sessions.
My favorite professor is…
…Karl Kuhnert. He teaches psychology of the workplace and it has been one of the most interesting classes I’ve taken since I’ve been in college. He used many different lecture styles and always taught us to look at the bigger picture. He prepared us for our future instead of just teaching us the material for his class.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…my great-grandmother on my grandmother’s side. I have heard over the years what a wonderful person she was and would have loved the opportunity to spend a day with her getting to know her for myself. I’ve also heard over the years how much of her I have in me so I would love to see for myself if there were any similarities between us.
After graduation, I plan to…
…work as a pharmaceutical sales representative and then possibly attend pharmacy school.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
It would be hard for me to pick between my two favorite memories. I recently had the opportunity of meeting Ms. Mary Frances Early who was the first African-American graduate of UGA. It was such a pleasure speaking with her and hearing about some of the good and bad experiences that she went through. I felt an even greater appreciation for her, Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes for paving the
way for students like me. My other favorite memory is meeting former UGA president Henry King Stanford at the President’s tailgate during the Homecoming football game in 2004. I was on assignment for the Arch Society and ended up walking him all the way to his individual sky box at Sanford Stadium. We talked about everything from the pair of shoes given to him by Vince Dooley years ago that he still wore and how people used to sit on the railroad tracks to watch the football games to the challenges UGA faced under his leadership. It was delightful talking to him and very interesting to hear how much the university has changed and grown over the years.
