Travis Williams relishes his life as a Georgia Bulldog, from serving as a resident assistant to presenting groundbreaking research to just rambling around campus. He credits UGA with preparing him well for a career as a medical doctor.
Hometown:
Carnesville, Ga.
High School:
Franklin County High School
Degree objective:
B.S. in microbiology
Expected graduation:
Spring 2014
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I am involved with a number of organizations on campus including UGA’s Alpha Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary, for which I will serve as the 2013-2014 associate director of scholastics and programming. I am the event coordinator for the UGA chapter of the American Society for Microbiology. I was recently elected to the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Med Honor Society, and I also am a member of MEDLIFE at UGA.
One of my greatest achievements at UGA has been my involvement in academic research. I have had the opportunity to become very involved in Joy Peterson’s lab group where we work to engineer microbes that will more efficiently produce ethanol. This ethanol has a great potential to serve as an alternative fuel source. I was selected as one of 10 students from UGA to attend the inaugural SEC Symposium as a University Scholar where I was also invited to present a poster at the symposium to feature my research from Dr. Peterson’s lab. At the symposium, I won first place in the undergraduate poster competition.
I had the opportunity to present my research at the 2013 CURO Symposium where I gave an oral presentation as well as a poster presentation. I was also selected as one of 30 students to be awarded a 2013 CURO Summer Fellowship and was a 2012 Ty Cobb Foundation Scholar.
Current Employment:
I work with University Housing in East Campus Village, where I have served as a resident assistant for two years. I take a lot of pride in my position because I fully believe that the on-campus living experience that students get at UGA has a tremendous influence on them for the rest of their lives. I serve as a resource for 60 to 75 residents each year and assist them with concerns they might have in their day-to-day life at UGA. I am excited for the opportunity to return to East Campus Village and serve my senior year as a resident assistant.
Family Ties to UGA:
None. I am a first generation college student, and UGA has been a wonderful place to start a family tradition.
I chose to attend UGA because…
… I honestly thought it was the best choice for anyone who is a resident of Georgia and a strong academic competitor. I knew that I wanted to be a doctor well before applying to UGA. Based on stories that I grew up around and recent successful students from my high school, I knew that UGA offered everything I needed to prepare for medical school. My teachers recommended UGA, telling me that it had a strong science curriculum that would challenge me the way they knew I wanted to be challenged. I am a first generation college student, so I was not exactly sure what I was getting myself into at first. Looking back on three years at UGA, I could not have made a better choice. I admit that my interest in college sports had an influence on my decision to attend UGA, but even more than sports was the lure of being a “Georgia Bulldog.”
My favorite things to do on campus are…
… go for rambling hikes around campus to find places that I have never seen before and tailgating on Saturdays.
When I have free time, I like…
… to work out at Ramsey, watch “Scrubs” and go fishing.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
… visit New York City the day before Hurricane Sandy took its toll on the area. I was lucky enough to catch the last flight out of New York before JFK airport closed and was later under water. Needless to say, the flight home was interesting.
My favorite place to study is…
… in the isolation of my apartment room at my desk or on my couch.
My favorite professor is…
… Joy Peterson. She has been a wonderful mentor and has given me many opportunities to develop academically and professionally. She is a very successful role model with a tremendous amount of work ethic. Dr. Peterson has continuously challenged me to add a level of excellence to my academic work.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
… Hugh Laurie from the TV show “House.” I would like to meet the actor who did such a great job at catching my interest in the puzzles that exist in the world of medicine.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… not accomplish much. I believe the fear of failing is the flame that keeps ambition alive. However, one thing that I would love to accomplish in my lifetime is to find a solution for a disease that is currently not curable.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
… move my family to South America where I would open a free clinic in the rain forest.
After graduation, I plan to…
… attend medical school and become a successful doctor or surgeon. I look forward to seeing the different disciplines of medicine and having the opportunity to work in the one that I love the most.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
… the first time I walked into Sanford Stadium as a freshman. The loyalty and tradition that I felt from the Bulldog Nation is one that I will never forget. Go Dawgs!
