{"196671":{"#nid":"196671","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Movie Prompted Cederquist to Take Up Hobby","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOne day back in 1984, Laura Cederquist and a buddy walked into a theater to catch a movie \u2014 and walked out wanting to be the next karate kids.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe just thought the \u2018Karate Kid\u2019 was so cool,\u201d said Cederquist, a financial manager in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. \u201cSo we walked to a studio up the street from the theater, signed up for lessons, and I\u2019ve been training in the martial arts on and off ever since.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECederquist practices Korean Soo Bahk Do and has steadily worked her way through the ranks (taking a break from training from 1990 to 2000) to become a fifth dan. For comparison, the head of the Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan Federation is a ninth dan, and Cederquist won\u2019t be ready to test for the next level for six years. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe currently trains students ranging from children to adults in the art at a local studio a few times a week. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s not about beating people up,\u201d she said. \u201cThis type of movement is more of the ballet of martial arts.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERead on to learn more about Cederquist and her time at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be as a child?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI wanted to do something like teach English in Japan, which stemmed from my interest in martial arts. But I didn\u2019t have a solid goal. Actually, I changed majors three times during my first few quarters as an undergraduate at Tech. First, there was biology, then computing and finally management. Once I realized that I didn\u2019t have to take calculus as a management student, I knew I\u2019d found a fit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you arrive in your current position?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost people in my family went to Tech \u2014 my sister and brother-in-law, my nephews, my husband \u2014 and my son is destined to come here, too. As a student, I got a job working in the School of Civil Engineering\u2019s accounting office, which evolved into a full-time position once I graduated. After about two years, I moved on to my current position and have been here for 18 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDescribe an average day in your job.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESimply put, I balance my school\u2019s financial books, and make sure we don\u2019t overspend or underspend based on our budget. I help faculty members with grant proposal and sponsored funding questions, and with purchasing items. Even though my office tries to focus on finance, my assistant and I wind up dealing with a little bit of everything.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most satisfying part of your job?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI love when I can help resolve a problem. For example, we have a postdoc in our department who, from the very beginning, has had all sorts of funding problems. We\u2019ve been working with the student for a year to get everything straightened out and are almost at the point where they are. It\u2019s satisfying to see all of that effort pay off. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite spot on campus?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI like the sunken garden over by the library. I used to take naps there as a student and enjoy it to this day.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are three things that every Tech employee should do? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGo to a football or basketball game. Walk around campus on a nice spring day and take in all of the trees and flowers. And see a show at the Ferst Center for the Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlways finish what you start. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite spot to have lunch?\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m a fan of Willy\u2019s Mexicana and always order nachos.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt would be Audrey Hepburn, because she\u2019s my favorite actress and had a very interesting life beyond acting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI love Disney World. My husband \u2014 who is a good sport about my obsession \u2014 and son and I try to visit the Disney parks in Orlando every other year. My favorites are Epcot and Animal Kingdom.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOne day back in 1984, Laura Cederquist and a buddy walked into a theater to catch a movie \u2014 and walked out wanting to be the next karate kids.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"One day back in 1984, Laura Cederquist and a buddy walked into a theater to catch a movie \u2014 and walked out wanting to be the next karate kids."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-03-04 13:50:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:13:44","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"196611":{"id":"196611","type":"image","title":"Laura Cederquist","body":null,"created":"1449179906","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:58:26","changed":"1475894848","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:28","alt":"Laura Cederquist","file":{"fid":"196441","name":"laura_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/laura_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/laura_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1692673,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/laura_0_0.jpg?itok=nOsdargK"}}},"media_ids":["196611"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"60361","name":"Laura Cederquist"},{"id":"166926","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}