{"609774":{"#nid":"609774","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Speaking Words of Wisdom: Convocation Speaker Reflects","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;If only I knew then, what I know now\u0026rdquo; is a frequent lament. With that in mind, the student speaker for the Aug. 19 \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/specialevents.gatech.edu\/events\/new-student-convocation-2\u0022\u003ENew Student Convocation\u003C\/a\u003E, Sinet Adous, will offer words of wisdom to fellow students as they begin their journey at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe event will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. at McCamish Pavillion, with all incoming undergraduates receiving a RAT cap, T-Book, and Georgia Tech pin. Parents and guests are welcome to attend.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdous, a second-year international affairs major, was selected as the student speaker for New Student Convocation after submitting a video application.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;When I was a freshman sitting in the audience [at Convocation], I never thought that could be me on stage next year,\u0026rdquo; Adous said. \u0026ldquo;Then, I thought, \u0026lsquo;Sure. Why not?\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEven if she had not been chosen to speak, Adous looked at the application process as a good way to reflect on her first year at Tech. She wanted to think of the insights that she gained during the year \u0026mdash; things she wished she had known from the beginning.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I wanted to speak to myself before speaking to a few thousand people,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;I wanted to know if I could have talked to myself a year ago, what would I have wanted to know?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdous figured it out and put it in her speech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;A common thread, not only in the speech but also in my life, is the idea of living authentically \u0026mdash; pursuing whatever passion or carrying yourself throughout your community as your truest self,\u0026rdquo; Adous said. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s an underrated, hard thing to do. It\u0026rsquo;s something that I had told myself but I didn\u0026rsquo;t realize how hard it would be.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA first-generation American whose parents are from Ethiopia, Adous defines authenticity as living in a way where one\u0026rsquo;s thoughts, beliefs, ideals, passions \u0026mdash; the facets that are the building blocks of a person\u0026rsquo;s identity \u0026mdash; are worn as if they are a crown.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The root of every individual is their values and what they hold dear,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;As you\u0026rsquo;re transitioning from home to this new life, the most important part is to carry your values with you.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdous said it is critical to hold on to what makes a person unique.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s easy for us to \u0026lsquo;be ourselves\u0026rsquo; behind closed doors or with a few people we trust,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;But, if we can strive to carry that version of ourselves out into the world, and strive to be accepting of one another, then authenticity will eventually come with ease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdous is spending the summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as an intern in the Commercial Leadership Program with GE Healthcare. She is rehearsing her speech under the guidance of Karen Head, executive director of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Naugle Communication Center, who personally coaches Tech\u0026rsquo;s Convocation and Commencement speakers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I do hope that what I have to share is impactful for the students,\u0026rdquo; Adous said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGraduate students will be welcomed to Tech during a separate event, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/specialevents.gatech.edu\/graduate-student-welcome\u0022\u003EGraduate Student Welcome\u003C\/a\u003E, held Wednesday, August 29. The inaugural event will include Graduate Convocation from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at McCamish Pavillion, immediately followed by a Graduate Student Picnic from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Tech Green.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Sinet Adous, the student speaker for Convocation, will share insights that she gained during her first year \u2014 things she wished she had known from the beginning."}],"uid":"27713","created_gmt":"2018-08-15 14:39:52","changed_gmt":"2018-08-16 12:56:35","author":"Victor Rogers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"609791":{"id":"609791","type":"image","title":"Sinet Adous headshot (courtesy of GE) ","body":null,"created":"1534356662","gmt_created":"2018-08-15 18:11:02","changed":"1534356726","gmt_changed":"2018-08-15 18:12:06","alt":"Sinet Adous headshot ","file":{"fid":"232227","name":"Sinet Adous headshot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sinet%20Adous%20headshot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sinet%20Adous%20headshot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":112101,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Sinet%20Adous%20headshot.jpg?itok=CtW_G_TO"}},"609794":{"id":"609794","type":"image","title":"Sinet Adous casual photo in Milwaukee","body":null,"created":"1534358132","gmt_created":"2018-08-15 18:35:32","changed":"1534358170","gmt_changed":"2018-08-15 18:36:10","alt":"Sinet Adous casual photo","file":{"fid":"232228","name":"Sinet Adous casual photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sinet%20Adous%20casual%20photo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sinet%20Adous%20casual%20photo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":438111,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Sinet%20Adous%20casual%20photo.jpg?itok=n72s-Ref"}}},"media_ids":["609791","609794"],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4230","name":"convocation"},{"id":"167234","name":"speaker"},{"id":"178757","name":"Sinet Adous"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EVictor Rogers\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["victor.rogers@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}