{"623914":{"#nid":"623914","#data":{"type":"news","title":"OMED: Educational Services Welcomes Largest Challenge Program Cohort in 39 Years to Campus","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/omed.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOMED: Educational Services\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026rsquo; 2019 Challenge program hosted 140 incoming first-year Georgia Tech students this summer, representing the largest cohort in the program\u0026rsquo;s 39-year history.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring the five-week summer intensive academic program, participants resided in the campus\u0026rsquo; Field and Hanson dormitories while preparing for college life by addressing the \u0026ldquo;7Cs:\u0026rdquo; computer science, chemistry, calculus, communication, career development, cultural competency, and community service.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 2019 class was also the growing program\u0026rsquo;s most diverse: 52% female and 33% Latinx \u0026ndash; the largest percentages of both groups to take part in the program \u0026ndash; and 42% of all black students committed to attend Georgia Tech in the fall participated in this year\u0026rsquo;s program. Participants hailed from across the United States (including Puerto Rico), Brazil, Panama, and Nigeria. The students represented interests in 27 unique majors, with 44% intending to pursue non-engineering degrees while at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The diversity of this year\u0026rsquo;s participants reflects the diversity that continues to flourish at Georgia Tech and highlights the continuing need for programs aimed at attracting and retaining talented minority students,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EArchie Ervin\u003C\/strong\u003E, vice president of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/diversity.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInstitute Diversity\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am confident that OMED will continue to grow the program\u0026rsquo;s capacity resulting in the higher performance and graduation rates of our underrepresented minority students.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I have been a part of so many Challenge programs here at Tech that I am no longer concerned about whether our Challenge students will be successful,\u0026rdquo; added \u003Cstrong\u003ES. Gordon Moore Jr.\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director of Institute Diversity\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.csdi.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Student Diversity and Inclusion\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Instead, I eagerly await to see just how far they exceed.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 2019\u0026nbsp;cohort was the first to experience the newly added resource and information component with six rotating sessions before the opening-day orientation. During the resource and information component participants obtained academic coaching tips from Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Center for Academic Success, important insights from Tech\u0026rsquo;s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Study Abroad, and more.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESybrina Atwaters\u003C\/strong\u003E, 2019 Challenge program director\u0026nbsp;said, \u0026ldquo;Over the past three years, strategic decisions were made to enhance the program\u0026rsquo;s quality, content, and participation in order to broaden the impact of the program to meet the needs of the evolving Georgia Tech student population. That\u0026rsquo;s no small feat for an already successful program.\u0026rdquo; She added, \u0026ldquo;The 2019 cohort is a reflection of these efforts, resulting in over $16,000 in monetary rewards for outstanding performance, over 7,500 minutes of course and development training per student, and the formation of life-long networks.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My first year at Georgia Tech went really well \u0026ndash; definitely thanks to the Challenge program,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EZion Martell\u003C\/strong\u003E, a rising second-year environmental engineering undergraduate student who completed the program in 2018 and returned this year to serve as one of 19 counselors to the participants. \u0026ldquo;I was headed to Georgia Tech not knowing anyone here, but the program provided a network of friends and mentors I could count on,\u0026rdquo; Martell continued. \u0026ldquo;I got a 4.0 my spring (second) semester.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDwanda Brew\u003C\/strong\u003E, mother to 2019 Challenge participant and academic performance award recipient \u003Cstrong\u003EKelsey Brew\u003C\/strong\u003E, reflected on the effect the program had on her son, Julian, eight years ago. \u0026ldquo;My son took part in the Challenge program in 2011 and it really set the foundation for him here,\u0026rdquo; she said during the program\u0026rsquo;s kickoff in June. \u0026ldquo;He went on to complete his master\u0026rsquo;s degree here in 2017 and will complete his doctorate in aerospace engineering \u0026ndash; also at Georgia Tech \u0026ndash; in December of this year. He\u0026rsquo;s been a really big advocate for Kelsey to attend the Challenge program and I hope it does the same for her as it did for him.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring the closing banquet on July 25, OMED recognized each participant with certificates and some were also presented with monetary awards for completing the five-week program with exceptional academic performance. Banquet sponsor BP presented more than a dozen grant awards.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFaculty, staff members, counselors, and student participants all offered words of reflection.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The past five weeks have been some of the best -- and busiest -- of my life,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EAniya Alston\u003C\/strong\u003E to the banquet audience. \u0026ldquo;I know that no matter how hard things may get while I\u0026rsquo;m here, my Challenge family will help me get through it. I\u0026rsquo;m incredibly thankful for each and every one of you.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 2019 Challenge program was supported by the following corporate sponsors: Bechtel, BP, Eaton, ExxonMobil, John\u0026nbsp;Deere, Marathon Petroleum, Procter \u0026amp; Gamble, Southwire, and SunTrust.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo learn more about the program, visit\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/omed.gatech.edu\/programs\/challenge\u0022\u003Eomed.gatech.edu\/programs\/challenge\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe 2019 Challenge program hosted 140 incoming first-year Georgia Tech students this summer, representing the largest -- and most diverse -- cohort in the program\u0026rsquo;s 39-year history.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"OMED: Educational Services\u2019 2019 Challenge program hosted 140 incoming first-year Georgia Tech students this summer, representing the largest cohort in the program\u2019s 39-year history."}],"uid":"34932","created_gmt":"2019-08-01 17:42:31","changed_gmt":"2019-08-01 18:38:22","author":"Courtney Hill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"623921":{"id":"623921","type":"image","title":"2019 Challenge program students pose on Corporate Day. The 140-member cohort was the largest in the program\u0027s 39-year history.","body":null,"created":"1564683031","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 18:10:31","changed":"1564684222","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 18:30:22","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237638","name":"Corpdayresizeandcrop.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Corpdayresizeandcrop.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Corpdayresizeandcrop.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1452468,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Corpdayresizeandcrop.jpg?itok=WKhwLWC1"}},"623925":{"id":"623925","type":"image","title":"Challenge students addressed the \u201c7Cs\u201d during the course of the summer program: computer science, chemistry, calculus, communication, career development, cultural competency, and community service.","body":null,"created":"1564683799","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 18:23:19","changed":"1564702976","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 23:42:56","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237641","name":"Webp.net-resizeimage (14).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Webp.net-resizeimage%20%2814%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Webp.net-resizeimage%20%2814%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1717049,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Webp.net-resizeimage%20%2814%29.jpg?itok=aZLCQ93U"}},"623923":{"id":"623923","type":"image","title":"The 2019 cohort volunteered at Books For Africa, the YMCA of East Atlanta, the Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture and other local organizations during the five-week program.","body":null,"created":"1564683354","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 18:15:54","changed":"1564684278","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 18:31:18","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237640","name":"Webp.net-resizeimage (15).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Webp.net-resizeimage%20%2815%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Webp.net-resizeimage%20%2815%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3759452,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Webp.net-resizeimage%20%2815%29.jpg?itok=Q9mJNehP"}},"623916":{"id":"623916","type":"image","title":"Sybrina Atwaters and 2019 Challenge participant Jade Wurapa at the program\u0027s closing banquet ","body":null,"created":"1564681710","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 17:48:30","changed":"1564684450","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 18:34:10","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237634","name":"Unknown-1.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown-1_4.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown-1_4.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":128205,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Unknown-1_4.jpeg?itok=Wn4-gHWC"}},"623920":{"id":"623920","type":"image","title":"S. Gordon Moore Jr. and 2019 Challenge participant Lawrence Williams at the program\u0027s closing banquet","body":null,"created":"1564682503","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 18:01:43","changed":"1564688546","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 19:42:26","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237637","name":"Unknown.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown_7.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown_7.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":137967,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Unknown_7.jpeg?itok=CnlO-x2y"}},"623919":{"id":"623919","type":"image","title":"Archie Ervin, BP corporate representative, Ahmed Farag, and 2019 Challenge participant Courtney Curtis","body":null,"created":"1564682334","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 17:58:54","changed":"1564682334","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 17:58:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237636","name":"Unknown-2.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown-2_2.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown-2_2.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":156984,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Unknown-2_2.jpeg?itok=lofFxIah"}},"623918":{"id":"623918","type":"image","title":"2019 Challenge program closing banquet attendees","body":null,"created":"1564682216","gmt_created":"2019-08-01 17:56:56","changed":"1564684489","gmt_changed":"2019-08-01 18:34:49","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237635","name":"Unknown-3.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown-3_3.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Unknown-3_3.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":111643,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Unknown-3_3.jpeg?itok=7QUNvrzq"}}},"media_ids":["623921","623925","623923","623916","623920","623919","623918"],"groups":[{"id":"1313","name":"Institute Diversity"},{"id":"1307","name":"Office of Minority Education and Development (OMED)"},{"id":"322561","name":"Student Diversity Programs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"175295","name":"Diversity and Inclusion"},{"id":"181875","name":"Challenge Program"},{"id":"6045","name":"OMED"},{"id":"1406","name":"minority"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECourtney Hill\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nInstitute Diversity\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\ncourtney.hill@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["courtney.hill@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}