{"62682":{"#nid":"62682","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Admissions Professional Enjoys Job, Good Food","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThere are two things Merideth Ray is passionate about: her work in admissions and restaurants ranging from Sotto Sotto to Nuevo Laredo Cantina.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI really enjoy food,\u201d said the senior assistant director of undergraduate admissions. \u201cSo, if I weren\u2019t in my current role, I\u2019d love to be a chef or a food writer living somewhere like\u0026nbsp; Provence.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a matter of fact, Ray enjoys food so much, she started the blog \u201cAn Atlantan Eats: Food Finds and Favorites from an Atlantan\u2019s Point of View\u201d (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/anatlantaneats.blogspot.com\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/anatlantaneats.blogspot.com\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/anatlantaneats.blogspot.com\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve lived in Atlanta for most of my life, so people were always asking my advice on where to eat,\u201d Ray said. \u201cI started keeping a list of restaurants with links to their websites, and eventually it just made sense for this to evolve into a blog.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle sat down with her to learn about her experiences at Tech and the best places to grab lunch. Here\u2019s what Ray shared:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat brought you to Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI actually earned my bachelor\u2019s degree from Tech in 2000. After graduation, I headed to the University of Georgia to earn a master\u2019s in student affairs, but in 2003 I returned to campus to work with the FASET Orientation program. I served as assistant director and then as director until 2007 when I began work as a transfer counselor in admissions. I began my current position in August of this year. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDescribe a typical day. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI\u2019m very involved in the training and supervision of the students who lead our campus visits, and I handle the West Coast recruiting territory. So, I communicate a lot with prospective and current students. My days are also full of meetings with the other campus units that collaborate with admissions and occasional evening events with students. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is something that you want Tech\u2019s faculty and staff to know about admissions? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year, about 13,000 prospective students came to Tech for one of our daily one-hour information sessions and tours. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you enjoy most and least about your job? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI enjoy my continuous interaction with prospective students and our student leaders. My least favorite part of the job is the paperwork. But, my strategy for making it more bearable is to make sure my paperwork has a personal connection. For example, if I have a catering contract to turn in, I\u2019ll visit that office and speak with my contact in person, rather than just send an e-mail or make a phone call.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is something everyone should do while working at Tech? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETake advantage of the activities we have access to. For example, when President Obama was running for office, I was able to attend his political rally on campus, and I\u2019ve gotten to hear Maya Angelou speak. These are things I probably wouldn\u2019t have done if I didn\u2019t work at Tech. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is the best place to eat lunch on and off campus, and what do you order? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe best place on campus is Junior\u2019s, and I get the gyro plate, which isn\u2019t on the menu. (It\u2019s different from the gyro sandwich because it\u2019s a Greek salad with gyro meat.) The best off-campus lunch spot is Toscano and Sons on Marietta Street, because they know how to do a panini right \u2014 with fresh Italian cured meats and cheese on authentic bread. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAside from blogging, what do you do in your spare time? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI enjoy cooking and like to take cooking classes. I really enjoy the Simple Abundance cooking classes that are sponsored by the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Classes are held at Cook\u2019s Warehouse locations and all of the money raised goes to a good cause.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfile of Merideth Ray, Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Profile of Merideth Ray, Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions"}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2010-11-11 10:38:41","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:07:46","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2010-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"62683":{"id":"62683","type":"image","title":"Merideth Ray","body":null,"created":"1449176382","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:59:42","changed":"1475894547","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:27","alt":"Merideth Ray","file":{"fid":"191659","name":"Merideth_Ray.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Merideth_Ray_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Merideth_Ray_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6598796,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Merideth_Ray_0.jpg?itok=74AEFZe6"}}},"media_ids":["62683"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.admission.gatech.edu\/","title":"Admissions"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1838","name":"Admissions"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003Cbr \/\u003EManager of Employee Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E(404) 385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}