In-Depth USA Today: ’Action is necessary’ as UGA student Chris Xavier fights for justice.
July 2020.
The year before Chris Xavier stepped onto the University of Georgia campus as a freshman, renovation work around a university building unearthed graves that DNA analysis and dating suggested were of African descent. Their estimated age pointed to them being those of enslaved workers.
Athens Banner Herald: ‘Always want to do more’ - Christi Thomas
July 2020.
Christi Thomas is taking lessons learned both as a collegiate and professional athlete and passing them forward to the next generation. The former Lady Bulldog great took over as Jackson County women’s basketball coach in April and plans to help start a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People youth chapter .
UGA Grady Newsource
Northeast GA Local Basketball Updates March ‘21
DawgNation: UGA walk-ons look for a path to help football team
April 2020.
Georgia football walk-ons Kolby Wyatt and Kaustov Chakrabarti’s longshot paths to the lineup and roster have been altered by the coronavirus pandemic. With social distancing and shelter-in-place orders, it was going to be difficult for all athletes to prepare for their respective teams, but for walk-ons, there is an added level of anxiety because of their already tenuous status.
Clarke Central
Bass Fishing Tournament Recap
In their premiere year recognized as an official Georgia High School Association sport, I travel to Lake Lanier with Clarke Central's bass fishing team at the Student Angler Federation (SAF) - High School Fishing Georgia State Championship.
Sports, Politics, and Humanity
December 2020
When discussing return to play plans back in August, student athletes, such as Woods took part in the #WeAreUnited campaign designed to promote fair treatment, enhanced safety and improve social injustice conditions at the college level because “NCAA sports exploit college athletes physically, economically, and academically and also disproportionately harm Black college athletes.”
Woods was ultimately told by his coach he could no longer be involved with team activities.
The pandemic, the reemergence of the civil rights movement following the murder of George Floyd, and the election all shook college sports in a way they have never been shaken before. For many, these crises provided an opportunity for unity and call for change. However, they also took a toll on the mental health of those who saw their seasons ripped away, the murder of people who looked like them or their family, and an electorate that divided significantly along racial lines.
UGA Soccer Defender Kristen Edmond on rehabilitation during the pandemic & the 2020-21 season
Personal Project: to the Board (of Regents) it may concern.
“Doing Better Across the Board”
This is not me calling anyone out but rather calling it as I see it now, though I will also note my inability to attend meetings due to the Board considering my presence a “conflict of interest.”
Northeast Georgia Provides Resources For Those Affected By Abuse While Quarantined
Intimate partner violence or other types of abuse in the household can put parents and children at serious risk for long-term physical and mental health problems, according to local organizations. In an early February meeting with Barrow County officials and members of the community, Peace Place Inc. stressed the importance of educating youth and the community on what domestic violence is so that they can help to prevent it.
Perseverance Personified: Paula Pridgen
February 2020.
Paula Pridgen, a skin cancer survivor, hopes to be an inspiration to others and has something to prove in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon. In 2013, after joining the Charlotte Running Club, Pridgen sprained her ankle the week before she tried to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials. She elected to run and finished with a time of 2:56:00.
ABOUT ME
Ultimately striving to work in communications for the WNBA and NBA,
as a University of Georgia Journalism College Ambassador, I have specialized in covering stories of athlete empowerment and giving the platform and resources to tell their story while bettering the world around them.
Check out my college’s Profile of Tenacity or school newspaper’s feature for outside perspectives of the work I’ve done.