Twenty-five undergraduate students have been selected to represent the College of Sciences as part of its new Ambassadors Program.

“We are thrilled to have an official Ambassador Program featuring a group of students ready to help with special events and recruiting activities,” says Academic Program Manager Ashley Edwards, who created the program. “Events become much more meaningful when alumni and prospective students can speak with actual students who provide a real-world perspective about life at Georgia Tech.”

The ambassadors will be busy, says Edwards. They will play a key role in recruitment activities, including the bi-weekly It’s All About Science and Math event where prospective students visit campus for an overview of the College, enjoy lunch with faculty and students, and even sit in on a class. Ambassadors will also help host admitted student events, such as the Explore Science and Math Open House, participate in alumni engagement events, and assist with career education programs. 

“Being an ambassador is a chance to share my experiences and help others find their place here,” says Meghan Hamrick, a third-year chemistry major on the pre-health track. “I want to give back to the Institute that has given so much to me.”

Ambassadors will serve as a direct link for prospective students seeking personalized insight.

“Talking with a current student who participates in things they are interested in, like marching band, intramural soccer, or living in our Explore Living Learning Community, makes it real for prospective students. It’s a powerful connection,” explains Edwards.

“I hope I can be a useful resource. I think my experiences with neuroscience, study abroad, and working in the Housley Lab will resonate with future students,” says Inara Sheeraz, a third-year neuroscience major.  

Anja Govednik, a second-year physics major, looks forward to talking up her major. “I’d love to answer questions about physics — there’s so much more than most people realize!”

Representing the College

The ambassadors were selected based on GPA, short essay questions, campus involvement, and, for the finalists, a one-minute video introduction.

“We had more than 85 amazing students apply, so choosing was hard,” says Edwards. “We wanted a broad array of students, including transfer students, undergraduate researchers, student leaders, athletes, work-study students, and students from each major.”

She adds, “Most importantly, we looked for students who want to help, are passionate about science and math, really love Georgia Tech and the College of Sciences, and are excited to get other people to love the Institute as much as they do.”

Edwards is pleased to have the program up and running. “It’s a win-win. Not only will it showcase our strengths and the human side of the College of Sciences, but it will also help our student ambassadors. They’ll gain resume-worthy experience, connect with alumni, and engage with prospective students and parents. Plus, ambassadors will have opportunities to work closely with our deans and learn more about the College beyond academics.”

Meet the 2025 College of Sciences ambassadors: 

Ameera Alam, Psychology; Agastya Arora, Mathematics; Walker Bailey, Mathematics/Economics; Jayanna Baptiste, Biology; Alison Bolaños, Neuroscience; Laurel Bourg, Physics; Giuli Capparelli Sanabria, Biology; Pallavi Dokka, Neuroscience; Anjali Ganapathiraju, Biology; Anja Govednik, Physics; Meghan Hamrick, Chemistry; Britney Huynh, Biology; Ava-Elizabeth Jacoby, Psychology; Meghana Kesari, Neuroscience; Melody Lee, Computer Science/Mathematics; Larissa Martin, Astrophysics; Andrea Ninh, Biology; Malavika Niverthi, Neuroscience; Lea Setton, Psychology; Inara Sheeraz, Neuroscience; Nidhi Shenoy; Biochemistry; Deandra Smith, Neuroscience; J’Avani Stinson, Biology; Ishita Sukul, Biology; and Ria Vittal, Biochemistry.

Going to college was a step Angela Juric never questioned. Poised to graduate high school as salutatorian, she was certain to end up at a top university. However, her family was living on federal aid due to a devastating workplace accident, which presented a major financial challenge to her dreams.

Tragedy and Responsibility

When Angela was 11, her father, Zdravko, was hit by a front loader while on the job. Describing the traumatic incident, Angela says, “Looking back on it, I didn’t realize the gravity of the situation because I was so young. We were told he tried to get up after being hit, but his coworkers wouldn’t let him. They called the ambulance and took him to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. That's when one of his co-workers came to our house and told me and my mom that he had gotten into an accident.” With a crushed pelvis, Zdravko underwent an 11-hour, life-saving surgery after which he was transferred to the Shepherd Center to recover and learn how to walk again.

As both of her parents are Croatian (previously Yugoslavian) immigrants who do not speak English fluently, Angela had to take on a more mature role in her family, acting as a translator during Zdravko’s recovery. Angela helped translate everything from documents and bills for her mother to the doctors and nurses caring for her father.

Despite the trauma of his accident, Zdravko has regained much of his independence, is back to a “new normal,” and is aware of the impact his accident has had on Angela’s educational experience.

“It’s weird how life works sometimes,” she says. "He came from a foreign country and got this construction job to help support his family, which would end up changing his life with the accident. But eventually, I was able to get this [Kids' Chance] scholarship and go to college because of it. So, that domino effect, it really does exist.”

Kids' Chance Scholarship

While researching her financial aid options, Angela discovered Kids’ Chance of Georgia, an organization that provides educational scholarships to the children of Georgia workers who have been seriously or fatally injured on the job. After applying for and receiving a scholarship, she began saving the monthly stipends that high school recipients receive for future college expenses — a decision that ultimately helped her attend Georgia Tech.

Founded in 1988, Kids’ Chance of Georgia was the first organization of its kind in the nation, and has been a model for Kids’ Chance charities in 49 other states as well as the national organization. Kids’ Chance organizations strive to offer need-based scholarships to the families of seriously injured workers and are supported by occupational safety and health programs like Georgia Tech OSHA Training Institute Education Center, which has contributed a full program certificate to the Kids' Chance of Georgia silent auction for years. 

Since its inception, the program has provided over 700 scholarships, raised almost $7 million, and established memorial scholarships and endowment funds for those in need. In the 2024-2025 academic year, Kids’ Chance of Georgia awarded approximately $125,000 in scholarship funding across 62 scholarships — including the one Angela receives.

Becoming the Resource They Needed

Now, as a first-generation college student, Angela is a junior at Georgia Tech. In addition to other financial aid she receives, the Kids’ Chance scholarship helped her make this possible. “It’s been very helpful being able to afford to live on campus; it's such a fun experience. I don't think I would have the same college experience without it because I've been able to meet so many great people and be surrounded by excellence in Atlanta and Georgia Tech,” she raves.

Majoring in biology with a minor in Spanish, Angela hopes to become a physician's assistant or an anesthesiologist assistant and is currently working as a nurse assistant. In middle school, Angela discovered she had an aptitude for learning Spanish and attributes this to the fact that she already speaks Croatian: “When you know more than one language, it’s easier to learn another.”

During the summer of 2025, she attended a study abroad trip to Costa Rica, where she studied epigenetics, cancer biotechnology, and bioethics. Tying her major and minor together, Angela strives to be fluent in Spanish as a healthcare professional, knowing that patients feel more relaxed when they can speak their native language.

“I've seen firsthand how hard it can be being sick, going to the hospital, and not knowing the language,” she says. “I want to become a medical professional who can communicate with patients in their native language because it's scary not knowing what's happening to you or what doctors or nurses are saying. I would love to be a kind of beacon of peace for those patients.”

Her Father's Pride

Angela has, without a doubt, made her father proud, taking a life-altering tragedy and all of its lessons and turning it into something positive.

“My father comes from an Eastern European country. He lived a very rural village life, and didn't get a college education in his country. I've told him about the scholarship, and he thinks it's great," she says. "I think he's very proud of where I am, that I'm able to go to school, that I'm able to navigate it, and be able to have this experience.”

Angela's journey — her determination and strength — embodies the Georgia Tech spirit. As she continues her education with support from Kids' Chance, she is turning her family's story into an example of resilience, compassion, and success.

A 30-year “snapshot study” of birds in the Pacific Northwest is showing their surprising resilience in the face of climate change. The project started when School of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Benjamin Freeman found a study by Louise Waterhouse detailing birds in the mountains near Vancouver three decades ago. What followed was an ecological scavenger hunt: Freeman revisited each of the old field sites, navigating using his local knowledge and Waterhouse’s hand-drawn maps.

Freeman, who grew up in Seattle, mainly studies the ecology of tropical birds — but the discovery of Waterhouse’s paper made him curious about research closer to home. The results were surprising: over the last three decades, most of the bird populations in the region were stable and had been increasing in abundance at higher elevations.

The study, “Pacific Northwest birds have shifted their abundances upslope in response to 30 years of warming temperatures” was published in the journal Ecology this fall. In addition to lead author Freeman, the team also included Harold Eyster (The Nature Conservancy), Julian Heavyside (University of British Columbia), Daniel Yip (Canadian Wildlife Service), Monica Mather (British Columbia Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship), and Waterhouse (British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Coast Area Research).

“It is great news that most birds in the region are resilient, and by doing this work, we can focus on the species that do need help, like the Canada Jay, which is struggling in this region,” Freeman says. “Studies like this help us focus resources and effort.”

Songbirds and snow

Conducting the fieldwork was a detective game, Freeman says. Each day, he would wake up at four in the morning to locate and visit the research areas — often navigating trails, open forest, and rough terrain on foot.

This area of the Pacific Northwest is punctuated with old-growth stands of trees — sections of forest that have never been logged or altered. “These areas feel like islands,” Freeman shares. “They feel ancient and untouched, but even in pristine habitats, birds are still responding to climate change.”

Most of the work was conducted during the birds’ breeding season, from late May into June. This is when the birds are most vocal, which is ideal for surveys, Freeman says. The downside? Even in June, there is often snow in the mountains. “I was out at dawn, hiking through snow in the freezing cold, wondering why I didn’t stay in bed,” he recalls. “But then I’d hear birds singing all around me and realize it was all worth it.”

Upward expansion — and resilience

By comparing the two “snapshots,” the team showed that while temperatures have increased over the last 30 years, most bird populations in the region haven’t declined — but they have become more abundant at higher elevations. “It’s encouraging,” Freeman says. “Thirty years of warming has led to changes, but for the most part, these bird populations are mostly stable or improving.”

One reason for this resilience could be the stability that old growth forests provide, and Freeman suggests that conserving wide swaths of mountain habitat might help birds thrive as they continue to adapt, while still supporting populations at lower elevations. The study also helps identify which bird species need additional support, like the Canada Jay — a gray and white bird known for following hikers in pursuit of dropped snacks.

It’s just one piece of Freeman’s larger research goal — he aims to do this type of snapshot research in many different places to identify general patterns, especially differences in temperate versus tropical environments.

“In the tropics, most bird species are vulnerable, with only a few resilient species. In the Pacific Northwest, we saw the opposite,” he says. “A pattern is emerging: temperate zones show more resilience, tropics more vulnerability.” 

Freeman is also conducting research with a group of students in Northern Georgia. “We predict that these Appalachian birds will be resilient as well,” he says, “but we need to study and understand what’s happening in nature — not just make predictions.”

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70193

Funding: Packard Foundation

For the Georgia Tech community, homecoming week is more than just a celebration of Yellow Jacket pride – it's a tribute to the traditions, spirit, and unity that define the Tech experience. For five remarkable students, the week holds an even deeper significance.  

Ramblin’ Royalty, hosted by the Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) within Student and Campus Event Centers (SCEC), celebrates students who embody Georgia Tech’s motto, Progress and Service. Previously known as Mr. and Ms. Georgia Tech, the program has evolved into a more inclusive scholarship initiative to represent all students who are making a positive impact on campus.   

A College of Sciences student was among the five students selected for this recognition.