Georgia Southern Q3 2023 Economic Monitor: Regional economy grows slightly

The Savannah metro economy experienced subdued growth in the third quarter of 2023 following a modest dip in activity in the second quarter, as reflected in Georgia Southern University’s Q3 2023 Economic Monitor.

“The increase was supported primarily by growth in regional employment, electricity sales and port activity,” said Michael Toma, Ph.D., Georgia Southern’s Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Economics. “The tourism industry contributed modestly, but retail sales activity gave up ground during the quarter. ​​The prospects for stronger growth into mid-2024 will depend on hiring goals among the area’s major manufacturers. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America and its associated suppliers will drive a significant portion of growth in the manufacturing sector. Further, high-wage manufacturing employment growth will also be driven by Gulfstream as it adds 1,600 workers.” 

Employment Trends

Metro Savannah employers added 1,800 workers during the quarter, raising total employment to a record high of 204,300. Most of the growth was in the service sector, but manufacturing continues a consistent upward trend reaching back to early 2021.  

In the service sector, about 1,600 jobs were added with most new workers concentrated in the hospitality sector (+500 jobs) and education/health (+500 jobs). Notably, business and professional services added 300 workers, and following the 300 added in the second quarter, reversed a four-quarter trend of job losses. This sector serves as a bellwether and recent gains are attributed to modestly increased business-to-business activity in the region. 

In contrast, retail trade released 300 workers, generally consistent with a 1.2% decline in retail sales. Combined, education and health remain the region’s top job-providing sector with 29,400 workers followed closely by tourism with 29,300 workers.  

In the regional logistics sector, activity is normalizing following two exceptionally strong years heavily influenced by the pandemic. Consumer purchasing patterns shifted toward goods away from services during the pandemic and this was reflected in substantially increased container traffic through the port. In the post-pandemic period as consumer purchasing patterns began normalizing, so did activity at the port. In 2023, container traffic at the port fundamentally returned to the nation’s pre-pandemic best growth trend. 

The sector added 100 jobs during the quarter and stands at 18,300 workers, which is 12% higher than the pre-pandemic peak. Georgia Ports Authority has $4.5 billion in port infrastructure investments planned during the next 10 years as the logistics footprint is expected to double, creating additional jobs and associated business opportunities.     

The goods-producing side of the economy grew modestly during the quarter. Manufacturing employment increased 200 workers rising to 19,900 for the quarterly average and hit 20,000 workers in September. Manufacturing has added an average of 200 workers per quarter for the past three years, and is on a steady path of growth expected to increase through 2024 and into 2025 as hiring will increase to meet announced job creation and investment at Gulfstream, Hyundai and their associated suppliers. Construction employment held steady at 9,500 jobs. 

Private sector wages, after adjusting for inflation, declined to $24.61 per hour during the quarter, a 2.5% decline from $25.25 during the previous quarter. The length of the private sector workweek shortened by 1.3% (about 24 minutes) to 31.9 hours.       

In the labor market, the monthly number of initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) increased 9.8% to 796 from 724 in the previous quarter. This is 12% higher than the average of 705 per month during the previous 12 months. The regional unemployment rate held steady at 3%, its average rate through all of 2023 to date.

Housing Market

The issuance of construction permits for single-family homes increased 11.2% from the previous quarter. The upside swing to 645 permits is modestly above an anchor around 575 permits issued per quarter since early 2019. The average value for each single-family unit increased 2.2% to $263,200 from $257,500 in the previous quarter. 

In closing, the regional forecasting index continues to send the signal that economic expectations should be tempered through mid-2024. However, the resiliency of the regional economy in reabsorbing laid-off workers, maintaining employment growth and holding a low unemployment rate is remarkable in the face of tight monetary policy and elevated interest rates. Further, the ramping up of employment for the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, its suppliers, and Gulfstream will offset the negative signal from the forecasting index and propel the regional economy forward into 2024. In addition, the bellwether business and professional services sector is recently showing strength.

The intermediate and longer-term prospects for the Savannah metro economy remain excellent as the manufacturing and logistics industries notably expand through 2024 and over the next two to three years.     

A Note from the Analyst

The Economic Monitor is available by email and at Georgia Southern’s Center for Business Analytics and Economic Research’s website. If you would like to receive the Monitor by email send a ‘subscribe’ message to CBAER@georgiasouthern.edu.

About the Indicators

The Economic Monitor provides a continuously updated quarterly snapshot of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area economy, including Bryan, Chatham and Effingham counties in Georgia. The coincident index measures the current economic heartbeat of the region. The leading index is designed to provide a short-term forecast of the region’s economic activity in the upcoming six to nine months.

Last updated: 1/8/2024

Fall graduate overcomes near-death battle with COVID-19 to complete nursing degree

When Wesley Fischer crossed the stage during Fall 2023 Commencement at Georgia Southern University to acknowledge the completion of his degree in nursing, it was a full-circle moment. Just two years prior, Fischer was unsure of his future in school, and at one point, unsure whether he would live. 

Fischer, a former firefighter and EMT, and a veteran Navy corpsman, was well into his nursing school journey during that fall 2021 semester when he recalled being on the Armstrong Campus for the last time that year. 

“A few days after that I got really sick,” he said. “I went to the ER and ended up in a coma just a few days later.” 

Fischer would go on to spend more than 100 days in the hospital as he battled COVID-19. While hospitalized, Fischer went into kidney and liver failure at one point, and at another time had to be resuscitated after going into cardiac arrest.

“A couple of the doctors were persuasive and persistent and tried to get my wife to pull life support, but she absolutely refused,” he said. “This was when no visitors were allowed in hospitals. The chaplains at the hospital started calling her on FaceTime, and that’s when I started showing signs of life again.” 

Fischer would go on to experience numerous other complications while in the hospital, which became his driving force on his road to recovery. 

“I wanted to come back and make sure that a patient never had to go through what I went through,” he said. “As soon as I could get my wife to get my phone to me, I started messaging my instructors and asking what the procedures were for getting back in school. They didn’t want to talk about that, they just wanted to let me know how happy they were I was alive.” 

After learning he just needed to be cleared by a doctor to return to the classroom, Fischer worked fervently toward that goal. 

“I vigorously pushed myself through physical therapy routines that I had previously used to work with patients. I went to the Chatham Aquatic Center and got myself moving in the water,” he said. “I was able to get myself cleared two weeks before school started the following August.”

Along the way, Fischer received unwavering support from the nursing faculty at Georgia Southern and classmates in his nursing cohort. 

“I had classmates who tracked down my mom through Facebook to check on me,” he said. “Within 24 hours of being home, I had visitors who were nursing students who would come either visit and help me get around or ask me to help them study. I’m still in touch with some of them today.” 

After transitioning back to the classroom, Fischer faced more hurdles. 

“Along the way, we discovered that I had some memory issues,” he explained. “My long-term memory is perfectly intact. It’s just short-term memory I have a hard time with. Any new material I hadn’t heard before takes a couple more times hearing for it to sink in, so I had to listen to recordings of lectures three or four times to get things to sink in.” 

During his clinical rotations, Fischer learned that being in a hospital setting triggered a different part of his memory and he was able to better retain information. 

“One of my professors at the time started giving me mini-lectures while I was in clinicals and that way it would sink in while I was working,” he said. “It really helped.”

Without the support of faculty, Fischer admits he would not have been able to readjust to his program as easily. 

“The faculty and staff we have at Georgia Southern in the nursing program make their own daily sacrifices to make this program a success for the students, and if we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t have a program,” Fischer said. “I think that’s one thing a lot of students don’t understand is that behind the scenes, professors do so much for the students.” 

Fischer, who will be 40 on Dec. 30, also offered advice to traditional-aged students. 

“Do what you’re supposed to, when you’re supposed to, how you’re supposed to, and that will keep you out of all sorts of trouble,” he said. 

While Fischer is waiting to hear back from several job opportunities, he remains grateful. 

“I am so thankful for everyone the Lord has put in my life to make this happen,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunities that have presented themselves for the future. I still don’t know exactly what I’m going to do. Right now I’m just proud to be finishing this one and I’m going to miss all the people I went through it with.” 

Last updated: 12/22/2023

‘I can do hard things:’ Wife, mother, guardsman Madison Gomez graduates with honors

“I was a week away from graduating boot camp when they’re like, ‘Hey, there’s this thing called COVID and you can’t have a graduation,’” she said. “‘None of your families can come and it’s affecting your grandparents.’ So that was really nerve-wracking.”

She returned home briefly before moving to Biloxi, Mississippi, where from April to October she and her fellow soldiers didn’t leave the base once due to COVID. She was embedded with her them 24 hours a day, seven days a week for six months in school and training. When it was time to return to Georgia Southern in spring 2021, Gomez says the adjustment was difficult.

“I was doing school in Mississippi, but it was a different kind of school,” she said. I was only doing school for about an hour or two a day, and then the rest of it was learning how to be a service member…. When I got back to Georgia Southern and was thrown in all these classes, away from the same people that I just spent six months of my life with. It was really challenging.”

Soon after she acclimated to school, Gomez experienced yet another life-changing event. Over the summer, she married her boyfriend, Erick, a marine stationed in California. She joined him there and continued taking her engineering classes online.

Because she couldn’t complete her technical, hands-on engineering degree online, and because she didn’t want to leave Georgia Southern, Gomez decided to change her major. She decided to pursue criminal justice and criminology with a minor in psychology, a career path she’d never considered but always desired.

“I grew up watching CSI whenever I was in school,” she said. “I never thought that could be a job for me growing up.

After her husband returned from deployment, Gomez returned to California, where she could finish her online courses and wrap up her honors thesis. However, just a year later she began the most consequential change in her life — motherhood. Born in October 2023, Gomez’s newborn son, Alex Santiago, has been an exciting — and exhausting — addition to her life and education.

“I definitely underestimated how much he would want mom and not dad,” she said with a laugh. “Finding time has been hard. At the end of the day when he’s sleeping, I’m exhausted. I’m physically done with the day.”

So, how does this wife, new mother and Guardsman handle it all? Gomez says the Honors College at Georgia Southern has been a large part of her success. Professors such as Laurie Gould, Ph.D., in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology were extremely helpful to her — especially on her honors thesis, which took her almost two-and-a-half years to complete. 

“We would meet on Zoom every week to do this,” she said. “And it just made me feel like what I was doing mattered. I wasn’t just checking off boxes.”

On top of this help was Gomez’s dogged determination to meet the deadlines, no matter what.

“I didn’t tell all my professors that I was having [a baby] and my mindset was, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter,’” she said. “I have to graduate, and I’m very deadline motivated. And I knew if I got empathy from professors that would give me extensions upon extensions, it wouldn’t get done. I need to have the deadline.”

Gomez stayed in California instead of walking on the commencement stage, but the journey has been just as meaningful. Her parents are coming for the holidays to visit their 10-week-old grandson. Gomez plans to remain in California for another year and then return to Georgia as her husband’s service duties end. She says she’s convinced him to join the Air National Guard with her for the rest of his service.

Back in Georgia, she plans to explore law enforcement, possibly commissioning into the Georgia Air National Guard as an officer. No matter the path she chooses, one thing is for sure — whatever comes her way, she knows she can do it.

“One of the affirmations that I’ve been saying to myself, especially this last half of the semester, is ‘I can do hard things,’” she said. “So I really want people to get that, too. You can do hard things. You can do it.”

Last updated: 12/21/2023

Georgia Southern journalism graduate hopes to ‘be a voice’ for Asian, Black stories 

Growing up, Javon Huynh always wanted to follow in his mother and grandmother’s footsteps by going into the education field. 

In his small hometown of Waycross, Georgia, Huynh worked at the local YMCA where he gained experience working with children. He felt this solidified his plans to become a middle school teacher. 

But not long after he began his educational journey at Georgia Southern University, Huynh experienced a profound loss that ultimately changed the trajectory of his life.

“In 2020, my friend passed away due to a car accident,” Huynh said. “I remember being so lost.”

To cope with his grief, Huynh turned to writing and decided to write a memoir about his friend. 

“I just felt like his story needed to be told,” he said. “I felt like he had so much life to still live. He played the trumpet well. He taught himself Spanish. He would say things in such a profound way, and I felt he needed to be honored.”

As Huynh was writing, he felt a sense of deeper meaning to the memoir.

“I remember writing it for a long time and thinking, ‘You know, this story is bigger than me,” Huynh said. “So I reached out to almost all my friends and got quotes from them, and they added their favorite memories about him. Then we went to the Waycross Journal-Herald and they published a section dedicated to him and it was called ‘Losing a friend during pandemic.’”  

From there, Huynh knew he had found his niche.

“I just remember the outpouring of the community when they all read it — thanking me, congratulating me, thanking my friends and thanking me for writing a piece like that to honor him,” he said. “I think that’s what made me want to tell stories that impact people.” 

Huynh switched his major to journalism and things began to fall into place. He was enjoying his classes in the Department of Communication Arts and began writing for campus publications like Sincerely Southern. 

Huynh, who is Vietnamese and African American, was also invited to contribute to a CNN article highlighting Asian Americans who were faced with racism growing up.

“I was anxious at first as I wasn’t sure how the story would pan out,” he said. “However, my family reassured me that if it occurred to me, it has probably happened to someone else as well. For this reason, I decided to tell my story to raise awareness and assist others because it does happen.” 

Huynh told CNN about a time in his childhood when an adult made jokes about the pronunciation of his last name. When he shared the article and story with his friends, he was once again inspired by the support he received from telling his story. 

“When I told my friends about it, they all apologized for what had happened to me,” he said. “I remember from my first beginner journalism course over the summer, how my professor, who was interested in learning more about me, discovered that story. They apologized and emphasized the significance of sharing that story. Every one of those experiences made me realize that speaking up was acceptable, and it even sparked my interest in journalism more.”

Because of this, Huynh began to find ways to write stories and find experiences that would allow him to shine a light on minorities, especially in the Asian and Black communities.

“I want to advocate for Asian American people, but I also want to advocate for African American people, and I can do both,” he said. “It is tough trying to advocate and make sure that everyone is on the same page because there are some stereotypes against Asian people and there are stereotypes against African American people, and sometimes they don’t get along together. So I want to at least try to be the bridge that builds them together and show, ‘Hey, I’m the both of two.’”

One opportunity Huynh had to be a voice was by participating in the 2023 Voices Summer Fellow for the Asian American Journalist Association. He was the only student from Georgia Southern to attend, and one of 20 students nationwide selected for the fellowship. Huynh met with other students in the program to create a long-form project about Asian American college students and adults who have ADHD that they presented to the Asian American Journalists Association during its national convention in Washington, D.C.

This experience gave Huynh much more than the chance to network and practice his journalism skills.

“The reason I even signed up for this was to learn more about the Asian community because growing up, I didn’t really have that,” he said. “I wanted to see what it was like to immerse myself with fellow Asian Americans, and I walked away with around 20 lifelong friends. We were all learning ourselves, learning to work in this market, how to tell our stories and how to have our voices heard.”

Huynh also interned with Savannah-based news station WJCL and in spring 2023 was named the Top Broadcasting Student by Georgia Southern’s Department of Communication Arts. Additionally, he has taken his journalism skills back to his hometown job at the YMCA, where he implemented a journalism course for the summer camp program. 

“That was really cool — I got to keep my journalism alive while I was away working,” he said. “I got to teach them how to use a camera, or my phone and we would make newscasts of the daily announcements. We called ourselves the YMCA Times.” 

Looking forward, Huynh, who graduated with a journalism degree on Dec. 14 at Allen E. Paulson Stadium on the Statesboro Campus, plans to keep growing in the journalism field by exploring different opportunities like fellowships, internships and travel. 

“I’ve learned through traveling that there is a lot to see and do in the world,” he said. “I am eager to keep growing and learning. As a journalist, I believe it helps to expand your knowledge of other communities and cultures when you seek to write about specific topics.”

Last updated: 12/22/2023

Georgia Southern double major earns bachelor’s in anthropology and Chinese fueled by a lifelong passion for ancient languages and cultures

Austin Gasiecki has a passion for ancient languages and for the study of people and cultures around the world. When he crossed the stage at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro on Dec. 14, Gasiecki received bachelor’s degrees in both anthropology and Mandarin. The new Georgia Southern University graduate dates his love for both subjects to his childhood as a home-schooled student.

“I was always interested in languages,” Gasiecki said. “I started learning Latin when I was 5 out of an elementary school Latin book. I was always curious where words came from and why they were what they were.”

Gasiecki, who grew up in Statesboro and neighboring Metter, Georgia, enrolled at Georgia Southern University as a dual-enrollment student to earn college credits while still in high school. His initial choice of anthropology as a major was driven by his desire to become a professor of historical linguistics, teaching classes like comparative linguistics, philology and ancient languages such as Old English and Old Norse.

“Anthropology is useful because one cannot study a language without also learning about the culture of its speakers, and anthropology gives you a useful framework to use when thinking about and interacting with people from a culture different than yours,” he stated.

The addition of Chinese language as a second major came later, after he had completed most of his anthropology classes. Studying Chinese culture, he said, is as interesting as the more well-known Asian cultures like Japan or Korea. 

“I began self-studying Chinese with someone who was a graduate tutor here,” Gasiecki explained. “That tutor referred me to Professor Zuotang Zhang and that is how I was introduced to the Chinese program at Georgia Southern. Chinese is both an ancient and a modern language that appeals to my curiosity about historical linguistics and is an incredibly useful language in the modern world.”

The coursework in both disciplines proved demanding but never hampered his love for learning languages and studying unfamiliar cultures.

“Anthropology is a challenging discipline because it requires you, as the common anthropologists’ proverb goes, ‘make the familiar strange and the strange familiar,’” he stated. “This means that you have to be prepared to come face-to-face with other ways of life that may seem strange to you and study them objectively.”

In describing his course in Chinese, Gasiecki said, “Dr. Zhang’s advanced-level Chinese classes do not use textbooks. They use news articles and movies that require you to learn how the language is used in real life. This was very challenging to deal with as a beginner, but over the course of study it resulted in me being able to speak reasonably natural-sounding Chinese.”

The avid learner found numerous opportunities to apply his language skills. One highlight included his research collaboration with Professor Zhang. The project surveyed how students learn Chinese in and out of the classroom with a focus on their at-home study habits. The research paper is awaiting peer review for publishing in the “Coastal Review Journal.” As for one of his most rewarding undertakings at Georgia Southern; it occurred when he helped teach summer classes in Chinese.

“It was the experience that made me realize I wanted to teach Chinese as a career,” he said about his goal to become a middle or high school educator or even a Chinese translator. Outside of his classes, Gasiecki enjoyed participating in a myriad of activities including the Fencing Club, Baptist Collegiate Ministry and the Chinese Cultural Society. He also led Chinese Conversation Hour meetings which focused on helping students improve and practice their conversational Chinese. As a student, Gasiecki compiled a 3.85 GPA and thanks to scholarships is leaving the University debt-free. Approaching graduation, the scholar expressed his gratitude for what he accomplished at Georgia Southern and how it prepared him for the next chapter in his life.

“This university has been a good source of both education and direction, helping me to figure out what I want to do with my life and how to start doing it,”  Gasiecki concluded. “I have learned where my true interests lie, and I have been put on a course to translate a real passion of mine into a great career.”

Last updated: 12/20/2023

Georgia Southern senior defies convention, navigates online classes to cross the finish line in just two years

Rebekah Dyar is graduating from Georgia Southern University without ever taking on-campus classes. On Dec. 14, she will receive a bachelor’s degree in world languages focusing on French, after just two years of online classes. In high school, Dyar earned college credits through the International Baccalaureate program, setting the stage for her unconventional yet successful college career.

“My sister went to Georgia Southern, and she loved the school, so I decided to follow in her footsteps,” the Douglasville, Georgia, resident said. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dyar opted for online classes. 

“With COVID still going on, I wasn’t ready to move four hours away,” Dyar explained. “However, as I delved into my coursework, I found I really liked online classes and they suited me well. Ultimately, I decided to continue online and save money.”

The college credits she earned in high school allowed her to enroll in college as a sophomore. Dyar, who is graduating this December with a 4.0 GPA, missed being around other students but feels she had more freedom with distance learning. Still, balancing work and school proved challenging, especially with the demands of online learning and tight deadlines. She also discovered her tendency to procrastinate, but added, “I think if you apply yourself, you can learn just as well, if not better, than in an actual classroom.”

The College of Arts and Humanities student is the second youngest among three biological siblings and one foster sibling. She said her mother, a nursing instructor with a doctorate, and her father, who works on the design side of construction, were not helicopter parents.

“They made sure I did everything I needed to do, and they did help me if I needed help, but for the most part, I would do my homework by myself and get it done,” Dyar reflected. “They might look over it, but they weren’t ever pushy about it. They just encouraged me to do the best that I could and just continue studying, continue working.”

The upcoming graduate did not struggle with her online classes but said the virtual classrooms made personal connections with professors more challenging. She expressed gratitude for the support she received in the Department of World Languages & Cultures, citing Professors Olga Amarie, Ph.D., and Martha Hughes, Ph.D., as influential figures who made significant impacts on her academic trajectory.

“I enjoyed learning and exploring different subjects,” Dyar said. “I had amazing teachers, especially in the French and comparative literature classes. My education experience has been amazing.”

Amarie has taught at Georgia Southern since 2011, and she is very proud of her former student. “Rebekah excelled in her classes, regardless of the course modality; a commendable approach to college education,” she stated.

Involvement in a study abroad program further enriched Dyar’s academic journey. The monthlong immersion in France, living with a French family, not only improved her language skills but also provided a unique cultural perspective. 

“This experience significantly improved her communication, travel and team-building skills, offering invaluable experiences that enhanced her career prospects,” Amarie noted. “Each morning at the Alliance Française in Bordeaux, Rebekah shared, in French, anecdotes about her previous day, encompassing both in-class and extracurricular activities. Her adventures included visits to the Dune du Pyla, Arcachon, Saint-Emilion, the Tour de France, the game of pétanque and numerous museums in Bordeaux and Paris.”

Dyar said, “The study abroad program changed my life and my goals for the future in the best way possible. I am now more motivated than before. I had never lived away from my parents before, so it was a little weird at first, but I enjoyed it. A study abroad is a terrific opportunity not only to learn the other language, but also to learn the culture, and I made some amazing friends.”

Inspired by the experience, the world language major wants to go back to teach English. For her, it’s a way of giving back.

“I love learning about new languages and cultures, and I want to help others gain the same interest,” she remarked. “I applied for the Teaching Assistant Program in France and will hear back in April 2024. I am ready to explore the professional world and find my career path, but it is scary to not be in school anymore.”

Dyar also is looking forward to traveling and has plans to pursue a master’s degree. As she prepares to receive her diploma, she said graduation represents a “little congratulations for myself and a nice little break.”

She has no regrets about her decision to attend Georgia Southern saying, “I learned a lot about myself and my studies. I would highly recommend Georgia Southern to anyone else.”

Last updated: 12/19/2023

From grief to graduation: Public Administration graduate uses education as her anchor

When Melinda Roell receives her Master of Public Administration degree this week, she will have defied unimaginable odds.

“Life has a way of surprising you,” Roell said as she recounts her early days, from Flagstaff, Arizona, to when she started college. Life took unexpected turns with marriage, motherhood, a military relocation, back to Arizona, and finally to Georgia for a divorce. To Roell, it didn’t matter. “I’ve always believed in the power of education, no matter what life throws at you.”

Roell’s academic path at Georgia Southern started in 1994 as a transfer student, but her trajectory was far from linear. Balancing single parenthood and family responsibilities, she persevered, earning a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She married a Georgia Southern history professor, Craig H. Roell, Ph.D., and became a permanent member of the Statesboro community.

“I found myself working in the nonprofit world, learning the ropes of grant writing and graphic design,” Roell shared. A chance encounter with a MPA professor client advising her to go to grad school proved pivotal.  

“I decided to explore the nonprofit sector further, and that led me to pursue a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management,” Roell recounts.

Little did she anticipate the tumultuous year that awaited – 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while pursuing her second degree at Georgia Southern.

As the pandemic raged on, Roell faced a formidable adversary – cancer. “In the midst of a global pandemic, my personal life took a couple of devastating turns,” she recalls. 

Further tragedy struck when Roell’s husband suddenly passed away in the midst of the pandemic, just weeks before her first cancer surgery. 

 “It felt like life was testing me at every turn,” she said. 

Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation remission, relapse and remission became part of her routine, but she persisted in her academic pursuits.

Undeterred, she continued her studies while navigating the complexities and side effects of chemotherapy and learning to live alone. 

“Education became my anchor,” said Roell. “It was the one thing I could control amidst the chaos.”

Through these trying times, Roell discovered the support of the Georgia Southern community. “My professors and fellow students became my pillars of strength. They provided empathy and compassion and supported me during my struggles.”

Roell’s resilience carried her through, and she completed her master’s degree graduating in Fall 2023.

“It wasn’t just about the degree; it was about proving to myself that I could overcome anything.” 

Now, as Roell embarks on a new chapter, she reflects on the profound lessons learned.

“Life is unpredictable, but education gives you the tools to face it head-on. It’s not just about acquiring knowledge, it’s about discovering the strength within yourself.”

Georgia Southern University, for Roell, is more than an alma mater. “It’s a place that saw me at my lowest and lifted me higher than I ever thought possible. It’s a community that believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself.”

Melinda Roell can’t attend the ceremony, but as she watches Freedom’s Flight from her home, she knows that her degree is taking her on a similar trajectory, thanks to Georgia Southern.

Last updated: 12/19/2023

Overcoming Challenges: Aysia Berry’s journey to finding her true self at Georgia Southern

Aysia Berry found direction and purpose at Georgia Southern University. Her journey was not an easy one. But her love of dance not only kept her on track but also fueled her determination to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology this December.

“My heart, my life, my everything has been the Latin Rhythm Dance Group,” said Berry. “This organization allowed me to express myself and find a moment of relief in the battle of undergraduate life.”

Her battle started when she kicked off her college journey in the fall of 2019. Months later the pandemic upended her life like so many others. She had to return home and complete classes online while working full-time.

“It was a tough period, and I failed most of my classes, taking a massive hit to my GPA,” she said. “By 2021, I was seriously considering dropping out and returning to school at a later time.”

Coming from a household with two cultures, her parents always encouraged her to go to college. Her father is Jamaican, and her mother has Jamaican-Cuban heritage.

“There was so much hope and expectation placed on me and sending me off to college was a production,” said Berry who identifies as Afro-Latina. Back on campus, she felt lost, alone and overwhelmed, which affected her mental health.

“Because my family has a different background, going to college was a completely new experience for us,” she explained. “I made many mistakes because I had no idea what I was doing. The most significant difficulty I faced was enrolling in college without having someone who had been through it before to guide me and answer my questions.”

Berry acknowledged she struggled with self-doubt and experienced moderate to severe episodes of anxiety and depressive attacks. She had additional problems when she changed her major from engineering to sociology. Eventually, she turned to staff in the Counseling Center, the Recreation Activity Center, the Office of  Career and Professional Development, and faculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology for help and support. She noted the toll on her mental health “was the greatest hurdle I faced, and I spiraled until I sought aid from faculty members I consider gems. The professors in my major showed me another level of compassion that I was not used to.”

She also embraced dance — something she had enjoyed throughout her childhood. Competitions and leadership roles in the Latin Rhythm Dance Group helped her find her footing. She served as the troupe’s secretary for one year and president for three years.

“It also gifted me with my fiancé, so I am extremely grateful for the time I spent in this organization,” the daughter of immigrants said. Her favorite Georgia Southern memories revolve around the dance troupe, which include the first time they performed at the Doo-Dah Dance and Step Show, and when they won competitions in South Carolina. Joining the Caribbean Student Association also provided her with a safe and supportive environment, allowing her to connect with her Jamaican identity and interact with students who shared similar backgrounds.

“My life completely changed,” Berry remarked. “I became someone I did not even recognize, giving speeches, leading programs and events, and instructing groups as large as 50 people. We hosted two large-scale campus events and celebrated Hispanic/Latinx heritage at every event we could.”

After getting help, Berry could concentrate on her educational goals and enjoy her courses in sociology.

“The ability to study how society functions and develops fascinated me from an early age,” she said. “National Public Radio has been my morning listening routine since I began middle school. I enjoy learning how human society functions. This major has challenged my thoughts and opened my mind.”

As she approached graduation, Berry reflected on what she described as four years of “accomplishments, challenges and straight-up battles.”

“Georgia Southern and my experiences here have transformed me into a woman who is more confident, brave and willing to take risks to better my future,” she said. “I never used to dream and try to achieve them. But in coming to Georgia Southern, I found the resources, support and ability to conquer any challenges or new experiences that come my way.”

Berry acknowledged she will miss the relationships she cultivated at Georgia Southern but she feels ready to leave.

“For me, the commencement ceremony represents an outward expression of celebrating an interesting journey — the highs and lows — but still meeting the goal I have had since I was a kid,” she commented. 

As for her next step, Berry will be leaving Statesboro to start a job working with the deputy city manager of planning for Columbus, Georgia, Consolidated Government.

Last updated: 12/19/2023