GEM Program Welcomes Class of 2026-27

The Georgia Education Mentorship Program (GEM) admitted 27 students into the class of 2026-27:

• Rachel Black, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Biology
• Abi Bragg, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Candidate — Nursing
• Macy Bramlett, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Biology
• Tyson Butler, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Psychology
• Victor Cisneros, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Marketing
• Reed Frazer, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Finance
• Carson Fricke, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Marketing
• Sarah Griffith, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Management
• Haley Hargrove, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Management
• Alyssa Jones, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Criminal Justice
• Katie Kelly, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Marketing
• Avery Kener, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Psychology
• Macey McElwaney, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Marketing
• Amelia McEwen, Bachelor of Arts Candidate — Mass Communication
• Davis Moody, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Accounting
• Kayla Moss, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Environmental Science
• Tanner Rippa, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Finance
• Reagan Robinson, Bachelor of Arts Candidate — Mass Communication
• Anna Schofill, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Candidate — Nursing
• Bret Senay, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Finance
• Harlee Staley, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Finance and Political Science
• Jake Stine, Bachelor of Business Administration Candidate — Management Information Systems
• Madison Tschantz, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Psychology
• Georgia Weaver, Bachelor of Science Candidate — Public Health
• Lulu Whitener, Bachelor of Arts Candidate — English: Creative Writing
• Charlotte Williams, Bachelor of Arts Candidate — Art: Graphic Design
• Gianna Zoeller, Bachelor of Arts Candidate — Mass Communication

The GEM Program is a one-of-a-kind partnership between Georgia College and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce that prepares the next generation of Georgia’s leaders for the public good. The GEM Program matches students with senior state leaders for a yearlong partnership that creates mutual benefit between Georgia College and its partners. In addition to frequent meetings and exchanges with their mentors, students enjoy individual consultations, classroom-based learning, and statewide site visits.

“GEM is, first and foremost, a program that serves the future of Georgia,” says Dr. Harold Mock, executive director of the Institute for Leadership and the Public Good. “In collaboration with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, we are committed to providing our state and its communities with the leadership, ingenuity, and workforce development we all will need across the coming generation.” Mock was a member of the inaugural class of GEM, in 2002.

“The GEM Program offers an unparalleled opportunity for juniors and seniors to experience life after Georgia College,” says Nancy Leslie Griffin ‘19, director, executive office and special projects at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “Students are pushed well beyond their comfort zone, and with support from Dr. Mock and their mentors, they hone their soft skills, learn from influential Georgians, and make lifelong connections.”

Established in 2002, the GEM program was created from a mutual recognition that students at Georgia College could benefit from working and creating relationships with top state leaders and that members of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce could benefit from directly investing in the next generation of leaders. Now in its twenty-sixth year, the program has graduated nearly 800 students.