From internships at Apple and adventures in Ireland to continued education and careers in the Atlanta community, check out what the Ivan Allen College Class of 2024 is getting up to next!
What do Rwanda, Brazil, and Puerto Rico have in common? They are all places Ana Santos traveled on her journey to — and through — Georgia Tech's new M.S. in Global Development.
After two years in the Peace Corps in Rwanda and a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil, Santos joined the first cohort of master's students in Georgia Tech's Global Development program.
"I wanted to go to the next level in my career, so I knew this was the right time for me to do my master's degree," Santos said. As the one-year curriculum winds down and Santos prepares for graduation, she reflects on her experience and what she plans to do next.
Classrooms are critical learning environments in college, but experiences outside of them can be just as impactful.
Just ask Tyler Quillen, who found his passion for data visualization — a skill typically associated with STEM disciplines — through his research assistantship at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.
Quillen will complete his B.S. in International Affairs this spring and said participating in the inaugural cohort of the GTDC: Pathways to Policy program also helped solidify his aspirations to work in data visualization after graduation.
Where are these Yellow Jackets swarming off to next?
Sophia Abedi
B.S. in Public Policy with a minor in law, science, and technology and a certificate in intellectual property
Post-grad plans: I plan to attend Georgetown for my Master's and hope to attend their law school afterward. I am interested in pursuing a legal career focusing on international law, technology policy, and judiciary issues.
Derin Aladesanmi
B.S. in Public Policy with a minor in health and medical sciences
Post-grad plans: Interning at BerryDunn as a Medicaid consultant in Portland, Maine!
Alex Ames
B.S. in Public Policy with a certificate in law and a minor in social justice
Post-grad plans: I work as the director of youth organizing and leadership at the Partnership for Equity and Education Rights at the Education Law Center. We use law, policy, and organizing to win billions of dollars of increases in state budgets for public schools across 18 regions, including Georgia, Mississippi, Arizona, and Puerto Rico! I'm also currently a fellow at the City University of New York's School of Labor and Urban Studies and a fellow at the Student Action Network for Equity, where I direct philanthropic dollars to students advancing education justice.
I added the LMC degree as a second-year biomedical engineering major, and it was one of the best decisions I made during my time here. LMC gave me the opportunity to take courses that shaped me into the person I am today. I'm so grateful for my incredible LMC professors, and my story proves that everyone can find their niche at Georgia Tech. I will miss LMC so much.
— Gehna Chaubal, BME and LMC
Kate Augelli
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication with minors in public policy and computer science
Post-grad plans: Teach high school English with Teach for America in Kansas City
Juliana Badeaux
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication with a minor in technology and management and a certificate in law, science, and technology
Post-grad plans: I will attend law school in the Fall of 2024!
Marsalis Batts
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication
Post-grad plans: Work full-time at Computer Aid, Inc. as a UX designer and do part-time work creating educational materials for Microsoft Co-Pilot
This program has exceeded all of my expectations. I have had the immense honor of learning from some amazing professors, as well as astronauts, ambassadors, admirals, and generals! I'm sad to leave this chapter behind but excited for what's next!
— Jessica Cravey, INTA
Lucy Brumbaugh
B.S. in Public Policy with a minor in health, medicine, and society
Post-grad plans: Moving to Washington, D.C., to consult for Guidehouse
Nicole Caiati
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication with threads in communication and design
Post-grad plans: Work as a sports partnership marketing associate at Extreme Networks, a Wi-Fi hardware and software company that services several sports partners like the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, MLB, and more! I will create marketing around these partnerships.
Taylor Campbell
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication
Post-grad plans: I am applying for jobs and plan to work for a year while I prepare for graduate school. I aspire to pursue an MBA and a Ph.D. focused on media studies. Additionally, I aim to work in marketing while leveraging this opportunity to establish myself as a creative professional.
Before coming to Tech, I had no clue what I wanted to do. Without LMC, I never would've been able to hone in on my goals and aspirations, and I'm so grateful for my time with IAC!
— Abby Ellison, LMC
James Carroll
M.S. in Cybersecurity
Post-grad plans: I plan to further my career at the Southern Company, where I secure customer data and deliver software that innovates the customer experience.
Gehna Chaubal
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication and B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Spanish
Post-grad plans: Work as a teaching assistant in Ireland this summer, spend a gap year working as an EMT, and apply to medical school!
Jessica Cravey
B.S. in International Affairs
Post-grad plans: I currently work in banking and hope to transition into a more globally oriented field in finance after graduation!
My proudest accomplishment was making the switch to LMC! It was a pivotal moment in recognizing what I wanted to do and am interested in versus what I thought I was expected to do. After making this switch, I immersed myself in a program that I love and am much better off because of it.
— Bri Ladiero, LMC
Abby Ellison
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication with a minor in industrial design
Post-grad plans: I am currently searching for a job in graphic design, communication, or digital marketing. My dream job would be working in consumer-facing graphic design for a beauty company.
Kiran Garewal
B.S. in Public Policy with a minor in computational data analysis
Post-grad plans: Gain more experience in energy policy, supporting government affairs efforts in decarbonization and deploying clean energy
Sun Graham
B.S. in Computational Media with a minor in industrial design
Post-grad plans: Work as a UI/UX Designer at Truist Financial in Atlanta
My proudest accomplishment was receiving the inaugural Voyager Scholarship created by former President Obama and the founder of Airbnb, Brian Chesky. I felt proud of myself for my hard work in earning the scholarship and my resilience while backpacking around Europe on my own for the summer. I was also eager to share what I learned about food systems, innovation, and people during the months abroad.
— Divali Maya Legore, SPP
Noor Jaleel
B.S. in Public Policy with minors in global development and Japanese
Post-grad plans: After graduation, I will intern with the City of San Francisco as a transportation and city planning intern. Then, I am coming back to Georgia Tech for my M.S. in Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management. After that, I hope to work in corporate environmental sustainability.
Carla H. Kabwatha
M.S. in History and Sociology of Technology and Science with a minor in international affairs
Post-grad plans: I have been an educator in the DeKalb County School District for 25 years. I serve as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher in one of the most diverse schools in the nation, with over 54 languages and one hundred countries represented within the student body. My dream is to one day develop a STEAM curriculum that directly aligns with specific ways marginalized students learn. I plan to continue my education as a Ph.D. student at the School of History and Sociology in the fall, and I look forward to the next phase of my career.
Erin Keough
B.S. in Public Policy with a minor in Spanish
Post-grad plans: I will attend law school at the University of Georgia in the fall.
Communications is such a broad field, and I have learned that the majority of communications positions require knowledge across the field (i.e., you'll have a leg up if you know a little bit about everything — writing, designing, video editing, personal skills, public speaking, technical communication, etc.). If I had gone to any other school, I would have likely had to choose a more specific field to study within communications, like journalism or advertising. But the LMC degree has provided me with introductory knowledge across the field with an emphasis on technology, which has greatly prepared me for the realities of working in communications in 2024.
— Caitlin Marchant, LMC
Bri Ladiero
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication with a minor in technology and business
Post-grad plans: Work at NCR Atleos on the Brand Experience Team
Divali Maya Legore
B.S. in Public Policy
Post-grad plans: I hope to enter a public service career at the intersection of technology, economics, and social equity.
Eldon Luk
M.S. in Cybersecurity, Policy Track
Post-grad plans: Work as a software engineer at Capital One
Graduating from Georgia Tech was more than just an educational goal; it was a personal goal to keep a legacy alive within my family. My late grandfather and late father played football for GT, and the old library was named after my late great-aunt. After my father received his undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech, he obtained two master's degrees and two Ph.D.s from Georgia State and UGA. He always told me that the undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech was vastly more difficult than getting his other degrees, but it was the most rewarding. This was a life dream for me.
— Nicolas Murray, MS Cybersecurity
Xinen Lyu
B.S. in Computational Media with a minor in industrial design
Post-grad plans: Attend grad school at Cornell University
Joey Manasso
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication
Michelle Manganiello
M.S. in Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies (French)
Post-grad plans: I would ideally like to work for the State Department or an embassy or consulate in the Atlanta or D.C. area after graduation.
I never thought I would want to attend Tech, let alone fit in. Now, I'm staying for my Master's because I couldn't imagine not being at this amazing school for a full four years. This school, the people, the opportunities, the rich history, and the unique traditions have made the past three years the best years ever. Go Tech!
— Simran Patel, ECON
Caitlin Marchant
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication
Post-grad plans: I will work in the Corporate Communications department at Cox Enterprises as a contracted content specialist on the Employee Business Communications team and a consultant on the Content team.
Thiana Mesadieu
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication with a concentration in social justice
Post-grad plans: I want to leverage my interpersonal skills and cultural competency to tackle diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges in business and entertainment.
Sarah Miller
B.S. in Computational Media
Post-grad plans: Work full-time in content design at IBM and continue to offer my skills to nonprofits tackling global climate and biodiversity challenges.
I'm a journalist at heart, so my proudest accomplishments have been interviewing John Cena, Zac Efron, Timothée Chalamet, Keegan-Michael Key, Justice Smith, Kobi Libii, NCT DREAM, and Tori Kocher and writing articles about their creative projects. The most shocking accomplishment to other people is that I interned with NASA headquarters since most people assume NASA positions are primarily for STEM majors.
— Emily Piper, LMC
Nicholas Murray
M.S. in Cybersecurity
Post-grad plans: Apply the education and skills I gained from my time at Georgia Tech to my current position as executive director of cybersecurity risk.
Simran Patel
B.S. in Economics
Post-grad plans: I will intern this summer and return to Georgia Tech in the fall for my master's in economics! #doublejacket
Emily Piper
B.S. Literature, Media, and Communication
Post-grad plans: Work full-time with Bloomberg Media in NYC
My proudest accomplishment is getting an internship with Apple, where I will work as a Human Interface Design intern in Cupertino during the summer!
— Ramya Ramaswamy, CM
Ramya Ramaswamy
B.S. in Computational Media
Post-grad plans: I will start an M.S. in Engineering Design Innovation at Northwestern. I want to work as a Product/Human-Computer Interaction/User Experience Designer, which this program focuses on!
Eric Reed Jr.
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication
Kyle Robinson
B.S in Civil Engineering and B.S. in Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies (Spanish)
Post-grad plans: After taking a trip to Europe, I'm moving to San Francisco to work full-time as a rail systems engineer at Arup, a global infrastructure firm.
My proudest accomplishment was becoming a published researcher through undergraduate research at Tech! I was even able to present the research at a national convention in Washington, D.C. Pursuing a double major has really expanded my horizons, both at Tech and in my career at large. It's one of the best choices I made to take on this challenge!
— Kyle Robinson, ALIS
Olivia Sanford
B.S. in Public Policy and B.S. in Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies, with a minor in law, science, and technology
Post-grad plans: Starting law school at Georgetown
Joshua Simon
M.S. in Cybersecurity
Post-grad plans: I am seeking a position as an SOC Analyst.
Sam Slovin
B.S. in Economics
Post-grad plans: I will attend graduate school at Brandeis University's accelerated M.A. program in international economics and finance.
My proudest accomplishment was returning to college on campus after 45 years in the industry and being in the same college as my two sons, Patrick, a fourth-year in mechanical engineering, and Christian, a first-year in public policy.
— Juan Francisco Villarreal, MS Cybersecurity
Lily Soetebier
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication
Post-grad plans: I've been accepted into the M.S. in Technical Communication program at North Carolina State University and was awarded full funding for both years through their competitive Teaching Assistantship program. Through this, I will have the opportunity to teach professional writing to first-year undergraduate students. After completing this program, I hope to use my skills to craft public-facing documentation to increase access to and understanding of environmental and healthcare issues.
Genel Tan
B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication
Post-grad plans: I will be traveling to Asia in the summer, and hopefully land a position in design after!
Juan Francisco Villarreal
M.S. in Cybersecurity, Policy Track
Post-grad plans: A consulting or program manager position combining my knowledge of the electric industry and improved cybersecurity know-how. I prefer to work with an international scope and responsibilities to apply my multi-language and cultural skills.
Chace Watson
M.S. in Cybersecurity
Yijo Yim
M.S. in Cybersecurity
Yiming Zhang
B.S. in Computational Media
Post-grad plans: Pursue a master's in game development at Duke University