Amazing Student: Mary Terry

As a student-athlete and a College of Education student ambassador, Mary Terry is committed to serving the campus and community and has been honored for that passion several times over.

Hometown:

Watkinsville, Ga.

High school:

North Oconee High School

Current employment:

Fully Loaded Pizza

Family ties to UGA:

My aunt graduated from UGA and my uncle graduated from the UGA law school and is now a trial lawyer. HOWEVER, everyone at UGA is family!

Expected graduation:

Spring 2019

Degree objective:

Health and Physical Education

Other degrees:

Minor in Human Development and Family Science

University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:

Throughout my time at the University of Georgia, I have tried to serve our community in many aspects. I love immersing myself in various groups and programs. UGA has given me so many opportunities to give back to the community and being on the University of Georgia track and field team has equipped me with a platform to be able to help and serve as many people as I can. With my teammates and coaches we have worked with incredible groups such as Hands on Athens, Amara's Pride, Athens Ridge Runners and Bigger Vision homeless shelter. These countless hours were incredible bonding opportunities not just with my teammates but to become better connected with our incredible Athens community at large! With the help of my teammates and our community, I have been humbled to receive numerous awards for community service including the Hornsby Howell Community Service Leader Award, UGA Track and Field Community Service Leader Award, and being twice named to the Southeastern Athletic Conference's Community Service Team.

This year, I have had the incredible honor of being inducted into the Leadership Education and Development Program (L.E.A.D). Members of this program are nominated, interviewed and selected by the University of Georgia Athletic Association. We work with our fellow highly ambitious student athletes to develop leadership skills through community involvement. Additionally, through UGA athletics, I have been a member of the UGA Student Athlete Advisory Committee for the past two years. We get the opportunity to address day-to-day problems student athletes face in order to succeed while balancing life as a student-athlete. This amazing group has been a part of numerous community service opportunities and we have partnered with many different organizations to make a difference. Last year, I had the honor of being the athletic liaison with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia where we collected canned goods and money to donate to the food bank's annual Hunger Bowl to combat hunger among our community members. With the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma on numerous countries, Antigua and Barbuda hit home as one of our team members is from the country. I headed up an effort that collected school supplies, toiletries and shoes to send to his school as the hurricane destroyed most of his country.

Throughout college I have been privileged to be a College of Education student ambassador. For the past two years, I have served as the co-chair for the Community Service and Outreach committee. With the help of my colleagues and advisors we were able to create a scholarship that aids an ambassador who is hard-working and dedicated to academic excellence. This needs-based fund allows us to help students who are pursing their passions, and I am so grateful to be a small part of it. Last year, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey we were able to collect school supplies for Henderson Middle School in Sour Lake, Texas, where Hurricane Harvey ravaged their school. I am so grateful for the College of Education and all that they have done for my academic career. With the help of both the UGA Athletic Association and the College of Education, I was named to the 2017 USTFCCCA All-Academic team!

During my time on campus, I have had the privilege to be a member of UGA Inspire for three years — one year as a mentor and two years serving on the executive board. Through Inspire, we work with local middle schools to seek our eighth-graders who are ready to go off to high school and, hopefully, extend their education to the college level or workforce post graduation. Every year we mentored students and provided them with a fantastic day during the G-Day festivities. This "Day as a Dawg" focused on the importance of further education and showcased the incredible opportunities that can be found on UGA's campus!

Last year, I was selected to be a part of UGA's Leaders Engaged in Affirming Diversity Fellowship. LEAD is a one-year fellowship program that allows students to enhance their leadership competencies. I was given the opportunity to be a part of LEAD with eight other students across campus that are all motivated to enhance our leadership competencies, explore various facets of diversity, and learn about diversity, inclusion and equity leadership. Within our group we had students from all different backgrounds bringing different perspectives and knowledge to the table. I think this aspect of LEAD was one of the most beautiful parts about the fellowship. Students from all different backgrounds sought to learn about diversity while growing closer to each other through open and honest communication. We explored various facets of institutional diversity, which takes a look at diversity, equity and inclusion in a college setting. We heard from local and national diversity leaders throughout our meetings. At the end of the year, we were asked to come up with a potential project that would engage the campus and community on diversity issues, which we presented to diversity leaders on campus. The LEAD program at UGA is sparking a change, and I am very thankful that I was able to be a small part of the bigger picture of this program.

I chose to attend UGA because …

I have been a Bulldawg my whole life! Growing up around Athens I have been immersed in the culture for as long as I can remember and UGA has always been my dream school! Growing up as a quintuplet (five babies born at the same time) I have always been very family oriented and knew that I did not want to go far from home! I went to my first UGA football game with my grandmother as a child, and I vividly remember it because I was in such awe, and to top it off she wore a purple jumpsuit so I would never lose her!

My favorite things to do on campus are …

There's nothing like being in Sanford Stadium at the start of the fourth quarter for a night game when all the flashlights are on! I love going to the dining halls and being welcomed by the lovely staff! The dining hall is a great place to catch up with friends you haven't seen in months as well as meet new ones.

When I have free time, I like …

… to spend time with family and friends as cliché as it sounds! I also enjoy watching different TV shows. Sometimes it takes me a few runs to get really into a show, but once I've found it it's hard to not click "watch the next episode"! Anyone could tell you this, but I love sharing heart-warming videos or posts on Facebook.

The craziest thing I've done is …

I fostered a dog my sophomore year of college (knowing that I wouldn't be able to just foster, while telling my mom I could), and a week or two later I adopted the cutest young man named Ollie — Oliver when he's getting in trouble. He's half dachshund, half Jack Russell, full handsome stud!

My favorite place to study is …

Every year I seem to have a different spot! I bounce between my apartment, Rankin Smith student center, Jittery Joe's and the third floor of Ramsey!

My favorite professor is …

I can't choose one! Throughout my time at UGA I have had the privilege of having some incredible professors! Bryan McCullick is one of the most passionate and caring professors I have ever had! His ability to convey his feelings and knowledge of topics is unparalleled. Dr. McCullick has taught me numerous life lessons and his wealth of knowledge is never-ending!

Robert Lynall made a subject I was nervous about seem easy! His ability to correlate tough topics to easy to understand information is second to none. I thoroughly enjoyed taking his class last semester. You're never left without a joke or two!

I have had the privilege of having Ilse Mason for four courses throughout my tenure as a UGA student. Dr. Mason is full of energy and cares about every student who walks through her doors. I have learned a lot from her classes that I will carry with me forever.

Lastly, Paul Schempp is an incredibly fascinating professor! Dr. Schempp is a great communicator and tells it how it is. In just a few short months of having Dr. Schempp as a professor, I know that I will walk away with a lot of helpful information! He is very intriguing and leaves you wondering — what's next?

If I can further pursue my education career with knowledge from these three professors in the kinesiology department, I will be A-OK! All three of them taught me lifelong lessons and I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to sit in their classrooms and labs.

If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with …

… my brother Dylan, who passed away when we were almost 3. We were too young to really remember him, and I would love to spend an afternoon with him! Being a quintuplet has been absolutely incredible, it's been our "normal" so getting the chance to spend time with our other brother Dylan would be phenomenal!

If I knew I could not fail, I would …

… take my mom to space! She is enthralled with space and I think it would be an incredible opportunity and experience to take her to space so she could witness the beauty firsthand while being right by her side!

If money was not a consideration, I would love to …

… help as many students get to college as I could! I would love to make sure that students who want to go to college can, and feel as if they did not have a financial constraint in doing so!

What is your passion and how are you committed to pursuing it?

I'm very passionate about serving others! To me, the ability to pour into the lives of those around us is one of the most gratifying experiences that exists! I have had a drive to help others for as long as I can remember! Whether that's a personal family member, friend or a complete stranger! I ultimately want to pursue a master's degree in professional school counseling upon graduation to become a high school counselor and track and field coach. I want to help people attain the goals they view as unattainable.

After graduation, I plan to …

… obtain my master's degree and become a high school counselor and coach. I cannot wait to earn my master's and begin a lifelong career in something I've been dreaming about since middle school!

The one UGA experience I will always remember will be …

… meeting my dream man and all of the incredible experiences we have had together so far!