{"127391":{"#nid":"127391","#data":{"type":"news","title":"LaJauna Ellis Has a Passion for Volunteer Work","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs a little girl, LaJauna Ellis wanted to be a nurse. Of course, life had other plans for Ellis and took her into education rather than medicine, but one thing has remained the same \u2014 Ellis is the happiest when she is helping others.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat was previously little more than a concept to me became real when I read the book \u2018The Purpose Driven Life,\u2019\u201d Ellis said. \u201cThe first line of the book reads, \u2018It\u2019s not about you.\u2019 When I read that line, something clicked for me. My life and the gifts and skills that I have are not given to me for selfish reasons. They are about helping others \u2014 sharing what I have and who I am.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Ellis isn\u2019t at work, or doting on her eight grandchildren, she devotes much of her free time to volunteering for a women\u2019s prison ministry and coaching a middle school girls\u2019 basketball team. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbout five years ago, Ellis began her work with Kairos of Georgia prison ministry after learning about it from fellow church members who were already involved.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program consists of a team of about 50 women who spend several weeks preparing to enter a prison where they instruct 42 \u201cparticipants\u201d in the Kairos method of forming community and making better choices. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Kairos weekend is held twice a year, on a Thursday through Sunday. The group returns to the prison once a month for a \u201creunion\u201d to encourage the women and ensure that they are applying the principles learned on the weekends. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEllis spent five years volunteering at Metro State Prison in Atlanta. Since its closing, she now volunteers at Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto, Ga. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cLife is about choices, and the choices I have made didn\u2019t land me in a physical prison \u2014 but I know what it is to be a prisoner because of some of those choices,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cFortunately for me, someone was there to give me hope. I believe in sharing my life experiences in order to give hope to those some would consider hopeless. That\u2019s what keeps me going back.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd then there is her work with the Upward Sports basketball program, which Ellis helped to create through the recreation program at her church, in partnership with another church. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve been coaching girls\u2019 basketball for about 10 years and have watched the program grow from 60 to 200 kids,\u201d she added. \u201cI just love seeing the girls go from not really knowing much about the game to being sad that the season is finished because they\u2019ve discovered they enjoy the sport.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had a chance to learn more about Ellis and her time at Tech. Here\u2019s what she shared.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you arrive at Georgia Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 1995, I decided to make the move from California, where I\u2019d worked in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Engineering Research Administration at Stanford University, to Georgia to be closer to family. I had three daughters \u2014 and no job offers. It was probably the biggest risk I\u2019ve ever taken. Once I got to Atlanta, I interviewed to be assistant to the chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). I didn\u2019t get that position, but was instead offered a job that was similar to what I did at Stanford, working with research administration. I gladly accepted the job and stayed there for two years, until I was offered the assistant to the chair position I originally interviewed for. I stayed in this position until recently when Gary May was promoted from chair of ECE to dean. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has the transition from being a chair\u2019s assistant to a dean\u2019s assistant been like?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI went from dealing with one school to eight schools, so I\u2019m doing what I did before, but on a much larger scale. I\u2019d have to say that the majority of my day is now spent managing Dean May\u2019s meeting and travel schedules. But I do enjoy the fact that I get to do more event planning now than I did before.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is one piece of technology you couldn\u2019t live without?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy HTC smartphone. I always said that I didn\u2019t want to become a person who was tied to their phone, always answering emails and such. But now that\u2019s me. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite spot on campus?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe fourth floor break room in Tech Tower. I\u2019ll go there for lunch and read, because it\u2019s such a nice, quiet spot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDon\u2019t burn bridges that you\u2019ve crossed over, because you might need to use them again \u2013 either to return to where you\u2019ve been or to help someone else cross.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt would be my mother-in-law, because she passed away soon after my husband and I started dating. I would really like to have the opportunity to get to know her. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to go for lunch, and what do you order?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMarlow\u2019s Tavern, and I love to get the fish tacos. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something about yourself that others might not know.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI like to write everything from poetry to skits and plays in my free time.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had a chance to learn more about LaJauna Ellis and her time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Recently, The Whistle had a chance to learn more about LaJauna Ellis and her time at Tech."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-04-30 10:39:13","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:09","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-04-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-04-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"127301":{"id":"127301","type":"image","title":"LaJauna Ellis","body":null,"created":"1449178604","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:36:44","changed":"1475894751","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:51","alt":"LaJauna Ellis","file":{"fid":"194543","name":"lajuana.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lajuana_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/lajuana_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":78942,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/lajuana_0.jpg?itok=jurGW29L"}}},"media_ids":["127301"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"32331","name":"LaJauna Ellis"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}