Pathway of Progress was made possible by significant philanthropic support from Andrea Laliberte, IE 1982, M.S. IE 1984, HON Ph.D. 2025, and designed by Merica May Jensen, MGT 2008, M. ARCH 2011. The 2026 honorees embody the Institute’s motto of Progress and Service and have made a lasting impact on the world around them.
Niesha Alice Butler, INTA 2016, is the founder and CEO of S.T.E.A.M. CHAMPS. Her multifaceted career has included serving as a software engineer and computer science instructor. She has founded multiple companies focused on teaching coding, robotics, and engineering to underserved communities. While a student at Georgia Tech, she played basketball and was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1999.
Mary Ann Gordon, EE 1981, is a retired vice president of quality compliance at Altria Group. Her work in engineering and manufacturing has influenced industry standards and operational excellence. A leader in her community, she also serves the Institute through her involvement on multiple boards, including the College of Engineering Advisory Board and the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees. She has given back to Georgia Tech through her support of undergraduate scholarships and Roll Call, among other areas of interest.
Margie Ann Morse, NE 1979, is a pioneer in the field of nuclear engineering. She co-founded the engineering firm Parallax in 1992 and grew it into a multimillion-dollar nuclear logistics service company. She has remained involved with the Institute and served on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.
Heather Smith Rocker, IE 1998, is the CEO of Women in Technology, an organization dedicated to creating more opportunities for women and girls to explore, pursue, persist, and lead in technology. She has served with organizations focused on advancing Georgia through STEM-focused education, workplace development, and leadership development, and was a member of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees.
Marilyn Jones Smith, AE 1982, M.S. AE 1985, Ph.D. AE 1994, is the David S. Lewis Professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering and director of the Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence. She is a pioneer in the aerospace industry and leads award-winning research teams focused on critical aeromechanics issues. In addition to mentoring hundreds of students, she serves as a caregiver to the many cats who call the Georgia Tech campus home.
Ridhi Tariyal, IE 2002, is the co-founder and CEO of NextGen Jane. A leader in health science, she developed a method for using menstrual fluid for diagnostic testing, advancing the science of women’s health and making testing more accessible.
Liz Harriss York, ARCH 1990, M. ARCH 1995, is a managing principal at HDR. A recognized leader in sustainability, architecture, and public health, she was the first chief sustainability officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has demonstrated her commitment to Georgia Tech through her volunteer leadership and service on the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees, as well as through her philanthropic support across campus.
The streets have been paved. The grass has been mowed. Projects across the city have rushed to completion in anticipation of Atlanta hosting eight World Cup matches in June and July. Georgia Tech’s campus will be join in the excitement, and the campus community is ready.
“I’m excited for people from all over the world to experience how much Atlanta has embraced soccer,” said Alex Duncan, senior director of the Online Master of Science in Computer Science program.
Duncan, originally from Plano, Texas, began following the World Cup in 1998. He traveled to Berlin for the 2006 tournament and has enjoyed seeing the world’s game come closer to home with the addition of Atlanta United, U.S. Soccer’s training headquarters, and the upcoming launch of a women’s professional team in the city.
“Even if you don’t go to any games, the atmosphere and energy are palpable during the tournament, and it’s one of those rare events that unites people all over the world,” he said. “To have all of this happening effectively in my backyard is a dream come true.”
For many students, the World Cup arriving in Atlanta represents more than a sporting event. It is a chance to connect with pieces of their identity or homes outside of Atlanta, or even outside of the United States.
Sindhu Belki, an aerospace engineering student from Doha, Qatar, was in the U.S. when the World Cup was hosted in her home country. Now, she finds herself in the right place at the right time.
“The excitement of entering a stadium decked in the colors and gear of your favorite team, joining hundreds of people supporting some of your favorite players, seeing little kids imitate Messi or Ronaldo, watching the players walk onto the pitch amid thunderous applause, the nail-biting anticipation with every pass of the ball, and the sheer joy of clinching the winning goal in a penalty shootout — what can be more thrilling and adventurous?” she said.
Irene Jacob, a city and regional planning student from Maryland, is also thrilled to be living in a host city. She has followed the World Cup since 2014.
“What makes the World Cup especially unique is the atmosphere around it and how it brings people together from all over the world in a way that few other sporting events can,” she said. “2014-me would be so excited to know that 12 years later, the city I’d be living in during the summer would actually be hosting the World Cup.”
Whether you’re a diehard soccer fan or simply interested in experiencing the spectacle, there will be plenty of activities on and around campus to enjoy. Georgia Tech will host Club and Country Colors Day on June 10, and Georgia Tech and Georgia State University are teaming up for a watch party at Georgia State’s Convocation Center on July 1 – register for a free ticket.
See more campus events at gatech.edu/world-cup-2026.
The first week of June marks National CPR and AED Awareness Week, but year-round, Georgia Tech students are helping equip the campus community with lifesaving skills.
Emergency Medical Services at Tech (EMSaT), the student organization recognized last year with a national EMS-Ready Campus designation, has expanded access to CPR and AED training through a partnership with Georgia Tech Environmental Health and Safety. The free courses are available to students, faculty, and staff and are taught by a team of 11 undergraduate students who hold CPR instructor certifications and volunteer their time to serve the campus community.
“CPR and AED use are some of the easiest ways for everyday people to make a real difference in the event of cardiac arrest,” said Esther Lee, a biomedical engineering major and outreach director for EMSaT. “If more people know what to do and feel comfortable stepping in, we can make the Georgia Tech community safer and better prepared.”
During the past year, EMSaT instructors trained 472 members of the Georgia Tech community in CPR and AED use. This spring alone, the organization certified 311 participants.
The training initiative builds on EMSaT’s broader mission to strengthen emergency preparedness at Georgia Tech. Founded in 2019, the group works with campus and community partners to improve emergency response, provide first aid education, and create hands-on opportunities for students pursuing careers in healthcare and emergency medicine.
The impact of that work can be seen in the experiences of Georgia Tech student EMTs, who balance rigorous academic schedules with jobs in hospitals and ambulance services.
The group will continue offering training sessions this fall at the Campus Recreation Center. More information will be available soon at the EMSaT site.