{"667613":{"#nid":"667613","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Reflection Speakers Highlight Tech Community","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECommencement is one of the happiest days of the year for Georgia Tech graduates. For the four students selected as reflection speakers, it presents an opportunity to address their fellow graduates, professors, and loved ones.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAt each of Georgia Tech\u2019s Spring Commencement ceremonies (master\u2019s, Ph.D., and two bachelor\u2019s), a graduating student is given three minutes to deliver an inspiring message. The bachelor\u2019s speakers are Catherine Schlabach, an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/schools\/aerospace-engineering\u0022\u003Eaerospace engineering\u003C\/a\u003E major, and Zharia Redhead, a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/explore-programs\/undergraduate\/index.html\u0022\u003Ebusiness administration\u003C\/a\u003E major. The master\u2019s speaker is Natalie Huertas, who is earning a degree in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dm.lmc.gatech.edu\/program\/ms-program\/\u0022\u003Edigital media\u003C\/a\u003E. And the Ph.D. speaker is Yasser El Masri in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arch.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Earchitecture\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EStudents must apply to become a reflection speaker. A panel of faculty, staff, and students selects a group of finalists who present a full version of their speech to the committee. The reflection speakers are required to work with Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.communicationcenter.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECommunication Center \u003C\/a\u003Ein preparation for the ceremony.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECatherine Schlabach \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe day before graduation, Catherine Schlabach is commissioning into the U.S. Space Force as an officer and will be an engineer. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI\u2019ll be at Tech for another year to get my master\u2019s in aerospace engineering, and then I\u2019m going to a Space Force base either in Colorado or California,\u201d she said. \u201cI love Tech and I love Atlanta. I\u2019m glad I get one more year here.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFor her reflection speech, Schlabach was inspired by Nick Selby\u2019s \u201cWe can do that\u201d speech given at Georgia Tech\u2019s New Student Convocation 10 years ago. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWe say to ourselves, \u2018We can do that,\u2019 but it brings added pressure sometimes,\u201d she said. \u201cAs students we tend to compare ourselves and we don\u2019t give ourselves a lot of credit. So, I say give yourself a pat on the back. We did that. We\u2019re graduating. Whether it took four, five, or six years to get here, we\u2019re doing it. We even made it through a pandemic. And we should recognize our achievements.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAbout 30 family members, including her parents and twin sister, will join Schlabach to celebrate her graduation. \u201cMy sister, Julia, was a big inspiration for my speech because she has been with me through all of my ups and downs at Georgia Tech. I couldn\u2019t have written it without her, and I wouldn\u2019t have the confidence to go and speak to the entire Commencement ceremony without her.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EZharia Redhead \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EZharia Redhead is earning a business degree with a concentration in finance. She\u2019s also an aspiring physician and plans to apply to medical school and complete the MD-MBA dual degree program. She is interested obstetrics, gynecology, and other surgical related fields. After residency, she plans to open her own medical practice.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHer reflection speech will highlight what it means for Georgia Tech students to \u0022get out\u0022 and what it means to be a true Yellow Jacket. \u201cOften times, people mistake Tech students for brainiacs or nerds, and maybe we are a little nerdy, but we are in fact much more,\u0022 she said. \u201cWe are innovators, problem solvers, leaders, and competitors, but, most of all, we are fighters.\u0022\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA challenge Redhead faced at the beginning of her Georgia Tech experience was finding a community on campus. \u201cAlthough Tech was diverse, I found myself as the only Black woman in most of my finance classes. This presented an opportunity to make Tech a more welcoming and inclusive community.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EShe co-founded The Black Women Support Group with her sister, Asha Redhead, IE 2022, and other Black women at Tech. As president of the organization, she helped secure sponsorships, increase attendance, and provide a space for Black women to excel socially, academically, and professionally. In its first year, the organization won the Student Government Association\u2019s Emerging Excellence Award.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EJoining Redhead to celebrate Commencement will be about 30 family members including her parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ENatalie Huertas \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPublic speaking does not come naturally for Natalie Huertas, but she likes a challenge. So, as a cancer survivor she took on another challenge and decided to apply to be the reflection speaker for the master\u2019s ceremony. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIt was a challenge as well as an opportunity to prove I could do it,\u201d she said. \u201cPresentations are not my comfort zone, but they have become less daunting because I\u2019ve had to make so many presentations here at Georgia Tech. Speaking in this format will be a good challenge, and I\u2019m very excited about it.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOn May 5, Huertas will celebrate the three-year anniversary of her cancer being in remission. She was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in September 2019, and while in treatment, she wrote part of her graduate school application letter to keep her in good spirits and optimistic about her future. \u201cI am really blessed that I was able to get in and finish the program,\u201d she said. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHer speech will center around the phrase \u201cPurpose comes from perspective\u201d and she will reflect on her time at Tech. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHuertas is earning a degree in digital media because she wants to connect art, technology, and research. \u201cThis is such a unique program in the sense that I can do all of those at the same time,\u201d she said. She plans to work in the area of business design, strategy, and customer experience. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYasser El Masri \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn the last four years, Yasser El Masri has earned three degrees from Georgia Tech: a master\u2019s in architecture, a master\u2019s in international affairs, and now a Ph.D. in architecture. The impact on his life has been profound.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cMy time at Georgia Tech has really been so foundational to my entire career and education, I really felt like I wanted to tell the world about it in some way,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u0027t tell you how much of an impact it had on me as a person, as an educator, as a researcher, and as a practitioner. I feel that taking the stage and sharing it with the world is important.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe path is different for every Ph.D. student, but El Masri will talk about their shared experiences and Georgia Tech\u2019s philosophy of helping to solve tough challenges. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAfter graduating, he will head to the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado, as a researcher. \u201cGeorgia Tech prepared me very well for it,\u201d said El Masri, who recently won one of three Institute-wide awards given for Graduate Student Instructor of the Year. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHe will celebrate Commencement in person with his wife and Georgia Tech friends, and via Zoom with his parents in Lebanon. He plans to visit his family in Lebanon before beginning his new position in Colorado. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFor the students selected as Commencement reflection speakers, the task is one final challenge as well as a great honor.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"For the students selected as Commencement reflection speakers, the task is one final challenge as well as a great honor."}],"uid":"27713","created_gmt":"2023-05-02 20:47:57","changed_gmt":"2023-05-03 17:51:29","author":"Victor Rogers","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-05-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-05-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670718":{"id":"670718","type":"image","title":"Reflection Speakers, Spring 2023","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECatherine Schlabach, Zharia Redhead, Natalie Huertas, and Yasser El Masri \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1683062082","gmt_created":"2023-05-02 21:14:42","changed":"1683064972","gmt_changed":"2023-05-02 22:02:52","alt":"headshots of reflection speakers: Catherine Schlabach, Zharia Redhead, Natalie Huertas, and Yasser El Masri. 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