{"670649":{"#nid":"670649","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Celebrates the Launch of GTDC in Washington, D.C.","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIt\u2019s rare that a student gets the opportunity to be in the room with a senator. But Georgia Tech\u2019s first cohort of GTDC students were able to celebrate the Washington, D.C. launch of the program with three \u2014 Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and former Senator Sam Nunn.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EInsight into the people and organizations who make decisions that impact the lives of all Americans is a key aspect of the GTDC: Pathways to Policy program. The inaugural GTDC semester and the 13 students pioneering the program were celebrated with an Oct. 24 event in Washington, D.C. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EGTDC: Pathways to Policy, a partnership of the School of Public Policy and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, gives Georgia Tech students from any major the opportunity to spend an immersive, transformative semester in Washington, D.C. Students engage in courses, internships, research opportunities, and extracurricular activities, including with Georgia Tech alumni. The program educates and equips students for policy-related careers in government agencies, the private sector, and NGOs, where they can help solve national and global challenges.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe launch event brought together GTDC students with not only Senators Warnock, Ossoff, and Nunn, but also Georgia Tech leaders and a large group of Georgia Tech alumni who live and work in the D.C. area.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn his remarks, Warnock praised the Georgia Tech graduates and students who had worked for his office and said he looked forward to working with more.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIt has been my experience that it\u2019s a good idea to hire Georgia Tech grads,\u201d Sen. Warnock said. \u201cThey are indeed among the most conscientious and industrious individuals working on the Hill. And I\u2019m thrilled that there will be more opportunities for Georgia Tech students to gain insight into what is happening in Washington D.C.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOssoff emphasized that Georgia Tech is well respected worldwide and plays a key role in research and innovation related to national security, energy, and healthcare and that its students and graduates have much to contribute.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI think it\u2019s crucial that young people and students have access to Congress and the Federal Government and understand how those collaborations work,\u201d Ossoff said.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFormer Senator and Georgia Tech Distinguished Professor Sam Nunn explained to the students that working and learning in D.C. would have a huge impact. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI was 23 years old when I first came to D.C. out of law school \u2026 and I can assure you, from my perspective, your year will be transformative indeed,\u201d Nunn told the students. \u201cIt will enlighten you in terms of both the opportunities and the challenges of public service in a way that no textbook can really adequately explain.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe event drew a sizable group of Georgia Tech alumni, and connecting alumni who live and work in D.C. with GTDC students is another key aspect of the GTDC program. In her remarks, Kaye Husbands Fealing, dean and Ivan Allen Jr. Chair of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, pointed out that D.C. alumni were eager to help students interested in exploring careers in public service.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWhen I meet with alumni to talk about GTDC, here\u2019s the response I typically get: \u2018What do you need? How can we help? What can we do to embrace, and talk with, and lead, and guide, and mentor the students who are at Georgia Tech working at the intersection of STEM, policy, social science and more\u2019 \u2026 That\u2019s exactly why this room is packed this evening,\u201d Husbands Fealing said.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EGeorgia Tech President\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u00c1ngel Cabrera also addressed the crowd.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0022Educating and supporting graduates with expertise in technology and policy is vital to solving global challenges,\u0022 Cabrera said. \u201cWe are so excited about this program. We need to fill every member of Congress\u2019 office, every committee, with people who understand technology, who understand science, and who can bring that knowledge to make better policy.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThough the GTDC students have only been in D.C. since August, many are already reporting they have taken much from the experience.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0022This program is extremely beneficial in so many ways! Not only does it provide an opportunity to live and work in such a beautiful place, but it also allows you to establish professional connections and mentorships, cultivate personal relationships with the other GTDC students, understand varying pathways to success, and learn concrete skills to take to future endeavors,\u0022 said GTDC participant Parker Alderman.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EStudents, alumni, Georga Tech leaders, and political luminaries gathered in Washington to celebrate the program\u2019s launch.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students, alumni, Georgia Tech leaders, and political luminaries gathered in Washington to celebrate the program\u2019s launch."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2023-10-25 13:45:39","changed_gmt":"2023-10-26 20:25:40","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-10-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-10-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"672169":{"id":"672169","type":"image","title":"Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn speaks to students at the GTDC launch event in Washington.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFormer U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn speaks to students at the GTDC launch event in Washington on Oct. 25, 2023.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1698241548","gmt_created":"2023-10-25 13:45:48","changed":"1698241548","gmt_changed":"2023-10-25 13:45:48","alt":"A group of people in business attire, including former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, speaking","file":{"fid":"255359","name":"231024_GTDC_Turner_37.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/10\/25\/231024_GTDC_Turner_37.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/10\/25\/231024_GTDC_Turner_37.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":15252239,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/10\/25\/231024_GTDC_Turner_37.JPG?itok=Lgtm5xKg"}}},"media_ids":["672169"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022megan.mcrainey@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMegan McRainey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["megan.mcrainey@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}