{"686217":{"#nid":"686217","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Registration Open for SGA\u2019s Home for the Holidays Initiative ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhead of Thanksgiving, the undergraduate Student Government Association (SGA) is inviting students to participate in its Home for the Holidays initiative.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe annual tradition allows students who may not be able to spend the holiday at home to be matched with a local Yellow Jacket host \u2014 faculty, staff, or alumni \u2014 and enjoy a meal together.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe know that not everyone is going to be able to be with their family for the break, so SGA is proud to facilitate this program to give those students the opportunity to enjoy a warm, traditional Thanksgiving dinner,\u201d SGA Vice President Xiomara Salinas said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe initiative is open to all students, and registration for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_agfG9zDf3yrwir4\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eparticipants\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_9mF4Nn5Ba57lFbg\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehosts\u003C\/a\u003E is open through Nov. 18. At least two students are matched with each host (students can request to be paired together), and SGA helps coordinate transportation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETom McPike and Joanna Liu, a retired Georgia Tech employee, have hosted students for four years and are among the returning hosts for 2025. Having welcomed students from multiple countries, they see the initiative as not only a way to \u201chelp them avoid feeling homesick,\u201d but also a valuable experience that fosters community. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re as happy to have them as they are to be here. This is such a great opportunity to promote a mutual understanding of the differences and similarities between cultures, and it gives us a chance to connect with the students studying at Tech. It\u2019s also a great feeling to have them at our home and let them know that they are welcomed and valued here as they take part in this tradition,\u201d the couple said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDietary restrictions are taken into consideration when pairing students and hosts. For questions about the initiative, contact Xiomara Salinas at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ug.evp@sga.gatech.edu\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eug.evp@sga.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Registration for students and hosts is open through Nov. 18.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERegistration for students and hosts is open through Nov. 18. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Registration for students and hosts is open through Nov. 18.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2025-11-05 18:17:09","changed_gmt":"2025-11-05 18:39:24","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-11-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-11-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678549":{"id":"678549","type":"image","title":"Thanksgiving","body":null,"created":"1762367001","gmt_created":"2025-11-05 18:23:21","changed":"1762367001","gmt_changed":"2025-11-05 18:23:21","alt":"Thanksgiving table","file":{"fid":"262600","name":"Unknown.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/05\/Unknown.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/05\/Unknown.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":212149,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/11\/05\/Unknown.jpeg?itok=wP6YMthd"}}},"media_ids":["678549"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"166922","name":"sga"},{"id":"30461","name":"undergraduate student government association"},{"id":"2282","name":"Thanksgiving"},{"id":"106231","name":"home for the holidays"},{"id":"6358","name":"Thanksgiving Break"}],"core_research_areas":[],"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=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ug.evp@sga.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EXiomara Salinas\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 Undergraduate Student Government Association\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}