Katy Warren from Atlanta, Georgia is confident and energetic as we are introduced for lunch at the Athens favorite, The National. She’s squeezing in lunch with me after settling into this first week of classes and before an afternoon HEROs retreat. Katy is on the executive board of UGA HEROs and she tells me all about it. It’s one of the largest student-run philanthropy groups at UGA, with over 2,500 students helping to raise funds to support children affected by HIV/AIDS. Over 12 years, HEROs has raised over $2.5 million and her ambitions for this academic year are high. When I ask Katy what has made UGA so special to her, she immediately mentions her solid friendships. Throwing herself into her studies, student government, and HEROs have resulted in a diverse group of excellent friendships. Her dedication of time to extracurricular activities and building friendships has made Athens feel like home.
After beginning as a business major, Katy quickly realized that accounting was not her friend. Having targeted the broad area of marketing as a perfect fit for her bubbly personality, Katy was able to switch to UGA’s Grady School of Journalism and Communications. Within the Grady College, Katy could major in advertising, minor in film studies, and earn a certificate in new media studies. That’s definitely a benefit of UGA – that there are business majors outside of the business school – something that can be hard to replicate at other colleges. Katy has loved her Grady experience and she notes that contrary to what many students and parents might think for a 27,000 student university, her classes after freshman year have largely been small sized with about 20 students, enabling strong relationships with fellow students and professors.
Katy used the UGA career fairs and her involvement with on campus Talking Dog to help her find the all-important summer after junior year internship. Talking Dog is the University of Georgia’s premier full-service student-run ad agency, staffed with the most talented minds at UGA. Students create innovative and creative campaigns to optimize client media presence and brand image. Through relationships with board members, Katy scored an internship with Summit Marketing. “I learned so much and I loved how each day brought new challenges and excitement,” says Katy. While she loved her internship, her dream job (other than being the next Tina Fey or late night TV show host) is to blend her interests in marketing and the entertainment world. “I’m taking a screen writing course right now and I already love it,” exclaims Katy. She would love to be in the thick of entertaining writing and production.
When I ask her about graduation this spring, she won’t let me go there. “It’s too early to talk about graduating. I have to enjoy every minute while I can.” Exciting courses and the new bottomless bloody Mary venue will make Athens a tough place to leave! So we settle on her advice for freshmen. “Invest more in making lasting relationships with your professors,” she says. And in a blur, she’s out the door and on to be a HERO, top dog, friend and community leader – watch out Tina Fey – here comes Katy!
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