Category: Personal

Dia de la Familia Helps Hispanic Families Navigate Higher Education

Books have been written about applying to college because the process can be daunting and the language bewildering. Accepted, admitted, deferred admission, FAFSA, rolling admission, weighted grade point average — what does it all mean? Imagine how much more difficult it would be to do it all in a foreign language and the difference it…

She’s 63 and has just been diagnosed with a learning disability. That’s not stopping Piedmont student Carmen Schuerman.

For 63 years, Carmen Schuerman struggled with mathematics. She failed the second grade. She needed fingers and toes to work problems others could solve with paper and pencil. When the math became too advanced, she had to draw dots contained in circles to help her “see” the sums and quotients. At one of her first…

Piedmont Will Celebrate First-Generation Students on Nov. 8

first-gen

On Monday, Nov. 8, Piedmont University will celebrate first-generation students, faculty, staff, and alumni. To be First-Gen means a student’s parents did not complete a four-year college degree. The 2021 First-Gen Student Celebration will be held 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. upstairs in the Commons Conference Room in Demorest and in Room 312 on the Athens campus….

Three-Time Piedmont Grad Nic Johnson Now a Successful Performer, Music Teacher

Nic Johnson

When he enrolled at Piedmont University, Nic Johnson knew only three things for sure: He wanted to take voice lessons, learn to play the piano, and start a gospel choir. What he would do next, he had no idea. Now, with three Piedmont degrees to his name, Johnson is proud to say he achieved everything…

Piedmont University to Host Exhibition Celebrating Life, Impact of Art Professor Leroy Young

Leroy-Young

Piedmont University will host an exhibition featuring the work of Leroy Young, an art professor who passed away in 2020, from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4 at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art, 567 Georgia St. in Demorest. Young taught at Piedmont from 2000 to 2008. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam…

Barbecue Entrepreneur Returns to Piedmont University for Master of Business Administration

During his undergraduate studies at Piedmont University, John Cross wrote the business plan for his now-thriving venture, Brown Dog BBQ. Now, Cross is back in the classroom, earning his Master of Business Administration from Piedmont. “I had a great undergrad experience at Piedmont. I wanted to keep learning, and I wanted to keep learning from…

Piedmont History Professor Aims to Teach the Past — and How to Make a Better Future

Piedmont University Assistant Professor Scarlet Jernigan

Ever since she can remember, Scarlet Jernigan has been fascinated by history, and particularly the history of Georgia, her native state. As a faculty member at Piedmont University, she hopes to nurture the same appreciation in her students. “I was so excited to be hired by Piedmont because it is in Georgia. I’m going to…

The Art of Aiming High

Hayden Giovino’s grit, determination, focus, and passion, along with the help of art professor Rebecca Brantley, helped get him a coveted spot in a program with the High Museum in Atlanta….

Remembering Anna

Last fall, the Piedmont community was shaken by news that one of its own—freshman Anna Mackenzie Whitlock—had died in an automobile accident while on the way to campus. In August, members of Anna’s family visited the Demorest campus to celebrate her life and dedicate a memorial bench in her name. The bench, flanked by three…