Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU

At the heart of Atlanta’s dynamic startup community, Georgia State is giving the city’s next generation of entrepreneurs an edge. CONTENTS

16 DESTINATION: INNOVATION Georgia State’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute has teamed up with The Marcus Foundation to fund, mentor and develop 21 new Wil Lutz, who grew up playing soccer, wears Atlanta businesses with the potential to make a two different shoes when he takes the field. significant impact on the city. On his right foot, his kicking foot, he wears a soccer cleat. On his left, he wears a standard football cleat. “I wear a size 11, but you want the tightest shoe possible when you kick, so I wear a size 10 on my kicking foot and a regular 11 on my left — why make my left foot uncomfortable?” he says.

Congratulations to the 40 Under 40 Class of 2020.

Meet KIANA NICHOLAS (B.A. ’12), senior manager of analytics and research at CNN, and the rest of the class at pantheralumni.com/40under40.

22 PIONEERS OF PROGRESS In 1956, three African American women sued to desegregate Georgia State and won, paving the way for the integration of universities in the South. The subjects of a recent book and commemorative event celebrating their struggle, these civil rights heroes can finally become the Nominations for the Class of 2021 household names they deserve to be. will open this fall. 28 GETTING HIS KICKS New Orleans Saints kicker and 40 Under 40 honoree Wil Lutz (B.A. ’17) has gone from a walk- on at Georgia State to one of the best in the NFL.

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY TARA JACOBY; PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT GROUNDBREAKING CLASS NOTES IT PAYS TO DREAM Your classmates are a successful bunch. FOR RESEARCH From mayors and authors to business Three years after quitting her job to start her own company, Ashley owners and aquarium CEOs, there are “Bella” Daramola (B.I.S. ’10, M.S. ’12) accepts her first-place winnings As we prepare to build a new science facility, research at Georgia Panthers out there doing fantastic things. at the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute’s Demo Day. To read State continues to grow at record-setting rates and contribute to the Got a promotion? A new addition to the about the pitch she delivered that won her the top prize, check out her health of communities around Georgia and across the world. family? Go ahead, brag a little. Post your story on p. 16. good news and read about your fellow alumni at news.gsu.edu/class-notes. You can share Class Notes through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

“Georgia State faculty earned more than $100 million in sponsored funding for the fifth year in a row. We’re now one of the fastest-growing research institutions in the nation.”

Brian Davis M.Ed. ’98, Ph.D. ’08 LAST SPRING, THIS MAGAZINE sponsored funding for the fifth year in a Mack Robinson College of Business, the Brian Davis was promoted to president DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE published an oral history of Kell Hall, the row. We’re now one of the fastest-growing Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research and chief executive officer of the Georgia MAGAZINE TO YOUR PHONE university’s first permanent building and research institutions in the nation. Group is uncovering vital information Aquarium. Davis joined the Georgia Aquarium in 2003, before the facility OR TABLET BY VISITING longtime research science headquarters, But while these statistics are impressive, about online criminal activity that MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU which we recently demolished to make they don’t tell the whole story of research could help protect people, businesses opened, as director of education before OR ISSUU.COM/GSUMAG. way for much-needed greenspace. This at Georgia State. That’s because they don’t and governments. becoming vice president of education. spring, we’re planning to break ground show you the ways our faculty are making And just weeks ago, Regents’ Professor on the newest addition to the Atlanta an impact in communities here in Georgia Jenny Yang published an exciting break- Campus: the third phase of Georgia State’s and across the world. through: a new tool that could significantly Science Park. At the Perimeter College campus in improve our ability to find, diagnose Occupying an entire city block, the Clarkston, a city known as the “Ellis Island and treat cancer before it has spread. Science Park already features the universi- of the South,” faculty have established a Yang, who holds 35 patents, also recently STAY U PDATE D Follow us on Facebook at ty’s most advanced research facilities. The Prevention Research Center to address the became the university’s first professor to If you need to update your address — or if facebook.com/GSUMagazine project’s first two phases yielded the Petit health needs of the thousands of migrants be awarded a fellowship by the National this issue is addressed to someone else — Science Center in 2010 and the Research and refugees living there. Academy of Inventors. just send a note to [email protected]. If Follow us on Twitter at Science Center in 2016. In the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, These are just a few examples of how you’d like to stop receiving the print issue twitter.com/gsumagazine Once complete, the new building will researchers are working to develop what researchers at Georgia State are making a and read the magazine online only, send an contain eight floors of ultramodern, could be the first successful universal flu difference #TheStateWay. email to [email protected], and we’ll Connect with us on LinkedIn at biosafety-commissioned laboratory vaccine, which would eliminate the need take it from there. linkedin.com/school/georgiastateuniversity space dedicated to the study of infectious for annual flu shots, as well as the first safe diseases, a critical piece of our expanding vaccine and effective treatment for respi- Sincerely, research portfolio. ratory syncytial virus, which hospitalizes Spring 2020 • Vol. 11 • No. 1 Publishers Don Hale, Andrea Jones Executive Editor William Inman (M.H.P. ’16) Assistant Editor Benjamin Hodges (B.A. ’08) Contributors Austin Birchell (B.A. ’20), But our research isn’t growing in just tens of thousands of infants in the U.S. Michael Davis (B.A. ’03), Torie Robinette Durham, Maya Kroth, Jennifer Rainey Marquez Creative Director Renata Irving Art Director Matt McCullin Contributing Illustrators a bricks-and-mortar sense. Our research every year. Andy Friedman, Tara Jacoby, Devin Phillips (B.F.A. ’20), Reid Schulz (B.F.A. ’18) Contributing Photographers Meg Buscema, Carolyn Richardson, Steven Thackston Send address changes to: Georgia State University Gifts and Records P.O. Box 3963 Atlanta, GA 30302-3963 Fax: 404-413-3441 email: [email protected] community is larger and more produc- A collaboration among the Andrew Send story ideas and letters to the editor to: William Inman, editor, Georgia State University Magazine P.O. Box 3999 Atlanta, GA 30302-3999 email: [email protected] tive than ever. Last year, Georgia State Young School of Policy Studies, the Mark P. Becker Georgia State University Magazine is published four times each year by Georgia State University. The magazine is dedicated to communicating and promoting the high level of academic achievement, research, scholarship, teaching and service at Georgia State University, as well as the outstanding accomplishments of its alumni and the intellectual, faculty earned more than $100 million in College of Arts & Sciences and the J. President cultural, social and athletic endeavors of its vibrant and diverse student body. © 2020 Georgia State University

4 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 ILLUSTRATION BY ANDY FRIEDMAN MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 5 ON CAMPUS / PROGRESS CAMPUS CONNECTOR With Kell Hall out of the way, construction crews are nearing completion on the first phase of the greenway, Georgia State’s future gathering space at the center of the Atlanta Campus.

BY BENJAMIN HODGES (B.A ’08) | RENDERING BY POND & COMPANY

The view from Peachtree Center Avenue looking southeast toward Collins and Courtland streets with Arts & Humanities (left), Sparks Hall (left center), Library North (right center) and Langdale Hall THE DEMOLITION OF KELL HALL AND THE EASTERN Crews are also building two new staircases. One because the next construction phase calls for a new (right) on either side. HALF OF LIBRARY PLAZA BEGAN LAST APRIL. Workers will connect the Courtland Street bridge to a revamped ground-level entrance to Library North, complete with hauled away the last chunks of concrete in October and ground-level entrance to Sparks Hall, and the other will exterior improvements and a sizable addition, the portion have since installed new façades on Langdale Hall and the link Langdale Plaza (the remaining section of Library Plaza of the greenway that lies south of the walkway must remain Arts & Humanities building where they once adjoined Kell behind Langdale Hall) to the greenway down below. closed to allow work to proceed. Hall. Construction has also started on the lighted walkway By April, crews should begin landscaping the green- The Library North renovation is expected to take about Visit magazine.gsu.edu to watch a time-lapse that will soon cross through the greenspace connecting space itself. The university hopes to open a portion of eight months, and the rest of the greenway should open to video of Kell Hall’s demolition. Collins Street to Peachtree Center Avenue. the greenway, including the walkway, by June. However, the public by the end of the spring 2021 semester.

6 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 7 ON CAMPUS / ALUMNI ON CAMPUS / NEWS

INFLUENCERS AND INNOVATORS Alumni Association announces 40 Under 40 gripping narrative that offers a revelatory Class of 2020. perspective on the combined origins of two nations.” The Georgia State University Alumni Association “All of my books are character-driven,” has named the honorees in its 2020 class of distin- Chaffin said. “Much of my research is like guished alumni under the age of 40. being paid to read other people’s mail.” Started in 2018, the 40 Under 40 program By digging through primary sources recognizes the most influential and innovative grad- such as journals and letters and often uates who embody the values of Georgia State. visiting the places depicted in his books, “These are remarkable doers, creators, inno- Chaffin creates biographies that shed vators, leaders and entrepreneurs — individuals light on the people at the center of his- making their mark in every imaginable field,” said torical events. Those travels often help Christina Million (MBA ’00), associate vice presi- him to better understand — and even dent of alumni relations. “The 40 Under 40 awards discover errors recorded in — letters, diaries and newspaper accounts. celebrate the Panthers who are making a differ- Chaffin said his discovery while vis- ence in their organizations and communities — from iting Versailles that a balcony faced an government to entertainment, academia to Fortune internal courtyard rather than the exte- 500 companies and everything in between.” rior of the palace changed his perception This year’s diverse crop of high-achieving young of one event’s significance. As Marie- alumni were selected through a formal nomination Antoinette spoke to an angry mob from and selection process. Nominations for the Class the balcony in 1787, Chaffin said she was of 2021 will open in the fall. To meet the Class not speaking to a crowd outside the pal- of 2020 and for more information, visit panther- ace, but one that had broken past guards 8,625 alumni.com. Days between the first and second public lightings HAPPY RETURN “All of my books of the Olympic Author, alum and experienced administrator cauldron at Georgia appointed new dean of students. are character- State Stadium. THE CHRONICLER Georgia State lit the Michael Sanseviro (Ph.D. ’06) has been named the driven. Much of cauldron for the U.S. university’s new associate vice president and dean Olympic Marathon of students. Sanseviro started his new position last Trials, the first Author Tom Chaffin (B.A. ’77) digs deep into the past to my research is December, replacing Darryl Holloman, who was uncover some of history’s most intriguing stories. time since the 1996 Summer Olympics. dean of students between 2014 and 2018. like being paid The office of the Dean of Students helps stu- BY MICHAEL DAVIS (B.A. ’03) | PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON dents become engaged, successful members of the to read other university community. Its services include connect- ing students to campus resources, resolving issues rom an early age, Tom Chaffin knew he wanted to be a name Narciso López kept popping up in articles every few months and complaints, encouraging student involvement writer, and by the time he graduated from high school in issues from the early 1850s. During those years, López led a people’s mail.” and addressing emergencies. he’d already decided to pursue a career in journalism. succession of unofficial armies from the United States bent on After graduating from Emory University with He spent decades in Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, invading Cuba and placing it under U.S. control. a bachelor’s degree at the age of 19, Sanseviro FParis and other cities working as a freelance and staff writer for “He’d show up as the lead story and then disappear for months, and made its way to an area normally off earned a master’s degree from Florida State newspapers and magazines. and there would be another story about him a few months later,” limits to all but the royal family. University and a Ph.D. in educational policy stud- While Chaffin still occasionally publishes articles and op-eds, Chaffin said. “My casual curiosity sort of slowly evolved into a “I realized, in other words, that, for he left full-time journalism 25 years ago to launch a book career commitment to do a book.” the king and queen, their predicament ies from Georgia State. Formerly employed by that has so far yielded seven narrative histories. His most recent On weekends and through vacations, Chaffin continued to was even more fraught than I’d originally the Board of Regents of the University System of work — on Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette — research López’s activities. It was his wife, Margareta Larsson, assumed,” Chaffin said. Georgia and Georgia Perimeter College, he spent was published late last year, earning praise from the likes of The now a senior lecturer in Georgia State’s Intensive English Unlike those he writes about, Chaffin the last 16 years at Kennesaw State University Wall Street Journal and Publisher’s Weekly. Program, who suggested he turn the project into a dissertation said, he enjoys the luxury of knowing — 10 as the associate vice president for student “All those years as a journalist, I always had a hankering to for a graduate history program. The result was a Ph.D. in 1995 how their lives turned out. But he’s affairs and dean of students. He’s also the author write books,” Chaffin said. “But when you’re writing articles, from Emory University and the book “Fatal Glory: Narciso López more interested in their journeys and of the book “Lessons I Learned From My Mother,” it’s hard to find the time and space to write a book.” and the First Clandestine U.S. War Against Cuba,” published in relationships, and the occasional chance a memoir aimed at preparing young adults for the Chaffin began mining the quarry for his first book eraft return- 1996 and drawn from research conducted in the U.S. and Cuba. occurrences that shaped history. challenges of contemporary college life. ing to Atlanta in the mid-1980s and taking a job at the Fulton Chaffin’s latest book, “Revolutionary Brothers: Thomas “As an author, I try to write books “I pride myself on being accessible and engaged County Daily Report. He’d bought a collection of bound copies Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette and the Friendship that that will hold up to scholarly scrutiny but with the student bodies I’ve served throughout my of Harper’s Magazine that were more than 100 years old from Helped Forge Two Nations,” was published last November by also win audiences of general readers,” career, and I look forward to continuing that proud a bookstore that was closing shop. As he turned the pages, the St. Martin’s Press. A Wall Street Journal review called it “a he said. tradition at Georgia State,” Sanseviro said.

8 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 9 ON CAMPUS / NEWS ON CAMPUS / ALUMNI

TO YOUR HEALTH STAYING THE COURSE The Georgia Health Policy Center celebrates Perimeter College ranks among nation’s best 25 years of service. two-year colleges for student success. SHIFTING GEARS

Housed in the Andrew Young School of Policy Perimeter College students successfully transfer to As executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, Studies, the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) four-year degree programs at dramatically higher Rebecca Serna (M.S. ’07) is focused on improving has been researching and promoting solutions to rates than students at other two-year colleges infrastructure for all modes of travel. healthcare challenges since 1995. In commem- around the country, according to a new ranking by oration of its 25th year of service, the GHPC will The Chronicle of Higher Education. host 25 events and activities throughout the year, Perimeter ranks 20th in the nation for student BY MICHAEL DAVIS (B.A. ’03) PHOTO BY CAROLYN RICHARDSON including a speaker and film series, community and success among the 838 two-year colleges consid- service opportunities, and more. 1,385 ered by The Chronicle, which tracked students who Dedicated to improving health status at the com- Pieces of music entered college in 2015. By 2018, nearly 83 per- munity level, the GHPC connects leaders with the by Johnny Mercer cent of Perimeter students were still enrolled, had research and guidance needed to make informed (1909–1976) transferred to other programs or completed their decisions about health policy and programs. The archived in the degrees. About 51 percent had transferred to bach- Georgia State hile working and traveling as a center’s areas of concern include access to care, elor’s degree programs, nearly 35 points higher than Library Special paralegal, Rebecca Serna got rural health systems, long-term care, children’s Collections the two-year college average. to know public transit systems well-being, insurance coverage, behavioral health “We have increased the number of students across the United States. She and more. Working to advance health and well-be- who transfer from our associate degree pathways Whad grown up in Atlanta riding MARTA’s ing throughout Georgia and in more than 220 com- to four-year undergraduate programs by 1,000 stu- trains and buses but realized there was room munities across the nation and globe, the GHPC dents a year, and we have one of the highest trans- for improvement. has completed more than 1,000 projects for more fer rates in the country,” said Tim Renick, senior vice She was also looking to make a career than 100 clients. president for student success. “This increase affirms change. For more information about the GHPC’s 25th that our strategies are working post-consolidation, “I was kind of used to the way things were, but I was traveling to all these cities anniversary, visit ghpc.gsu.edu/anniversary. helping students achieve their goals at record rates.” that had much better transit than Atlanta,” she said. “That’s how I got interested in transportation.” That interest led to advocacy and even- tually to the position she’s held since 2007 as executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, an organization focused on safe spaces to ride and, more recently, sustainable transportation. HAIL, VICTORS While working on her master’s degree in urban policy studies at the Andrew Young GEORGIA STATE ESPORTS had a School of Policy Studies, Serna spent banner season last fall, bringing home 2006 on a Fulbright Fellowship in Bogotá, two national titles for its play in the video Colombia, learning about participatory plan- game “Smite.” ning. After the Fulbright, she interned in the In December, the team topped Georgia bicycle and pedestrian office of the Georgia Tech to win the American Video Game Department of Transportation. League’s Collegiate Championship. The “It gave me a greater understanding of month before, they took home the top the planning environment and how that prize at Dreamhack Atlanta, an esports and intersected with policy,” Serna said of her digital festival that attracts thousands of master’s program. “Here at the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, we’re trying to change in-person spectators and thousands more the infrastructure, but policy is very closely on the Twitch streaming platform. intertwined with how those changes play Founded in 2017, Georgia State esports out. The policy decisions really come first competes in the Georgia Esports League. and govern how the built environment works, The university is one of more than 100 feels and looks.” colleges and universities in the National Serna has led the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition neighborhoods throughout the city. Serna said the highest rates of serious Association of Collegiate Esports. through an expansion of its roster from injuries and fatal traffic crashes tend to occur in areas already struggling with Team members are eligible to earn around 200 members in 2007 to more income inequality, educational disparities and high incarceration rates. scholarships and learn a variety of disci- than 1,500 today. Over the past year, she’s “Basically, the communities most burdened by everything are the communities plines, including broadcasting, produc- also led the group as it has broadened its most burdened by the transportation system,” she said. focus from advocating for bicycle safety The group’s Vision Zero campaign encourages planning practices to eliminate tion, marketing, management and game and mobility to championing safer, sustain- traffic deaths. Among the coalition’s policy priorities for 2020 is advocating for a development. Produced by Atlanta-based able transportation for motorists, cyclists uniform speed limit of 25 miles per hour in Atlanta. Hi-Rez Studios, the game “Smite” is just and pedestrians. “We feel like where we can make the most difference is in the street,” Serna one example of Georgia’s fast-growing As the coalition developed its new said. “We’re really trying to reclaim the street for people. Everyone needs a way video game industry. mission, it examined traffic crash data from to get around that’s reliable, affordable and safe.”

10 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 ILLUSTRATION BY REID SCHULZ (B.F.A. ’18) MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 11 ON CAMPUS / ATHLETICS ON CAMPUS / RESEARCH

THE SKIPPER As Georgia State’s new head baseball coach, Brad Stromdahl is returning to his roots.

BY AUSTIN BIRCHELL (B.A. ’20) | PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON STATE TO FACE TECH A crosstown contest begins in 2024 when WHEN BRAD STROMDAHL got the call “It was really great to have the oppor- Georgia State football faces off against to interview for the job of head baseball tunity to learn to build,” Stromdahl said. Georgia Tech in the first game of a home- HEALING THE HOME coach at Georgia State, it felt like the start “Now, I can take what I learned there and and-home series. Researchers in the School of Public Health are helping stabilize of a homecoming. apply it to the Georgia State program on a Tech will play host on Aug. 31, 2024, Georgia families affected by substance abuse. Ahead of his seven seasons at the helm fundamental level and really focus on the at Bobby Dodd Stadium, and the Panthers of Georgia Gwinnett College’s baseball game. Now, it’s about coaching, getting the bring the Yellow Jackets to Georgia State BY JENNIFER RAINEY MARQUEZ | ILLUSTRATION BY DEVIN PHILLIPS (B.F.A. ’20) program, Stromdahl spent five seasons players ready and giving them an unbeliev- Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026. at Georgia State (2007–11) as a recruiting able Division I experience.” In the program’s short history, Geor- coordinator and hitting instructor. Athletics Director Charlie Cobb gia State has already traveled to play two IN THE U.S., PARENTAL NEGLECT IS the most common reported to the Georgia Division of Family & Children’s The Panthers hit .300 or better in each announced Stromdahl’s return to Georgia other Atlantic Coast Conference teams: reason children enter the foster care system. Neglect often goes Services (DFCS) into family treatment courts (FTCs). It also of those seasons and set a Georgia State State in June, making him the Panthers’ N.C. State, who comes to Atlanta in 2022, hand in hand with other issues, including substance abuse. As of improves the services at FTCs, which are two-year, judicially record in 2010 with an average of .356. 10th head coach in school history. and Clemson. 2017, a parent’s abuse of alcohol or illicit drugs accounted for one supervised treatment programs that have shown positive out- “Today, I’m sitting here, and I couldn’t “Players enjoy playing for him, and The Panthers’ 2019 season brought its of every three U.S. children in foster care — a rate that has been comes for parents. be happier with where we are, the state his beliefs mirror the culture established third bowl appearance in five years, and rising steadily since the mid-2000s. “Accountability is an important part of recovery,” Whitaker of the program and where we’re going,” within our department,” Cobb said. their seven wins matched a school best. “These problems don’t happen in isolation,” said Daniel said. “Compared to community-based treatments, FTCs have more Stromdahl said before the start of the “Georgia State baseball was successful Georgia State opens the 2020 season at Whitaker, professor in the Department of Health Policy & structured follow-up to ensure people complete the program. As Panthers’ 2020 campaign. “The future is during his previous tenure, and we have home Sept. 5 against Murray State. Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health. “If there’s a result, FTCs are more effective at reducing continued substance so bright, and the future is now, not only the same expectation going forward.” substance abuse going on, chances are these families are also abuse, which has a greater impact on parents and children.” for baseball and the Athletics Department, Back in his old stomping grounds, SANDY PANTHERS RANK AGAIN dealing with things like poverty or mental health issues. Kids Whitaker and his team will engage regional DFCS offices but for Georgia State as a whole.” Stromdahl has set his sights on the College The Panthers continue to rank among the endure a range of negative social and emotional impacts that and FTCs in four judicial circuits that cover 13 Georgia counties: In 2011, Stromdahl was selected as the World Series once again. top 20 NCAA beach volleyball teams. result directly from a parent’s substance abuse as well as indi- Hall and Dawson; Clarke and Oconee; Chatham; and the eight first head coach of Georgia Gwinnett’s new “Ultimately, what we are trying to do After appearing in the 2019 Coastal rectly from related matters such as a parent’s arrest.” counties in the Ocmulgee circuit. In the project’s second year, baseball program. Over the next two years, is have fun and play a really exciting and Collegiate Sports Association semifinals, Recently funded by a $2.65 million federal grant, Whitaker and the researchers will help the courts identify and implement he laid the groundwork for its inaugural fast-paced style of baseball,” Stromdahl Georgia State entered the 2020 sea- his colleagues are working with state and county governments to evidence-based strategies for improving trauma treatments season in 2013. In his seven seasons at said. “I know what it takes to win and go son at No. 17 in the American Volleyball serve these children and their families more effectively. Funded and trauma-based parenting programs. Georgia Gwinnett, the Grizzlies won 75 per- to a World Series and our goal is to make Coaches Association Poll and No. 16 in through the Regional Partnership Grants program, which aims “The primary goal is to get parents into these programs, reduce cent of their games (328-104) and reached that happen this year. We’re going to make the Dig Magazine Poll. to improve partnerships among public services to create better their risk of further substance use, and improve the safety and the National Association of Intercollegiate mistakes, and we may lose a couple of The roster includes more than a dozen outcomes for children affected by parental substance abuse, the well-being of children in Georgia,” Whitaker said. “We also hope Athletics World Series three times, making games, but you can bet we’re going to win returning players, including four seniors project has two goals. to see families reunited and help moms and dads improve their semifinal appearances in 2018 and 2019. a lot more than we lose.” who each won at least 20 duals in 2019. It steers parents with substance abuse issues who have been mental health and their ability to be a good parent.”

12 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 13 “There’s a severe lack of representation ROLE for Muslims in film and TV ... Muslims MODEL need to be shown not just as taxi When Shahreen Elahi (B.S. ’18) applied to be an extra in “Spider-Man: Home- drivers but as normal American coming,” she was just supposed to be another student at title character Peter people, like high schoolers. After all, Parker’s high school. But what started as a background role brought an issue — we are American.” a glaring lack of Muslim representation in TV and film — front and center.

INTERVIEW BY TORIE ROBINETTE DURHAM PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON

How did your faith factor into to get me some water. I had to tell Tom common stereotype. Muslims need to be IN THE SUMMER OF 2016, SHAHREEN this role? Holland, “No!” I couldn’t believe it. The one shown not just as taxi drivers but as normal ELAHI, then a rising junior at Georgia State, What was crazy is the filming overlapped time I got to talk to him, I turned him down. American people, like high schoolers. After learned the movie “Spider-Man: Home- with Ramadan. Balancing those two all, we are American. coming” was filming in Atlanta and looking schedules was the hardest part of it all. You don’t wear the hijab regularly. for extras. A lover of comic books and During the month of Ramadan, we go to How did you feel about wearing it What does it mean to you to see superheroes, she applied and landed a part the mosque to pray every day between 8 in the movie? Muslim women leading in “Spider-Man: as a student at Peter Parker’s (Spider-Man’s) p.m. and 1 a.m. We also fast from about 5 By wearing it, I thought I’d find myself Far From Home” and “Ms. Marvel” — Long Island high school. a.m. to 8 p.m. It was super hot in Atlanta, explaining the religion a lot. Surprisingly, both following your role? But when the directors emailed her the and each scene takes so long to film. I didn’t have to, except when I couldn’t I remember growing up and not having scenes, something stopped her: She’d We’d have breaks with catered food from do certain things in some of the scenes. anyone I could relate to on TV or in movies. have to change clothes in a women’s locker fancy restaurants, but I couldn’t eat or I think people were kind of hesitant Seeing these actresses take on these parts room. As a Muslim woman, Elahi didn’t feel drink anything. to ask me about it because they were has helped me understand the impact of my comfortable undressing on camera, so she Then there was a house party scene unfamiliar. There were other extras on the own role. It’s incredibly humbling. decided to speak up. the directors decided they wanted me set wearing yarmulkes and turbans, and I I think stories are the greatest tool for When Elahi took her concerns to the in, but it was filming at a time when I was was really happy to see that because you education, and we need Muslim voices directors, they didn’t dismiss her like she supposed to be in prayer. I ended up would probably see other religions and in stories out there so that Muslims and had feared. Instead, they got an idea: They staying at the mosque, so I did miss out ethnicities represented in a real American people from other marginalized groups asked if she’d wear a hijab for her scenes. on a few scenes. high school. know they’re being seen, heard and valued. Elahi doesn’t don the traditional garb in her I was also in a gym class rope-climbing day-to-day life, but the chance to represent scene, and they wanted me to wear shorts. Did you realize the significance of You graduated from Georgia State Muslim women in a major American movie — I had to explain to the directors that when being the first person to wear a with a degree in neuroscience in 2018. a rare sight — thrilled her. Little did she know wearing the hijab, one wouldn’t show her hijab in a Marvel film? What are you doing now? Do you see she’d be the very first extra to wear a hijab in arms or legs bare. [Only one’s feet, hands I didn’t think it was a very big deal while I any more acting in your future? a Marvel film. and face can be exposed.] I ended up was on set, but after the movie came out, I’m working as a clinical research assistant Since the movie was released, big things wearing leggings under the shorts. I remember friends who didn’t know I’d at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which I have happened for Muslim actors in the been an extra remarking that they couldn’t love. I focus on sports medicine, looking at Marvel franchise. British-Pakistani actress Did you have any memorable believe they’d seen someone wearing a knee injuries in kids and studying the long- Zoha Roman played the hijab-wearing main interactions with the actors? hijab in the movie. It was so cool to see term effects and improvements associated character in the sequel, “Spider-Man: Far Actually, yes. It’s hilarious because it was people so happy about someone who was with reconstruction surgery. From Home,” and Disney+ is expected to totally accidental. Somehow, Tom Holland, just in the background. I would like to continue with my research release “Ms. Marvel,” the first Marvel Studios who plays Spider-Man, heard me say I was There’s a severe lack of representation and possibly go back to school, but I’m series centered on a Muslim character. thirsty — this was while I was fasting and for Muslims in film and TV. And when we just trying to leave doors open and take Elahi reflects on the gravity of her role and couldn’t drink. He came up to me out of are cast, Muslims are usually portrayed as opportunities as they come. I haven’t done the impact it’s had on Muslim representation nowhere, told me he was concerned about outsiders struggling to fit in and find their any more acting, but I am definitely not in Marvel films. the heat and the long hours, and offered identity in the Western world. It’s a very opposed to it. I think it would be awesome.

14 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 15 In one of the nation’s most enterprising cities, Georgia State’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute has teamed up with The Marcus Foundation to fund, mentor and develop 21 new businesses. Working in industries that range from recycling and logistics to art production and music management, they all have a story.

BY BENJAMIN HODGES (B.A. ’08) | ILLUSTRATIONS BY TARA JACOBY

16 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 17 she started getting offers to create more. To minimize its classes are open to students of any major. expenses, she moved out of her apartment and lived out “The reality is entrepreneurship happens everywhere. of the trunk of her car, couch-surfing at friends’ houses. It’s not confined to the traditional business industries,” Then she sold her car, too. Davis says. Using the cash from her murals, she bought materials Davis told Bella about ENI’s biggest opportunity yet to host ArtzyBella “sip and paint” parties, where guests — the chance to participate in an exclusive eight-month pay to follow an instructor’s lead to create their own incubation program for promising seed and startup It had already paintings. With no home or vehicle, she enlisted her businesses called the Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed friends to host the events at their houses and borrowed Fund. Supported by a $300,000 grant from The Marcus a car each time to transport furniture and supplies, Foundation, Main Street offers mentorship and funding been a rough including the easels she made out of cheap plywood. to help Georgia State students, recent alumni and For a year, she operated out of a studio in a Westview community members develop new businesses that can church, hosting events and even living there when create jobs and have a significant impact on Atlanta. day for Ashley finances were especially tight. Her events grew so Participants get not only advanced workshop and popular she had trouble accommodating everyone who weekly one-on-one meetings with a notable and expe- wanted to come. By last summer, she’d earned enough rienced Atlanta-based entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) Daramola. money to open her own space in downtown East Point. but also some hefty grants —$5,000 for seed companies “I’ve always been an entrepreneur. I didn’t After a two-hour commute, Daramola (B.I.S. ’10, M.S. Around the same time, Bella received an invitation and $10,000 for startups. ’12) — who goes by “Ashley Bella” — had just worked from George Greenidge Jr. (Ph.D. ’21), a research assis- “I knew Georgia State was an innovative university know it was called entrepreneurship, but I eight hours in a safe house for female victims of sex tant with the Center for the Advancement of Students that made students their primary focus, but I had no felt whatever I did needed to have value.” trafficking. Some of the women were fresh out of prison. & Alumni (CASA) at Georgia State. Among its other idea they were taking it to this extent. And now I get Others were detoxing from addictive drugs. Another charges, CASA brings successful alumni and profession- to be a part of that,” says Jamine Moton, one of the — SHEEHAN KHAN who suffered from a severe case of mental illness was als to campus to talk about their careers. Greenidge had program’s two EIRs. prone to violence and had threatened Bella and her discovered Bella on Instagram and wanted her to sit on A prominent Atlanta businesswoman and investor, In third grade, he designed and sold trading cards coworkers. After her shift, Bella was ready to brave a panel and share her story with students. Moton is the founder of the fast-growing Skylar Security to his classmates for a playground game called “War.” another commute home. “She has this great energy,” Greenidge says. “I needed startup. It’s her job to coach the young business owners They were a hit. Later, he turned to creating his own That wouldn’t happen, though. Her car had two flat to get her in front of young people and let them know alongside Musaddeq “MK” Khan (B.S. ’00), ENI’s lead comic books, selling each photocopy for 50 cents of his tires, and her small salary as a social work case manager that if you dream it and put the right people around you, EIR, a startup mogul who’s helped create and lead com- classmates’ lunch money. When he couldn’t acquire afforded her no money to fix them. you can do it.” panies in industries from energy and hospital adminis- an airbrush for his next idea — customizing white “My work with these women means everything to After the event, Greenidge introduced Bella to Jackie tration to artificial intelligence. T-shirts with graffiti-inspired art — he made his own by me,” Bella thought. “But I should be able to give back Davis (B.A. ’09, M.Ed. ’12, MBA ’18), the associate direc- ENI enlisted the support of faculty and alumni, as well swapping out the washable marker in a Blow Pen with a while still making enough money to take care of myself.” tor of Georgia State’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation as local industry leaders, venture capitalists and promi- Sharpie. One of his fellow middle schoolers couldn’t pay She’d rarely been able to do that, though. So, she did Institute (ENI). nent entrepreneurs to review the 100 applications they $15 for a shirt, so he traded his Casio watch, which Khan what she knew she should have done a long time ago. Established in 2016, ENI is dedicated to building an received with a balanced, thorough perspective. Fifty then sold on eBay for $30. She quit to start her own business. entrepreneurial culture and mindset across Georgia semifinalists delivered their best pitches to this diverse “That’s when I realized I can sell this stuff online. I State, with programming for students, faculty, staff, group over the course of three days. Twenty-one earned can sell everything online,” Khan says. Seeds of Opportunity alumni and community members. The institute started a spot in the program, which began in September. And he did. While still in high school, he built an offering a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship through After wrapping up a custom installation for a teach- e-commerce business, selling items from around the Bella has loved art since her first Sunday school craft the J. Mack Robinson College of Business in 2017, and er’s classroom at a local elementary school, Bella was house and nearby thrift stores. By the time he was projects, and it soon became a therapeutic outlet from driving to a friend’s house when she received word that studying at Georgia State, he had run out of space at a home environment she calls “a little dysfunctional.” ArtzyBella made the cut. his parents’ house and had set up shop in a storage unit As she got older, her teachers frequently advised her to “I had to pull over to cry,” she says. packed with goods imported from overseas. He often pursue her talent. spent more time at the storage unit than in class, all Her family wasn’t keen on the idea of Bella seeking a “Most of the things I’ve done in my life Liftoff while pursuing other ventures, including a media agency career in the arts, however, and she lost confidence in were very scary. But once you get on the and an online ticketing platform. her dream. She ended up spending more than a decade After attending a networking event, Sheehan Khan (B.S. “It was a hell of a ride,” he says. “I missed tests. I in and out of school, shifting from design to a sev- other side of that fear, everything you ’14) wended his way through the parking deck and got didn’t graduate with the best GPA.” en-year stint in social work. probably wanted is there.” in his car. His business, a logistics startup called Airlift, In the storage facility, he met a community of other But in September 2016, as she gazed at her immobi- had taken a few hits recently, and his bank account plucky e-commerce business owners running shops out lized car outside the Acworth safe house, those two flat — ASHLEY BELLA was running low, so he checked his phone to see if any of their units. Like Khan, they were all encountering a tires became symbols of a personal conviction she could payments had arrived. similar problem: managing their inventory across mul- no longer ignore. Nothing had posted. Worse, his account was so drained tiple locations and online sales platforms. Maintaining “That confirmed it for me — that maybe the reason I he couldn’t pay for his parking to leave the garage. So, he some master spreadsheet just wasn’t working. was having so much trouble getting grounded some- slept in the backseat until just before daybreak when a For small businesses like these, traditional fulfill- where was because I wasn’t doing what I was meant deposit cleared. Now, he could go back to work and keep ment companies — places that store and ship orders to do,” she says. “And if there’s one thing I know, it’s plugging away to get his company off the ground. for retailers — aren’t a viable option. These big centers how to figure stuff out. So, I’m going to quit my job and For Khan, this kind of danger is part of the game you need clients with a high volume of sales across a narrow become an artist, and I’m going to figure it out.” play as an entrepreneur. range of standard products and who can afford high ArtzyBella, Bella’s company, was born when she used “I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” says Khan, a monthly fees just to open an account — barriers to her last $50 to buy the supplies she needed to paint a first-generation American, the son of Bangladeshi immi- entry that turn away most startups. mural in her friend’s apartment. She got paid $150, and grants. “I didn’t know it was called entrepreneurship, So, Khan created a solution. He used a computer when photos of the painting took off on social media, but I felt whatever I did needed to have value.” science class project at Georgia State to start tinkering

18 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 19 “I was determined to make this work,” he says. “The With the BellaBox, the young entrepreneur has a this. We’re building a business, and we’re growing, and THE VENTURE CAPITAL financials made sense. We were making money. But product that might not only sustain ArtzyBella and we’re going to make this work.” Collaborative by design, ENI partners with the univer- then everything went wrong, and I didn’t know if we support her other career as an exhibiting artist but also With Demo Day behind them, Bella, Khan and the were going to make it.” dramatically improve lives. That’s why she made it the other 19 entrepreneurs in their cohort can return to the sity’s Creative Media Industries Institute, the Andrew Just in time, he received his first check from Main focus of her Demo Day pitch. It got her the first-place daily task of making good on their pitches and bringing Young School of Policy Studies and the Institute for Street. He was able to hire some help and modify his prize for startups. their ideas to life. But even with the lessons and funding Biomedical Sciences for different kinds of ventures. accounting to create a more reliable stream of cash, “It’s just starting to sink in,” she says the morning they’ve received, that can still be a scary proposition. Student programming includes competitions, work- giving him space to further develop the software. after winning $10,000. “I feel so validated about where These are misgivings Bella knows well. shops and guest speakers, as well as the E-House “I admire his grit and tenacity,” Moton says. “It’s I’m going.” “I might think sometimes, ‘Man, I don’t know if I can going to be an incredible story when he gets to the While Khan didn’t win a prize, he’s hardly deterred take that on. That’s a big deal,’” she says. “But then I Living-Learning Community, where aspiring entrepre- end of it.” and remains thankful for the chance to participate. remember: Quitting my job and becoming an entrepre- neurs can live together, share coworking spaces, and “Being part of this program — having the credibility neur was scary. Most of the things I’ve done in my life take advantage of unique mentorship and networking The Big Ideas of Georgia State and people at ENI behind you — that’s were very scary. But once you get on the other side of opportunities. Soon, ENI will connect students with a very powerful,” he says. “It shows we’re serious about that fear, everything you probably wanted is there.” network of alumni-owned startups and businesses for For Bella, Khan and the rest of the Main Street Entrepreneurs, one date loomed large. On Feb. 27, or invaluable internships. “Demo Day,” all 21 finalists gathered at Georgia State ENI also assists faculty with commercializing their Stadium to give three-minute pitches to a new group of research. For example, if a scientist discovers a novel judges comprising a who’s-who of the Atlanta business way to reduce waste, a viable business might be the community for the chance to win additional funding. best way to extend the research, and the environ- Khan pitched how he would expand and decentralize Airlift through micro-fulfillment in urban centers. That mental benefits it offers, all over the world. means partnering with theoretically anyone in any city Off campus, it connects emerging entrepreneurs who has storage space and a vehicle to fulfill orders in the university community with Atlanta’s robust using equipment Airlift would provide, such as barcode startup community and the innumerable events and scanners and label printers. Airlift would then distrib- opportunities it offers through hubs such as Atlanta ute its clients’ inventory closest to the people who are buying it. It’s like Uber or Airbnb for fulfillment, where Tech Village, Constellations, Flatiron City, General Airlift’s system, credibility and reliable supply of cus- Assembly, Switchyards and more. tomers can give any person willing to do the work the chance to run his or her own fulfillment center. With Main Street’s help, Bella had already been able to hire instructors to take over some of the sip and paint classes, a public relations specialist to promote her company’s story, and a business developer to create with ideas for a program. While he scrapped all the strategies and proposals for soliciting new work and original code, he transformed those initial concepts into partnerships. The business developer alone led to some the software that became the foundation for Airlift. high-profile commissions — and committee appoint- Using Khan’s proprietary technology, Airlift tracks ments — for the cities of College Park and South Fulton and updates a business’ inventory, pricing, orders, and the Aerotropolis development at Hapeville’s shut- fulfillments and more from every sales platform — such tered Ford factory. as Amazon, Shopify or Etsy — all in one place. To avoid For her Demo Day pitch, Bella introduced a new fleecing small companies with exorbitant monthly product called the BellaBox. A monthly subscription fees, Airlift makes most of its money on transactions, art-making kit, the BellaBox fuses Bella’s talent for art charging for each order it packs and ships, as well as instruction with her commitment to mental health. local pickups and storage in the company’s warehouse Each box will come with everything needed to create in Atlanta’s Boulevard Heights neighborhood. a particular project. Along with materials and instruc- “E-commerce is growing rapidly,” Khan says. “Right tions, she’ll include a guide that explains how the now, it’s a $10.3 trillion market worldwide, and com- process of making that piece of art addresses mental or panies are spending more than 10 percent of that on emotional well-being. To achieve rich, bright hues with shipping alone. We’re trying to take advantage of that watercolor, for example, the artist must show a lot of AND THE DEMO DAY WINNERS ARE market by building a completely modern system that patience, building layer upon layer of color atop a deli- Seeds Startups has the potential to change the fulfillment industry.” cate pencil outline. There’s no way to rush it, she says, 1st: Artehub 1st: ArtzyBella Last summer, when Khan pitched his company to and that methodical focus can release deeply buried London Balbosa (B.I.S. ’19), Rhythm Varshney (M.S. ’19) Ashley “Bella” Daramola (B.I.S. ’10, M.S. ’12) – art services, ENI’s panel for a shot at the Main Street Entrepreneurs memories or feelings. – art discovery platform for emerging artists classes and products emphasizing mental health Seed Fund, the response was enthusiastic. Her therapeutic guides will draw from scholarly “He has a great model and a great concept,” says research and clinical studies as well as the experience 2nd: Bukhari Tutoring & Health 2nd: Totem Agency Moton. “He’s a brilliant, brilliant entrepreneur who’s of six licensed therapists — all former colleagues — Usama Muta-Ali (A.S. ’15, B.I.S. ’21) – academic and Ashley Richardson (B.S. ’17), Katherine Shaub – converting that brilliance into a business.” who’ve agreed to provide their contact information in lifestyle services for STEM students and professionals automated system for managing visual branding Last year, though, some unexpected cash flow prob- each box. Bella will donate $1 from each box to Haven 3rd: EcoDrop Technologies 3rd: SweatPack lems forced Khan to consider dropping clients, shutting Atlanta, the Salvation Army’s anti-trafficking program in Nicole Toole (B.B.A. ’22), Ishir Vasavada (B.B.A. ’19) Umama Kibria (B.B.A. ’14) – collaborative accountability down temporarily or even starting over from scratch. the city’s Pittsburgh neighborhood. – solutions to promote and incentivize recycling platform for meeting personalized fitness goals

20 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 21 Myra Payne Elliott at her home. PHOTO BY MEG BUSCEMA

In 1956, three African American women — MYRA PAYNE ELLIOTT, BARBARA PACE HUNT and IRIS MAE WELCH — sued to desegregate Georgia State and won. Their victory set an important legal precedent that paved the way for the integration of universities in the South. Georgia State, now the nation’s leading nonprofit institution in conferring degrees to African American students, honors the struggle of these civil rights pioneers.

BY MAYA KROTH

22 Tuned into racial and economic injus- continuing education. There was just one tice from an early age, Elliott sensed titanic obstacle: In 1956, Georgia’s col- the importance of seeking an education. leges and universities remained deeply After graduating from a prestigious black and bitterly segregated. Presbyterian high school in Keysville, At the time, southern states were Ga., where she was valedictorian, she openly defying Brown v. Board of briefly attended Spelman College but Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme dropped out to raise children. Her par- Court decision that ruled segregated ents also couldn’t afford the tuition. She education unconstitutional. As “Ground worked as a maid, an elevator operator Crew” recounts, Georgia’s soon-to-be and in the Emory University lunchroom governor Marvin Griffin vowed to “main- yra Payne Elliott isn’t feeling well. Getting out of bed before getting a job at the Atlanta Life tain segregation in the schools ... come “I didn’t think about Insurance Company on Auburn Avenue, hell or high water” and later declared the it as being brave back takes more energy than she has most days, and the chronic obstructive pulmonary the most prominent black-owned busi- Supreme Court decision “null, void and ness in Atlanta. of no effect.” He even went so far as to then. I was scared Hunt was also working on Auburn try to prevent Georgia Tech from playing disease (COPD) makes it hard to breathe. You wouldn’t know it to look at her, though, Avenue as a secretary at the Pittsburgh in the Sugar Bowl because the opposing after I got involved Courier, a black-owned newspaper. Like team had one black player. immaculately dressed in a beaded silver gown and matching jacket, her white hair Elliott, she had been a bright student in The state put up tremendous obsta- because they started high school, going on to attend Clark cles to prevent would-be students like University for a year before putting her Elliott, Hunt and Welch from even hurting people.” carefully pulled into a bun and secured with a silver pin in the shape of a butterfly. studies on hold to start a family. She applying for admission. As Daniels aimed to become a journalist. Welch, a explains in his book, the school didn’t — Myra Payne Elliott There have been reporters and photographers at the door. Last week, it was a former schoolteacher, was working as a always give out the application form bookkeeper on Auburn as well. She had to black applicants, so maintenance taken college courses in Alabama but staff sometimes had to sneak them out documentary film crew. Now, she’s being honored with a special lecture at Georgia State. didn’t finish. under the cover of night. The Board of All three women aspired to earn Regents instituted a number of poli- Elliott isn’t comfortable with all helped bring down segregated education college degrees, and Georgia State cies to maintain segregation, including the attention. throughout the South. seemed a natural place to do it. It was giving scholarships to black students to From left: Barbara Pace Hunt, Myra Payne “I don’t like glory and fanfare,” she On a rainy February afternoon, Daniels downtown near where they worked, and study out of state if the program they Elliott and Iris Mae Welch after the Jan. 9, 1959, says between clicks of the camera told the story of these desegregation it was a commuter school with evening wanted wasn’t offered at Georgia’s black injunction that declared segregation unconstitu- shutter. Still, she fixed herself up today pioneers to a crowd of more than 850 classes — perfect for Atlanta businesses colleges. This was hardly a workable tional at all Georgia colleges and universities. because it’s important to her daughters attendees at Georgia State’s inaugural who wanted to send their employees for solution for Elliott and Hunt, who had that she finish what she started nearly Groundbreaker Lecture, with Elliott and “I should have been smiling, but I just didn’t feel 65 years ago. At age 87, she’s being the children of the late Hunt seated in like smiling,” says Elliott, “I just thought, ‘Why’d recognized for what she did to advance the front row. we have to go through all that?’” civil and human rights in Georgia and “This is a story of great historical throughout the South. It’s a story the significance because it’s a story of hope, world, and even her own children, didn’t encouragement and sacrifice,” says fully appreciate until now. Daniels. “It’s also a story of pain: the pain In 1956, Elliott, Barbara Pace Hunt and of these hidden figures, who are a great Iris Mae Welch sued in federal court to source of inspiration.” desegregate Georgia State University “We now graduate more African (then called Georgia State College of Americans than any school in the coun- Business Administration) and won. try, and it’s awfully relevant to us how Though their names are not well that all came about,” says Wendy Hensel, known in the civil rights pantheon, provost and senior vice president for their victory became the first federal academic affairs, who hosted the event. court action against segregated educa- “We need to understand the history that tion in Georgia, setting an important brought us here and respect the people legal precedent that paved the way for who brought us here.” James Meredith, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to integrate universi- Confronting ties in Mississippi and Georgia. Resistance In their mid-20s at the time of the suit, Elliott and Hunt did all this while work- Elliott still remembers the hamburgers ing and raising families, going up against at H. L. Green. They cost a nickel apiece, authorities who went to jaw-dropping and they are, to this day, the best she’s lengths to keep them from seeking an ever tasted. education. “Ground Crew,” a new book “But we had to go in through the back by Maurice C. Daniels, dean emeritus door to get one,” she remembers. “By the at the University of Georgia School of time I got to be about 12 years old, I knew Social Work, chronicles how the case there was something wrong with that.” 24 In this photo circa 1952, Barbara Hunt (right) meets with university administrators and students during an initial attempt to attend Georgia State. On that date, the judge in the case, made that could have cost them their PHOTO COURTESY OF CRYSTAL FREEMAN Boyd Sloane, issued an injunction lives and their children’s lives,” Freeman declaring segregation unconstitutional says. “Georgia State is where it is today at all Georgia colleges and universities. because there were people who simply He agreed that the alumni certification wanted an education.” requirement functionally barred black “We owe these women a debt of grat- students from enrolling. The news made itude for their courage in forcing change the front page of The New York Times. on an unwilling university,” agrees Looking at a photograph taken after Hensel. “We have to own that history and the ruling, Elliott notices the subdued respect it and also celebrate the progress expression on her face. and achievement we’ve had since then.” “I should have been smiling, but I just After the trial, Hunt moved to Texas, didn’t feel like smiling,” she says. “I didn’t where she earned a bachelor’s degree feel like jumping up and down and saying, at the University of Texas at Arlington jobs and families that couldn’t just be She struggled to balance the law- ‘Hallelujah!’ I just thought, ‘Why’d we and two master’s degrees. She worked uprooted and moved. suit with her responsibilities to work, have to go through all that?’” civic-minded jobs for the United Another policy required applicants to marriage and four small children while The ruling was bittersweet because the Way, Southern Christian Leadership secure “character certifications” from the case — and her private life — was judge stopped short of ordering Georgia Conference and city governments before three alumni. Given that 100 percent splashed across the pages of newspapers. State to admit the three women, leaving she passed in 2005. of University System of Georgia gradu- Georgia State’s own student paper, The the door open for the university to Elliott never did complete a four-year ates were white, this was an impossible Signal, denounced the NAACP as a com- continue denying admission to black stu- degree, though she went on to attend hurdle to clear at a time when social life munist organization and vociferously dents on the basis of “moral character.” two junior colleges later in life. She’s “I want her story remained deeply segregated. Policies like opposed the students’ attempts to enroll. Elliott and Hunt, for having the audacity lived to see her niece graduate from these were typical of other white colleges “We see no place for you at Georgia to seek an education while raising chil- Georgia State with a degree in business known and for them of the time, Daniels notes. State,” threatened an open letter. dren, were thus denied. administration, the very subject she “Most of the policies of Georgia State At trial, the defense assailed the In fact, segregation in Georgia did not hoped to study a half-century prior. to be acknowledged that were designed to block the admis- women during cross-examination, go gently, as “Ground Crew” details. Both She lived to see her daughter earn an sion of black students were policies looking for any speck of disqualifying of the state’s senators condemned the MBA from Emory University, in whose for the sacrifices they that had been handed down from the information. They fixated on the fact that ruling, and new Gov. Ernest Vandiver lunchroom young Elliott once served Board of Regents,” he says. Any school Elliott and Hunt had become mothers threatened to shut down Georgia colleges spoonfuls of beans and sliced bread to made that could have in the system that dared to admit a before getting married. entirely if federal courts forced them to white students getting the education she black student risked losing its state “They never mentioned that I was integrate. Legislators passed a host of so badly wanted for herself. cost them their lives funding and being essentially shut married,” Elliott remembers, her voice new laws aimed at preventing integration, And now she’s lived to see the down. “They were very similar to rising. “It made me feel like I had done and the Board of Regents instituted an Georgia State Senate and House of and their children’s policies that other institutions in the something wrong because I was trying to age-limit rule that would automatically Representatives issue official procla- Deep South also practiced.” live a normal life.” deny undergraduate admission to any mations acknowledging her and her lives. Georgia State When their applications were rejected, Enduring all of this at the tender age of applicant over the age of 21. This was the co-plaintiffs, which were unveiled at the Maya Kroth is a freelance writer based in Hunt, Elliott and Welch sued, aided by 26 required an uncommon fortitude, but excuse used to deny admission to Iris Feb. 20 lecture event. The crowd, includ- Atlanta. Her work has appeared in The is where it is today lawyers from the NAACP, which had Elliott shies away from such labels. Mae Welch, who was in her 40s at the ing hundreds of students of color whose Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, also supported Horace T. Ward when “I didn’t think about it as being brave time of the suit. Welch died in 1962, three right to an education these three women Foreign Policy, New York, Southern Living, because there were he tried to enroll at the University of back then,” she recalls. “I was scared years after the ruling. None of the three fought for, broke into applause as Elliott Sunset and The Washington Post. Georgia Law School six years earlier. after I got involved because they started women ever enrolled at Georgia State. made her way up to the dais to speak, That case was dismissed on a techni- hurting people.” flanked by her two daughters. people who simply Myra Payne Elliott (second from right) and her cality. NAACP lawyers strategized that Hunt, the lead plaintiff in the case, Pivotal “The day you said I couldn’t come, it hurt my feelings,” she said with character- daughters (from left) Melissa Harland Hills, Hunt, Elliott and Welch might meet less experienced an onslaught of threats as Role Jocelyn Gleaton and June Harland at Georgia wanted an education.” istic understatement to the packed audi- resistance at Georgia State because it her daughter Alyce Pruitt recalls. There State’s Groundbreaker Lecture honoring Elliott — Crystal Freeman wasn’t the system’s flagship institution. were harassing phone calls and death “The elders always say, ‘Let old dogs lie, torium. “But you’ve come a long way.” for her work to desegregate the university. It also seemed a safer option because threats from the Ku Klux Klan. The final be them good doggies or bad doggies, let PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON they wouldn’t have to live on campus. straw came when a group of people them lie,’” says Crystal Freeman, Barbara (As Daniels points out, when Holmes and showed up on their front lawn. Hunt’s youngest daughter. “That’s not Hunter moved into the UGA dorms in “My mom came in my room and said, my attitude.” 1961, rioters set fires outside and threw ‘Don’t you answer that door.’ We just Freeman says Hunt didn’t like to talk bricks at their windows.) stood there and didn’t answer and were about that chapter of her life, and she But the obstacles Elliott faced in the very quiet,” Pruitt says. “She put her life only learned the full extent of what her simple act of applying to school made her on the line, and her kids’ lives, but when mother went through after her death in feel “unwanted.” those people came to our apartment, that 2005. Since then, she’s been pushing for “My grandfather, my great-grandfather, was it for her.” more recognition for what her mother and my dad and my mom, they’d been paying Hunt packed up her daughters and left her co-plaintiffs accomplished, and the taxes all these years,” she says. “If school Atlanta before the lawsuit was finished. university’s new Groundbreaker Lecture was supported by Georgia taxes, and if She even changed her name. When the series was inspired in part by those efforts. we paid our share of Georgia taxes, why ruling came down on Jan. 9, 1959, she “I want her story known and for them shouldn’t we be able to go?” learned about it in a letter. to be acknowledged for the sacrifices they

26 WIL S WAY

How a walk-on at Georgia State and an undrafted free agent went on to become one of the National Football League’s best kickers.

BY WILLIAM INMAN (M.H.P. ’16) | PHOTOS BY STEVEN THACKSTON THE STORY OF WIL LUTZ (B.S. ’17)

28 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 29 The Saints mob TWO Wil Lutz after his game-winning 58-yard field goal, the longest of his career, beat the Texans 30-28.

PHOTO BY BUTCH DILL / SECONDS. ASSOCIATED PRESS FIFTY-EIGHT kicked the ball. It wasn’t hard to see that There was no slacking in the Lutz house- goal — a school-record 53-yarder against No. 1 Alabama (the only he had the raw ingredients to be great, but hold when it came to the boys’ schoolwork. points the Panthers scored that day). Halfway through his junior what we didn’t know then was how hard “Looking back, I really appreciate it,” year, just like in high school, he took over as the team’s punter. he works.” Wil says, “but if you asked me when I was “That actually turned out to be one of the best things that Wil grew up playing soccer and didn’t in middle or high school, I would’ve said ever happened to me because it showed [NFL] teams that I could YARDS. start playing football until his junior year at something totally different.” handle all three kicking duties,” Lutz says. Northgate High School in Newnan, Ga. His At Georgia State, Wil was on the Going into his senior season, it was Wil Lutz the punter who It was the New Orleans Saints’ first game of the 2019 season older brother, Wesley (B.A. ’14), also a soc- Athletic Director’s Honor Roll as a criminal was an all-conference selection and a preseason nominee for the against the Houston Texans on “Monday Night Football,” and cer player, was approached by the school’s justice major and, if football didn’t pan Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s best at the position. with two ticks left on the clock, Wil Lutz had to make the longest football coach, Tommy Walburn, to kick out, he planned to go to law school. Julie He finished his college career as Georgia State’s leader in field goal of his career to win the game. for the football team. says that, though he usually came home games played, field goals and extra points made, and overall points By every metric, Lutz is one of the best kickers in the NFL. “Being the little brother, I always with good grades, juggling academics and scored. That kick in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against the Crimson Tide He makes nearly 90 percent of his field goal attempts and owns wanted to be better,” Wil says. “So, when athletics was tough. still stands as the longest in program history. the Saints’ franchise record for kicking 26 in a row. Not only is they asked him to kick, I wanted to do it, “We were pretty hard on him, but he’s “When he made that kick, a guy we know turned to us and said, he accurate, he’s got range — Lutz has missed only three kicks of too. That’s how it all started.” a hard worker and always has been,” she ‘That’s what he’ll be known for,’” Julie remembers. “I saw that guy more than 50 yards in the past two seasons. Wesley, academy director of the says. “If he didn’t do well on a test or on the not too long ago, and said, ‘Well, he’s known for a lot more than But one of those was at the end of the first half of that Monday Southern Soccer Academy in Atlanta and a field, he would take it as a challenge. He was that one kick now, isn’t he?” Night game when his 56-yard try sailed wide to the left. former coach with the women’s and men’s the kind of kid — and now, he’s the kind of “We talked at halftime, and I told him, ‘You’ll get another soccer teams at Georgia State, is two years man — who says, ‘OK, I’ll show you.’” shot,’” says Thomas Morstead, the Saints punter and the holder older than Wil. Based on his stats, Wil wasn’t a great WIL WASN’T SELECTED IN THE 2016 NFL DRAFT. for Lutz’s field goal and extra point attempts. “He wanted [to be the kicker], you kicker in high school (“I was a strong- “He really didn’t know if he’d make it to the NFL,” says Julie. Lutz did, and there was no doubt from the moment his right could tell,” Wesley says. “He won the job legged soccer player learning how to kick “He even got a dog.” (Cooper, a Catahoula, currently lives with foot walloped the ball that his kick was good. Even before it cruised as a junior and was also the team’s punter a football,” he says), but Curry’s coaching Julie and Bob and wears a Saints doggy jersey during Wil’s games.) through the uprights, Morstead spun around and rushed his kicker, his senior year.” staff was intrigued by his potential — just But his versatility — the ability to send a kickoff deep into teammate and friend. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome erupted as Wesley and Wil are the sons of educa- not enough to give him a full ride. Wil the end zone, kick field goals as well as punt — interested NFL the Saints poured onto the field and swarmed him. tors. Their father, Bob, is a middle-school was offered scholarships from a handful general managers, and he received a handful of training “We knew going onto the field that he was going to make that science teacher and taught both of his sons of smaller schools, but he chose to walk camp invitations. kick,” Morstead says. “We just knew.” when they were eighth-graders. on at Georgia State to prove he could play “I had what they call a ‘camp leg,’” Wil says. “I was basically That was how Wil Lutz, a former walk-on player at Georgia State “Dad gave Wesley his first B,” Wil Division I football. the guy NFL teams want to bring in during training camp so their who went undrafted in the NFL, began his first Pro-Bowl season. remembers. “That was a weird report He started his freshman season as starters can rest.” card day.” the team’s kickoff specialist, a position That spring, Wil made an extraordinary decision. He signed Their mother, Julie, was Wil’s elemen- tailor-made for a guy who can boot the with the Baltimore Ravens, a team with one of the league’s best IN SPRING 2012, a skinny kid with braces on his teeth walked tary school principal. She’s now dean and ball a mile. Four games in, he took over all field goal kickers, Justin Tucker, entrenched as the starter. Wil into the Georgia State football team’s locker room. Bill Curry, associate professor of education at Truett placekicking duties. He was perfect on all knew his odds of making an NFL roster were slim, so he picked then the team’s coach and himself an NFL Pro-Bowler, eyeballed McConnell University in Cleveland, Ga. his extra point attempts and only missed Baltimore, an organization known for prioritizing its special teams the kid and asked, “And who are you?” “Wil was a mess of a kid,” Julie says. two field goals, both from long range at 48 and developing special teams’ players. “I’m your kicker, coach,” Wil responded, smiling. “He sees something he wants to do, and he and 54 yards. “Why not go to a place where I can learn from the best?” he says. “He looked like he was about 13 years old,” Curry remembers. jumps in both feet- and head-first. That’s He earned his scholarship as a sopho- Wil processed everything during training camp and soaked “But then we saw him kick. There was a different sound when he how he’s been his whole life.” more and kicked his first 50-plus yard field up the experience like a sponge. He played so well during the

30 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 31 Wil holds the NFL record for “We didn’t get to see much of him because he was so busy,” “You’d never know from talking to consecutive field Julie says, “but to see all of these NFL stars and people wanting his him that he has one of the hardest jobs in goals made on autograph … I was one proud mama.” sports,” Wesley says. “The life of an NFL the road. He’s His head coach back at Georgia State is proud, too. Curry says player is so difficult. As a kicker, he’s out pretty good at he and his wife, Carolyn (M.A. ’79, Ph.D. ’87), watch as many of his there playing for his livelihood every game. home, too. Last games as they can and keep a running count of his field goals. He doesn’t take anything for granted. season, he made “He’s a great kicker and a great young man,” Curry says. “You He knows where he comes from, and he 20 field goals in don’t get great because of natural ability. You get great because knows anything can change.” the Mercedes- you’re willing to spend more hours working on your skill than Says Wil, the walk-on, the undrafted Benz Superdome. other people. player cut in the preseason and, now, a “And that son of a gun kicks ’em right down the middle.” Pro Bowler and one of the best kickers in the business: “I never sit here and say, ‘Wow, I made WIL HAS PUT ROOTS DOWN IN THE BIG EASY. He just it.’ It’s more like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe bought a house on a leafy, live oak–lined street in New Orleans’ I’m here.’” historic Garden District, and he’s getting married in April. He met his fiancée, Megan Fox, a Florida native, in New Orleans three years ago. Last summer, he flew her parents and a handful of her friends to town before he dropped to a knee and proposed to her atop the Ponchartrain Hotel. “We love the good food, the parades, and we’ve really gotten preseason that Ravens coach John Harbaugh hoped another team into the culture here,” he says. would try to trade for him. Last Mardi Gras, he rode on a leopard-spotted chariot in the FLOWN “It was like, I knew I didn’t belong, but while I’m here, I’m “Krewe of Bacchus” parade, and he and Megan are a regular sight going to take advantage of every opportunity,” Wil says. at the city’s restaurants, events and festivals. THE COOP Then the Ravens cut him after the third preseason game. The couple are active in the community and volunteer with two “He called, said he was coming home and moved in with me the of his teammates’ charitable foundations: Morstead’s “What You WIL LUTZ IS AN ATLANTA FALCONS next day,” Wesley remembers. “He thought that might be it, so he Give Will Grow,” which helps children battling cancer, and the FAN NO MORE started working with the equipment staff at Georgia State.” “Brees Dream Foundation,” future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew His campus job lasted a week. Wil was invited to work out for Brees’ charity that helps improve the quality of life for cancer patients and provides assistance for the needy. “My buddies give me a hard time, but I’ve the New Orleans Saints — a team with an unsettled kicking situ- ation. It was his performance in Baltimore that led to the oppor- “The first time I met Drew, I called him ‘sir,’” Wil says, laugh- truly embraced the New Orleans legacy of tunity. Harbaugh, the Ravens coach, was so impressed with the ing. “He’s one of those guys who I get to share the locker room hating the Falcons,” says Lutz, who grew up rookie that he urged his friend, Saints coach Sean Payton, to give with who I grew up idolizing.” a Falcons fans and played all his collegiate him a look. Lutz and Morstead, also a fellow college walk-on, have forged home games in the Georgia Dome, the After his audition with the Saints, Payton told the media that a particularly close friendship. The two, along with snapper Zach Wil had “probably the best kicking workout I’ve ever seen.” Wood, work closely together as a symbiotic operation — snap- Falcons’ home until 2017. “When Wil called me that time around, he said he wasn’t com- hold-kick, snap-hold-kick — on thousands of repetitions in order Going into this season, his career-long ing home,” Wesley says. to make those 58-yarders when a game is on the line. field goal was a 57-yarder against the The Saints cut two veteran kickers on their roster before the “I consider Wil a close friend, and I’m excited for his future on Falcons in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. regular season started, clearing the way for him. and off the field,” Morstead says. Wil is also one of the Georgia State Alumni Association’s 40 “All of my family and friends were there,” Charlie Cobb, Georgia State’s athletics director, who remains close with Wil, says his decision to hone his craft during that train- Under 40 for 2020, a list of the most influential and innovative Lutz says of the kick during his rookie ing camp in Baltimore was a masterstroke. graduates under the age of 40. It’s an honor he holds high. Wil year. “That was a big moment for me. I “I mean, what hopeful NFL player thinks to do something was a few credits short of graduation when the NFL called, but always have a lot of motivation in those like that? He knew he wasn’t going to walk in and beat out Justin came home to finish during the offseason after his rookie year. games. Knock on wood, I’m 22 for 22 Tucker. But guess what? He learned, he got better and he blew them That summer, the criminal justice major and professional football away,” Cobb says. “And that led to his opportunity with the Saints.” player completed his coursework by interning with the Atlanta against Atlanta.” Since signing with the Saints, Wil has become one of the Police Department. most reliable kickers in one of the most high-pressure jobs in “He knew that it was very important to us that he finished his professional sports. studies,” says Julie, who holds four degrees, “but it was also very In 2018, he made 28 of his 30 field goal attempts and 52 out of important to him. It was a goal.” 53 extra points. This past March, the Saints rewarded him with a For Wil’s friends and family back home, it’s still surreal to see five-year contract extension that made him the league’s highest- him on Sundays hold a finger in the air during a kickoff or line up paid kicker at the time. to kick a crucial field goal (“I hold my breath every time!” Julie This past season, Wil was second in the league in points scored, says). But if you ask any of them, Wil is still the quietly confident third in field goals made and he set an NFL record by making 35 kid with a laid-back personality — he’s just in way better shape straight kicks on the road. He was named to his first Pro Bowl and than the skinny guy who walked onto the Panthers football team took his family to the game in Orlando, Fla. eight years ago.

MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU 33 FROM THE CRUCIVERBALIST

THE ROAD TO NOWHERE Georgia State Day by Samuel Donaldson A GIVING DAY TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED ACROSS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1 Kibitzed at a klatsch 6 New Mexico art town 10 Get to 14 15 16 14 Bridge bid signaling a balanced hand 17 18 19 15 Cell in a fertility clinic 16 Bakery employee 20 21 22 17 Thoroughfare of Buddhism 19 Nevada city on I-80 23 24 25 26 27 20 NBC staple 21 Recess at church 28 29 30 31 32 33 22 Brings an action 23 Thoroughfare of financial security 34 35 36 37 38 28 Viagra alternative 30 Ultra-blue? 39 40 41 34 “Sk8er Boi” singer Lavigne 35 Longstocking of literature 42 43 44 38 Card game that seemingly lasts for 100 years, aptly 45 46 47 39 Trigger warning (or an alter- nate title for this puzzle?) 48 49 50 51 42 It makes blood boil 43 Genoa grandma 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 44 Royce’s partner 45 Louisiana music genre 47 Starts a table tennis match 59 60 61 62 48 Thoroughfare of nostalgia 52 Attempt 63 64 65 55 Chile’s neighbor 56 Vietnamese noodle soup 66 67 68 59 Aquatic apex predator

60 Thoroughfare of money laundering 63 Rude look 64 “Black Panther” villain 5 Animal that sounds like a 25 Dead air 46 Set out Killmonger buck? 26 Trade fair 47 Ethnic insult 65 “Wag the Dog” actress Anne 6 Fleer rival 27 Asmara’s home 49 Eye-boggling display 66 Anchor site 7 Sailor’s “Stop!” 28 Southern Spanish province 50 Attach anew 67 Mountain atop Hephaestus’s 8 ___ limits 29 Word with Coast or tower 51 California city on I-5 forges 9 “I don’t believe it,” in texts 31 Beer buy 52 “I’ll take it!” 68 Greek yogurt brand 10 Ford supermini 32 Actor Jackie ___ Haley 53 Yuletide decoration 11 1st Amendment org. 33 Prom purchase 54 Big pair in poker DOWN 12 Cowardly Lion’s alter ego 35 Author 57 Kermit’s greeting 1 Refreshes, as memory 13 Quiver-ing god? 36 Sojourner spot 58 Post-goal cheers 2 Soon 18 Votes from opponents 37 Org. for club owners 60 Rho look-alike 3 Richly deserved 24 Came to rest (anagram of 40 Va-Va-___ 61 However, shortly 4 Objective TAIL) 41 Angry driver’s noisemaker 62 Outdoor gear retailer

A professor at the College of Law who creates crosswords on the side, Samuel Donaldson has published more than 120 puzzles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and more. Donaldson is now regularly contributing a crossword to each issue of Georgia State University Magazine. Check your answers at magazine.gsu.edu. VISIT THESTATEDAY.GSU.EDU TO SIGN UP, GIVE BACK AND SPREAD THE WORD

34 GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Q1.’20 or look for the enclosed Georgia State Day envelope to send your gift now. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID LIBERTY MO Georgia State University Magazine PERMIT NO. 219 Division of Public Relations and Marketing Communications P.O. Box 3999, Atlanta, GA 30302-3999

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