‘Black Belt’ in Service – Erin Henderson
When Erin Henderson, of Snellville, Georgia, was just a year old, her parents discovered she suffered from an ophthalmological condition known as “lazy eye.” Technically amblyopia involves the brain’s switching off input from the optic nerve in one eye, which can cause blurred or reduced vision and, when untreated, possible long-term damage. Henderson has no lasting problems or emotional scars from […]
Ill Wind Blows Good – Joycelynn Joshua
When Joycelynn Joshua first went to school as a kid in New Orleans, what she encountered was not exactly leading-edge stuff. “You know how you joke about technology in school during your parents’ time? That’s what we had in school [in New Orleans],” she said. “Technology was blackboards. I didn’t get my first computer until I came to Georgia.” Hurricane Katrina […]
Butterfly Effect – Amanda Smith
Amanda Smith’s epiphany occurred while she was pursuing a leadership award for her Cumming, Georgia, Girl Scout troop, helping younger children build a butterfly garden at their school. “I saw how much work goes into planning and making activities for young students,” she said, “and that’s when I knew what I wanted to do.” As a top student, […]
Straight Shooter – Danielle Walls
Danielle Walls’ cousin had a tennis ball-sized brain tumor extracted when he was 3 years old. She closely observed his slow and painful recovery process, particularly the work with occupational therapists and “what a big impact they had” on his full recovery. That is why she is at Brenau, and why she is preparing for […]
Lasting Art
Jean Westmacott spent 16 years helping catapult Brenau University into a North Georgia oasis for painting, sculpture and other works in a region that a satirist once referred to as ‘The Sahara of the Bozarts.’ Her work in bronze, marble and other media now helps tell the Brenau story in a way that is destined […]
Model Life
When Lara Magzan arrived at Brenau as a teenager with more world experience than most people have in a lifetime, she felt nothing like the Greek goddess of courage. As a college student, Lara Magzan, WC ’95, modeled for Brenau University faculty member Jean Westmacott as the sculptor prepared to create the Athena statue as […]
What does it mean to be engaged?
When you think of the word “engagement,” you might visualize a romantic proposal under the stars, a giddy “YES!,” and the resulting long-term commitment of devotion and love. While I don’t have the expectation that every alumnus regards Brenau as his or her soul mate (though I love that some of you do!), I do […]
2015 Alumni Award Winners
Each year, the Brenau University Alumni Association selects up to 15 extraordinary alumni to honor through both the Outstanding Alumnae Awards and the Alumni Hall of Fame. Alumni are nominated by classmates, professors and colleagues and are judged on a host of criteria such as successes in their personal lives, service in the community, and […]
In Memory: Summer 2015
Dr. Althea Lennox Tessier, WC ’38, of Rockville, Maryland, died February 23, 2014. Mildred Boone Brooker, WC ’39, of Atlanta, died April 21, 2014. Merryl McConnell McCalman, WC ’41, of Austell, Georgia, died June 12, 2014. Virginia Hook McCracken, WC ’41, of Hopkins, South Carolina, died May 22, 2014. Mary Pat Sessions West, WC ‘41, of […]
Heavy Hitter
When you read about 2014 Brenau Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Antonina Grib Lerch’s days as the top U.S. collegiate singles tennis player, her competitors share one common denominator. Whether they played on NAIA or NCAA Division II or III players, she generally beat them all. Since then the tennis champ has continuously moved up […]
