This month, five Park Scholars will earn undergraduate degrees. We caught up with the soon-to-be alumni to find out what experiences had the biggest impact during their time at NC State and where they are headed next.
Georgia Burgess ’21
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
College of Engineering: B.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering, Minor: Spanish
Georgia served as a committee member, sponsorship department head, and director of logistics and sponsorship for the Krispy Kreme Challenge. She was an ambassador for the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and she worked with the ISE department and NC State Student Health Services to establish and open the campus COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Outside school, she was a volunteer with the Ulman Foundation’s Cancer to 5K program, and she was a member of the Ulman Foundation’s 2018 4K for Cancer Team New York. She also served as a bilingual intern with Urban Ministries of Wake County’s access to care department.
What is your favorite part of the Park Scholarships program?
It’s the people and the community. The Park Scholarships program is full of some of the most interesting and accomplished people I have ever met. There is always something new to learn from each interaction. Additionally, the community is incredibly supportive. Everyone truly wants to see you succeed and is willing to help you every step of the way. That made all the difference for me in my undergraduate experience. I am not sure I would have had the confidence to alter my career path if it had not been for the resources and support of this program.
What was the most defining experience or aspect of your time as an undergraduate?
I can’t decide whether my work with the Ulman Foundation or the Krispy Kreme Challenge was the most defining experience for me in my undergraduate career. Ultimately, in either case, I think that the defining aspect is how these experiences challenged me to consider what I think I am capable of and what I value most. In both my time as a member of Team New York and my time as a race director, I learned that the most important part of anything is the people we are surrounded by. If you have a cause or a team you are willing to put in the work for, it is truly astounding what you can accomplish.
What is your advice for current underclassmen?
Take your time. I think there is often this really frenzied feeling coming into college where it seems like you have to make every important decision all at once. However, I can assure you that you have the time to step back, evaluate your options, and then make your decisions. There is always more time for big life decisions than it seems.
What advice would you offer high school students considering NC State and/or the Park Scholarships program?
My advice is to apply. Even if you are just thinking about it and are not really sure, I would suggest you apply. NC State truly is everything you could ask for in a university. It feels like a small, tight-knit community, but it provides the opportunity of a large institution. Whatever your interests are, there is a place for you at NC State and people who are invested in you expanding upon those interests.
Also, for the Park Scholarships program, my advice is to not write yourself off before you try. If you are interested in being part of a community that is going to invest in you and push you to become the best version of yourself, then apply. When I submitted my application back in 2016, I never thought I would be where I am today. However, I never would have gotten here if I had not submitted my application in the first place.
What’s next for you?
I will be staying in Raleigh working as a medical assistant at Crescent Family Practice in Cary while I study for the MCAT and apply to medical school.
Find out about all five Park Scholar fall 2021graduates