Tag: GT Events

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

View some of our resources here than can help:

Mental Health Resources

While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. Our society focuses much more on physical health than mental health, but both are equally important. If you are concerned about your mental health, there are several options available. You are not alone – help is out there, and recovery is possible.

It may be hard to talk about your concerns, but simply acknowledging to yourself that you’re struggling is a really big step. Mental Health America mhanational.org Georgia Tech and the USG offer resources to assist you at any stage in your mental health journey. You can also call 988 for matters of mental health crisis. Calling 988 will connect you directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is staffed by trained crisis counselors 24/7, 365 days a year.

2022 Lavender Celebration Honors Graduates and Champions

Lavender Celebration

This year marks the tenth annual Lavender Graduation and eighth annual Lavender Awards.

Apr 21, 2022 | Atlanta, GA

On the evening of April 14, the Georgia Tech community celebrated its tenth annual Lavender Graduation and eighth annual Lavender Awards at the annual celebration, held this year at the Historic Academy of Medicine. Lavender Celebration, with a focus on LGBTQIA students, joins other end-of-the-year Georgia Tech celebrations like Up With the White and Gold in recognizing students who are finishing their degree programs and have accomplished great feats on campus and beyond.

With the support of gathered members from across the Georgia Tech community, 25 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and/or aromantic students were recognized and celebrated for their academic and professional accomplishments. One graduate, Miranda Munoz (she), who worked in the LGBTQIA Resource Center finds that Lavender Celebration “”.

Dean John Stein (he), Associate Vice President for Student Engagement & Well-Being and Brandt-Fritz Dean of Students Chair, provided the evening’s keynote Lavender Address. He reflected on how the graduates have “been courageous, brave, strong, resilient, and even thick-skinned at times here at Tech” and encouraged them to use those lessons in their professional careers or lives after college. Following the Dean’s remarks, LGBTQIA Resource Center Director Tegra Myanna (they) read aloud the names and accomplishments of each graduate – illustrating the graduates’ many successes, both on and off campus.

The Lavender Celebration also notably recognizes members of the Georgia Tech community who work towards making the campus community a more inclusive space for its LGBTQIA members. In addition to highlighting faculty and staff participants of the Resource Center’s Level Up: An Advanced LGBTQIA Allyship program, the center’s annual awards recipients were recognized for their contributions:

  • Friend of the Center Award: Alex Ortiz
  • Billiee Pendleton-Parker Award for Outstanding Allyship: Dr. Ida Yoshinaga
  • LGBTQIA Faculty/Staff Leadership Award: Kantwon Rogers
  • LGBTQIA Student Leadership Award: Ryan Kann
  • Dr. Aby L. Parson’s Advocacy in Action Award: Grace House
  • LGBTQIA Alum of the Year Award: Genny Kennedy

This year’s event was made possible through the support of Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Division of Student Engagement and Well-Being, and the Parent’s Fund for Student Engagement and Well-Being Leadership. Noting the importance of gathering to celebrate, center director Myanna says, “we want to thank our graduates, awardees and attendees for contributing to the celebration of LGBTQIA community at Tech and helping us to continue this integral campus tradition which shines a light on LGBTQIA inclusion and excellence.”