CofC Faces to Know: Georgianna May

Name: Georgianna May

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana

Education/Background: Psychology B.S. from University of Georgia; MBA concentrations in marketing and hotel, restaurant tourism management from the University of New Orleans

Job title: Administrative and Communications Coordinator for the REACH Program

How long have you worked at the College? One year and five months (December 2022)

What are your job responsibilities? I am the first point of contact for prospective students and their families. I handle inquiries and organize REACH admissions before handing it over to the team. I plan and execute open house events and maintain the website, the Hub and Instagram to effectively communicate our brand to stakeholders. I develop promotional materials, help students and manage day-to-day operations for the program. Lastly, I collect and organize data to streamline processes and identify areas of improvement.

What do you like most about your job? Easy: our team. Amanda (Clinton), Arianne (Bauserman), Casey (Burdette), Kendra (Kimbro), Lisa (Christian) and Nora (Krasowski) make coming to work fun even in stressful times. Our collaboration and dedication to providing the best experience for prospective students and the best education for students in the program is a privilege to be a part of. I love how hard we work and how often we laugh. Employment jackpot.

What question do you get asked most in your job and what’s your typical answer? Question: “What is the REACH Program?” Answer: “REACH is a four-year fully inclusive certificate program for students with mild intellectual and/or developmental disabilities – students who would otherwise be unable to attend college with their peers.”

Yes, I have the website memorized.

What’s your favorite location on campus and why? Though not the most beautiful spot on campus, my office. I love the noise and energy of students going to and from class – keeps me young. I love listening in on classes, talking with professors and staff in other departments and helping students find RSS 207 – fulfills a lifelong dream of being a cruise director.

What are your hobbies? Reading is number one. I read 80 books last year; my goal for this year is 90 – wish me luck, y’all. I co-host a podcast called Decanterbury Tales where we intentionally pair books and wines and interview authors and winemakers. We just launched a rebrand of the podcast, now called ISBN Readin’, this week!

I also love a long walk, coloring in adult coloring books, traveling the world, perusing thrift/antique/discount stores, fantasy football and listening to and deeply considering the lyrics of Taylor Swift.

What personal and/or professional accomplishment are you most proud of? Graduating from an MBA program with a 4.0 GPA. Having an MBA is obviously advantageous professionally, and I am grateful. I finished in the summer of 2020, and personally, it was a tumultuous time; the pandemic was a fraction of the chaos. I am proud that I was able to not only maintain my commitment, but excel despite the tough stuff life threw my way.

Name a creative work (book, movie, performance, etc.) you enjoyed recently and why? Book? One? How dare you.

The Women by Kristin Hannah is my first 5-star read of the year. I generally love her historical fiction novels, but this one explored veterans’ transition back to civilian life and the experience of women in the 1950s–1970s. I could not put it down. Another recent 5-star read is The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa: a beautiful piece on the power of literature. Big fan of Claire Keegan (vignettes of life) and India Holton (whimsical, deliciously bonkers), as well.

Also, must shout out the cinematic masterpiece that is The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version). Best use of 3.5 hours of my life behind seeing the show live (Nashville, night two = wonderstruck).

What was your favorite TV show growing up? Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I woke up everyday for the 6 a.m. rerun on FX. Also, big fan of M*A*S*H* and Boy Meets World.

What’s next on your bucket list? I want to go to all seven continents, so probably Antarctica or Australia, as those are the two I have left. (Lisa, thank you in advance for approving my leave requests.)

What is something your campus colleagues would be surprised to know about you? I grew up chasing and continue to chase total solar eclipses. I saw the longest of the century in China (2009). They never stop being cool, and I love being reminded of how insignificant I am.

What was your first job? Banana Republic Factory Outlet in Foley, Alabama.

What’s your favorite Lowcountry restaurant? I was a concierge before coming to the College. For specifically Lowcountry cuisine, 82 Queen (crabcakes!). Other favorites (not Lowcountry cuisine): Mondo’s Italian Restaurant, Kwei Fei, Taco Kitchen (if you know, you know), Felix … the list goes on.

Describe your perfect day: It’s raining, and I have absolutely nothing to do. Day is spent in pajamas, in the bed with a multitude of books and my laptop. I alternate reading, watching true crime documentaries, being serenaded by Taylor and adding things to shopping carts with no intention of purchasing them. Cheese bread from Paisano’s is delivered. All is right with the world.

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