Shumate
The Gwinnett Chamber will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary with the 75th annual dinner at the Gas South District on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. This event, presented by Northside Hospital, focuses on local and regional business growth while honoring the exceptional public servants, corporate citizens, and compassionate organizations who lead it.
Meanwhile, the Chamber has announced winners of its major awards, to be presented at the Chamber dinner.
Tammy Shumate is the recipient of this year’s Citizen of the Year Award, which honors individuals whose services have had the greatest impact on the overall quality of life for Gwinnett County in recent years. She is director of Corporate Development at Capital City Home Loans, LLC,
Public Service Awards are being given to individuals who have gone above and beyond in their service to the community and its residents. This year’s honorees include Dr. D. Glen Cannon, president, Gwinnett Technical College; Jason Chandler, president, Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation; Jennifer Hibbard, CEO, View Point Health; Tim Le, broker/owner, NDI MAXIM Real Estate LLC; Chief J.D. McClure, Gwinnett County Police Department; and Emory Morsberger, executive director, Gateway85 Community Improvement District (CID) and the Tucker CID.
The United Way of Greater Atlanta in Gwinnett County will receive the Humanitarian Award given in honor of Scott Hudgens, a respected developer, and philanthropist who unselfishly gave of his time and talents to ensure that many others, especially those with limited means, would benefit from his treasure.
The James J. Maran International Award recognizes a global company that has chosen to locate in Gwinnett, take advantage of Gwinnett’s pro-business mindset, and become an active member of the Chamber and the local community. This award will be given to Siemens Electrical Products.
- To purchase tickets for this annual event, visit GwinnettAnnualDinner.com.
City of Norcross relaunches tool for employers, job seekers
The newly relaunched NorcrossWorks is open and ready to be a resource tool for local employers, jobseekers and educational institutions!
NorcrossWorks is a user-friendly website, whereby employers can post and advertise openings at no cost. Such information will be reviewed and posted by the Economic Development Department of the city. Job seekers may access job postings and apply for them through the site.
This platform aims to address the city’s labor, income and educational gaps, which have all been exacerbated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapidly changing nature of the global economy. The goal is to serve both businesses (employers) and individuals in the labor market (job seekers) by connecting both parties together. Check it out now, by visiting norcrossworks.com.
Jamaican immigrant finds her confidence at GGC
GGC student Angus
Geana Angus, 25, of Lawrenceville says she was introverted and shy growing up in Jamaica, so her journey to becoming the senior class speaker at her graduation from Georgia Gwinnett College this week might seem unlikely, but sometimes people can surprise themselves.
She says: “If you told 15-year-old Geana Joie that she would be standing in front of a committee to have the opportunity to speak in front of the graduating class, she would think you were lying. I looked up to people who could do things like that. I never thought I could do it. But here I am!”
Angus came to the United States with her mother and younger brother to visit relatives in 2017 when she was 20 years old. Until then, the tropical island life was all she knew: beautiful rivers and beaches, lush forests and sunny days year-round. So coming to Georgia with its cities and sometimes colder seasons gave her a bit of culture shock. Even still, when she landed a job as an assistant teacher at Legacy Academy in Snellville, she knew she had to stay.
“I was so excited to work with children,” she remembers. “I have an accent, and the children did not hesitate to ask me about where I’m from.”
Her brother needed to finish high school and her mother had to finalize some things back home in Jamaica, so that meant Angus had to stay behind and take the next steps alone. She reached into herself and found confidence there she never knew she had.
Angus worked at Legacy Academy for a year, living with a friend of her grandmother’s. When she learned about a local college that offered world-class degrees in business administration, she decided to apply to GGC and later move onto campus as a resident assistant, “I knew I needed smaller class sizes and an education that was not only good but cost-effective because I would be the one financing it,” she says. “GGC offered everything I needed.”
She adds: “For that first year before I started attending GGC, I was unsure about meeting new people,” said Angus. “But moving onto campus, meeting people from different cultures and learning about them straight from the source themselves and not from books or documentaries opened my eyes and put me at ease. Additionally, the resident assistants and directors made it their duty to ensure that every new student felt welcomed. Before long, I knew I belonged here.”
“I have learned that sometimes the only thing in life that you have is your support system,” she says. “If I did not have my family supporting me from across the ocean or my best friend on Facetime in Canada while I stayed up cramming for tests, I don’t know how I would have kept going. There are people who want you to succeed here, and who want you to enjoy life as well as be successful.”
Angus is happy things are getting back to normal, but she said the challenges of the pandemic might have drawn her even closer to her new GGC family.
Angus received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in international business. After graduation, she plans to take a long-overdue trip home to Jamaica before pursuing a career in student affairs as a resident director.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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