{"104681":{"#nid":"104681","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Journey as a Tech Parent","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECarmel and Dave Vaden\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nParents of Sarah Vaden, second-year aerospace engineering major\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs our 9th grade daughter was contemplating higher education options, we knew she was destined to be an engineer. At the dinner table, we would have lively discussions regarding several institutions of higher learning, Georgia Tech being one of them. Living in a very rural area of Virginia, naturally her response was: \u00e2\u0080\u009cAtlanta is a big city\u00e2\u0080\u00a6\u00e2\u0080\u009d\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd so began the merry-go-round tour of campuses during our daughter\u00e2\u0080\u0099s sophomore year, setting foot on many campuses with no \u00e2\u0080\u009cah-ha!\u00e2\u0080\u009d moments in sight. It was frustrating for everyone.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the end of her junior year, she expressed an interest in visiting Georgia Tech. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe arrived in Atlanta and went on the customary Georgia Tech campus tour. We were delightfully surprised that the city did not feel overwhelming; in fact, on the second day, we decided to venture out on our own. Our daughter had heard about a combustion lab that she had hoped to visit. We walked and wandered, until an undergraduate guided us to the lab. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe remember the \u00e2\u0080\u009cah-ha!\u00e2\u0080\u009d moment vividly as we watched our daughter confidently converse with students and teachers in the lab. Therein began our journey as a Georgia Tech parent.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe knew in our hearts that she was already making the transition from rural Virginia to Atlanta after our first visit. We began in earnest to study materials offered through the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.studentaffairs.gatech.edu\/parents\/\u0022\u003EParents Program\u003C\/a\u003E and any additional information we could wrap our arms around. Throughout the transition period and our daughter\u00e2\u0080\u0099s freshman year, our questions were answered in a timely manner and our anxiety lessened. We cannot begin to say enough about the Georgia Tech staff, faculty, and administrative personnel. They have been awesome from day one. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring our journey, we have met wonderful friends, parents of other students, and Georgia Tech personnel with big smiles and big hearts. The support system here is second to none. Of all the campuses we visited, first with our son and then with our daughter, Georgia Tech stands shoulders above the rest. The Parents Program and the Institute have been very forthcoming in sharing information that is crucial to the success of our college bound daughter and have made us feel a vital part of the Georgia Tech community. We would highly encourage new prospective parents and students to seek networking opportunities with those who are attending or have attended Georgia Tech, making contact with them at the earliest opportunity.\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"As our 9th grade daughter was contemplating higher education options, we knew she was destined to be an engineer. At the dinner table, we would have lively discussions regarding several institutions of higher learning, Georgia Tech being one of them. Living in a very rural area of Virginia, naturally her response was: \u00e2\u0080\u009cAtlanta is a big city\u00e2\u0080\u00a6\u00e2\u0080\u009d","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Family finds the right fit at Georgia Tech."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2009-11-02 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:11:29","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2009-11-02T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2009-11-02T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1298","name":"Parent and Family Programs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"926","name":"College of Architecture"},{"id":"22351","name":"Office of Undergraduate Programs"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERachael Pocklington\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EParents Program\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=rpocklington3\u0022\u003EContact Rachael Pocklington\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-385-3920\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rachael.pocklington@vpss.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}