Dayleigh Mims – first-year civil engineering major from Barnesville, Georgia
Despite her love of engineering, Dayleigh Mims did not originally see Georgia Tech as an option for her college career. Believing it to be too competitive, she wasn’t sure if she would get accepted. Not only did she get accepted, but she received multiple scholarship offers – one being the Georgia Tech Val-Sal Scholarship – which made her dream of Tech all the more accessible.
“I didn’t initially have my sights set on it,” she said. “But I spoke to a friend, and he told me not to limit myself and go for it. Obviously, I’m glad that I listened.”
Mims has always loved math. After moving to Lamar County High School from Stockbridge, Georgia, she found herself outpacing the math courses available. This ultimately led to her involvement in her high school’s gifted internship pathway, where she worked for the math department and then the school counselor.
The counselor assigned her career readiness work, where Mims found engineering as a suitable outlet for her enjoyment of math. After realizing this, her counselor assigned Mims a project — analyzing the bridges in Lamar County. The project confirmed that engineering was the right path for Mims.
Now, as Mims moves in to her second semester at Tech, she’s finding her path and adjusting to college life. Mims looks forward to getting involved in more classes directly linked to her major.
Azaniah Blackmon – first-year mechanical engineering major from Ludowici, Georgia
In high school, Azaniah Blackmon wasn’t sure where his next steps would take him. As he started his college planning, his parents were the first to suggest Georgia Tech to fit his engineering aspirations. Blackmon was quick to get on board given that he could study his passion at an elite institution while sticking close to home.
He applied, and received the Val-Sal Scholarship, confirming that Tech was the right choice. Since coming to campus in the fall, he’s enjoyed the opportunity to learn at an elite level while being close enough for his family to make the occasional visit.
When it came time to make a decision about which branch of engineering to pursue, Blackmon was stuck between mechanical and civil engineering. After some thought and time on campus last fall semester, mechanical engineering ultimately won out.
“I saw myself going further in that field,” he said. “I went to the career fair just to see what was out there in both fields and felt like there were a lot of directions to go within mechanical engineering.”
Blackmon spent last semester adjusting to the new types of coursework and exploring his interests. Chemistry was his favorite class of his fall semester, though he looks forward to getting involved with more major-specific courses as he builds his expertise.
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