By the time JahWill Fannings, a fourth-year business administration major from West Point, Georgia, reached his senior year of high school, he had already founded a music production company, Jah Studios, and set a laser focus on obtaining a Georgia Tech education.
“It was Tech or nothing. I didn’t apply anywhere else,” said Fannings. “I wanted to go to the school that was full of people just like me, smart individuals who had a drive for more than just a class, who wanted to do more than the bare minimum to get by. I had a feeling that was Tech.”
Receiving Tech Promise
Despite his determination, Fannings still had one major obstacle in his periphery: paying for his college degree. When he was admitted to Tech, it was one sigh of relief, but he knew he wasn’t in the clear.
Approaching his first semester at Tech, Fannings was still wondering how he would pay for it all when he received an email inviting him to join a call with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.
It was during that call that JahWill learned he would receive the G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech Promise Scholarship, a scholarship that makes it possible for qualifying limited-income Georgia students to earn a degree at Tech debt-free. Sitting alone on a call with a stranger, Fannings recalls being at a loss for words.
“It was very special to me. It was one of those moments where I was like, that’s why Georgia Tech,” said Fannings. “I say it like that because finances are a very big focus for me. I wasn’t planning on taking out loans. So throughout high school, I was just applying for scholarships, hoping for the best. Realizing that the financial stress doesn’t have to be there was a very momentous time for me. Georgia Tech provided that for me.”
Composing the Future
With the weight of affording college off his shoulders, Fannings entered Tech with the ability to focus intensely on cultivating his entrepreneurship abilities and honing his musical craft.
In Summer 2023, he was invited to give a TEDx talk, where he performed an originally produced track giving commentary on the state of hip-hop in the modern world.
He’s also the founder of Flowst8, a project management and productivity platform for audio engineers currently in development. The goal of Flowst8 is to provide independent musicians with a tool that helps them stay inspired and focused through the production process.
Beyond those projects, Fannings has continued his work with Jah Studios. He has also garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram, where he teaches the basics of music production to his audience. For Fannings, showing people the joy of music online is a joy in itself, and that joy is something he hopes his audience will also find in Flowst8 as he builds out the platform.
Fannings’ own love for music has been ever present. From an early age, he remembers his parents playing different musical instruments and being exposed to a world of rhythm, beats, and the magic of music.
“People always say music is a universal language,” said Fannings. “But to me, I think it’s a language of the heart. It’s almost like a journal for me to take what’s on my heart, on my mind, and using my intellect, translate it into something that someone else could interpret in music.”
Contribute Today to Transform Tomorrow
Experiences like JahWill’s were made possible by contributions to Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech. Thanks to the support of alumni and friends, this comprehensive campaign is bringing unparalleled advancements to the Institute and building a foundation to support our students, advance our research and innovation, enhance our campus and our community, and expand our impact at home and around the world. To learn more and support the campaign, visit https://transformingtomorrow.gatech.edu/
