Within the First-Year Experience Program, there are many opportunities to get involved and develop and foster leadership skills. Students have the opportunity to join Hall Council through the Residence Hall Association or apply for one of the First-Year Leadership Organizations.
Hall Council
Hall Councils are part of the Georgia Tech Residence Hall Association (RHA). They consist of officers and presidents of the buildings in a particular area. The Hall Council is the primary governing body for those halls. For first-year students, Hall Council officers are elected by the residents in the area within the first two weeks of Fall semester. Residents serve as representatives in Hall Council and are encouraged to take an active role during meetings and within the residence halls. The purpose of the Hall Council is to regulate policy issues and to plan programs for the residents.
Connect
Connect is a First-Year Leadership Organization designed to support student transitions into the Georgia Tech community. Members will gain valuable leadership skills via campus collaboration, event planning, and team-building activities to facilitate strong connections across campus. As a New Student and Transition Programs organization, Connect’s vision is to ensure that new students feel confident and possess the tools to succeed at Georgia Tech.
Emerging Leaders
The Emerging Leaders Program provides participants with the knowledge and resources to expand their personal and professional leadership skills. It inspires participants to develop their leadership skills through self-assessment by forging effective partnerships with campus and community leaders and by acquiring the appropriate knowledge required to refine the critical skills for effective leadership. It develops skills in communication, group management, and team building, while taking into account the participant's individual leadership style.
FreShGA
FreShGA seeks motivated and capable leaders in each year’s First-Year class to plan events for all members of the Georgia Tech community. Participants are tasked with planning, fundraising, advertising, and hosting two annual events: One Night Stand (a December event filled with free giveaways, sports competitions, and free food) and Friday Buzz (an April event designed to celebrate different organizations on campus and diversity within Georgia Tech). Members will gain valuable experience in event planning, advertising, fundraising, budgeting, and will build lasting friendships.
First-Year Activities Board
The mission of the First-year Activities Board (FAB) is to provide excellent programming for the first-year class, while developing its first-year members into leaders of the Georgia Tech community. FAB members are selected during the fall semester and receive a budget that they use to plan activities for the rest of the freshman class. They are guided by an advisory board of former FAB members who help them in the planning and implementation of the events they conceptualize.
First-Year Leadership Intiative
The mission of the First-Year Leadership Initiative (FLI) is to build and develop participant’s leadership skills and professional capabilities by supporting the Georgia Tech Student Foundation's mission of "Moving Forward by Giving Back." Each FLI class works closely with Second-Year advisors to manage, organize, and market campaigns that educates the student body on the importance of giving back to Tech and the Atlanta community. After completing the FLI program participants will join a supportive community with opportunities to continue to grow and develop their skills.
First-Year Servant Leadership Organization
The First-Year Servant Leadership Organization was founded with the intent to provide servant leadership to various communities within and around Georgia Tech. Its goal is to help the first-year class grow into leaders who understand and embody Tech's motto of "progress and service.” Members gain valuable skills in event planning, marketing, and independent thinking while also developing into servant leaders who will continue to serve at Tech, in the workplace, and in the community for years to come.
Suit Up Professional Preparation
The purpose of Suit Up Professional Preparation (SUPP) is to provide opportunities for the first-year class in career and professional preparation by developing up to 20 selected first-year students as student leaders that participate in all first-year leadership initiatives that enhance career and professional development. Some key events and programs for SUPP include: resume writing workshop, mock career fair, and LinkedIn workshop. SUPP partners frequently with the Center for Career Discovery and Development (C2D2).
Reimagine, Inspire, Serve, Empower
RISE (Reimagine, Inspire, Serve, Empower) is a First-Year Leadership Organization for incoming undergraduate students interested in advancing gender equity and social justice at Georgia Tech utilizing Feminist Leadership principles. Members will have a unique opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills and knowledge through coalition building, consciousness raising, and community service opportunities that center women’s voices and experiences. RISE members will Re-imagine a more equitable future, Inspire social change, Serve in honor of community justice, and Empower women and their allies to take action for gender equity.