Page 8 - Laker Connection Fall 2012

Furlong
the Department of Athletics and has also been assisting as a freelance videographer for the Department of Image and Commu- nications.
Of course, the Clayton State faculty have also had their dreams made real; have also been empowered by their teaching. Faculty members like Dr. Michelle Furlong,
Leadership Dreams
In The Making
Dr. Michelle Furlong is living her dream as an educator at Clayton State University.
chair of the Department of Natural Sciences and a working mom.
“I want (my daughter Delia) to be successful and see me in that light,” Furlong says. She is also honored to lead the depart- ment as it continues to grow and transcend. She is dedicated to promoting excellent teaching and student success.
“I met all my dreams,” she declares, “I made it, and I’m really happy.”
Diverse
Clayton State students come from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. In-
deed, the concept of diversity itself is a wide-ranging one at Clayton State, taking in far more than race and ethnicity. As Presi- dent Dr. Thomas J. Hynes has noted, “we must continue to deepen and enrich that di- versity to include student connections to in- ternational experiences, connections across not only race, but class, prior educational and geographical experiences, and ethnic- ity.”
As a result, it is the very diversity of the people, their interests, and their dreams that bring the Clayton State community to- gether and give everyone a feeling of inclu- sion. A prime example of that inclusion is recent graduate Tony Yaacoub.
A native of Beirut, Lebanon, he orig- inally came to Clayton State through the Georgia Rotary Student Program. He found that his dream was right here in Morrow, so he stayed on afterwards to complete his de- gree (in May 2012) in mathematics. Along
Tony Yaacoub (also pictured at far right as Homecoming King) and four fellow Clayton State students learned more about what it takes to become a leader at the 2012 Georgia International Leadership Conference (GILC). Brett Reichert, Clayton State associate director, International Student Services Office (ISSO) accompanied the students. (Group L to R): Yaacoub, Elitha Sinclair, Brett Reichert, Amber Nguyen, Shuranda Taylor, Yash Brahmbhatt.
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THE LAKER CONNECTION