Georgia State University Magazine

Ever since she saw "Terminator 2: Judgment Day sitting in her uncle’s Datsun at a drive-in theater in Zimbabwe, Sue-Ellen Chitunya (A.A., A.S. ’05; B.A. ’10) has been fascinated with film. She’s since carved out a successful career in cinema working on Hollywood blockbusters and as a producer of independent films. Now, she’s a member of the TheAcademy and will help pick next year’s Oscars. Georgia State Alumni http://ow.ly/KAAA30rktYG

Na’Dyah Reed (B.A. ’20) is an intern with Atlanta-based television production company Crazy Legs Productions. She’s forging a path for future students in the IDEAL Program at GSU, a media-focused program for students with autism and mild intellectual disabilities, to join Crazy Leg’s and other intern programs. Her mission is important to Crazy Legs chief operating officer Scott Thigpen (B.A. ’90) whose stepson, like Reed, is autistic. If we can make sure we include IDEAL students in our internship program, they’re at least getting to the same starting line as others. Georgia State Alumni http://ow.ly/6CH030rivaq

After a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed from the chest down, Ignacio Montoya (B.B.A. '14), Georgia State Alumni 40 Under 40 honoree, began participating in one of the most advanced paralysis recovery therapies ever attempted. It’s his therapy. Montoya uses the experimental physical treatments on himself. Montoya is determined to walk on his own again. After that, he’s determined to fly. Read his incredible story, written by the great Charles McNair. http://ow.ly/tZLD50C06LN

Check out the new-look Georgia State University Magazine to go behind the scenes on how a veteran journalist researched and wrote Won’t Lose This Dream, a book that dives deep into Georgia State’s transformative student success initiatives. Georgia State Alumni http://ow.ly/8h6c30rdEWg

Good luck to former Georgia State University Football star Brandon Wright (B.S. '20) as he makes his NFL debut tonight handling kicks for the Jacksonville Jaguars! Check out this story about Brandon and his No. 1 fan, his mom, Erica Wright Bracey (MBA '01). Georgia State Alumni https://news.gsu.edu/magazine/fall2018/kickin-it-with-93

Story: http://ow.ly/RIVC50AWxDV

When the Georgia State Softball season was cancelled due to the coronavirus, sophomore outfielder Gabby Benson was looking for a way to make a difference by helping the needy. Head coach Roger Kincaid found a way to help her efforts. http://ow.ly/ozYj30r00Dw

A second-year student in the Georgia State University College of Law, Stacy Marie Psomiadis, a mother of six, has relied on her experience as a longtime nurse to balance her studies with work, her new role during the pandemic as a teacher to her children and preparations for her upcoming wedding. http://ow.ly/grkw30qYz3U

For Georgia State University - College of the Arts Master of Fine Arts candidates Melissa Huang and Drew Tetz, the coronavirus pandemic has meant a major shift in how the married couple create and share their art. http://ow.ly/vHhF30qXhUc

Though his final semester was upended by the pandemic, Adventures with Austin host Austin Birchell's college career was nothing short of incredible. Read more about his exploits from meeting Bill Gates to writing for this magazine to donning the Pounce suit to light the Olympic Torch. Georgia State Alumni http://ow.ly/WOWi30qV481

A nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital, Lauren Skinner (B.S.N. '07) is also pitching in to help keep fellow frontline workers safe during the pandemic. She’s taken to designing and sewing N95 mask covers and leading a Facebook group, BaLa N95 Cover for Frontline Healthcare Workers,to show others how to do it, too. Read her story, told in her own words. http://ow.ly/73it30qQTxh Georgia State Alumni

The summer issue of the Georgia State University Magazine is live. It’s a special issue in which Georgia State Alumni and members of the Georgia State University community from leading scientists to business owners to those who have lost loved ones tell their stories in their own words about living during this pandemic. http://ow.ly/aufy30qPeDw

Wil Lutz's name wasn't called during the NFL Draft. He wasn't recruited to a big-time college football program either. Today, the Georgia State University Football walk-on and undrafted free agent is one of the NFL’s best kickers and a Georgia State Alumni 40 Under 40 honoree. Read the New Orleans Saints star’s story: http://ow.ly/C3ak30qAc8j

From testing drug therapies to supporting our most vulnerable students, Georgia State is fighting the coronavirus with all that we’ve got. And we’re doing it together. That’s #TheStateWay! Find out how: http://ow.ly/H71M50zjDKL

Following a 25-year career as a full-time journalist, Tom Chaffin (B.A. ’77) parlayed his writing into publishing books. Sifting through buried secrets of the past, Chaffin has released seven narrative histories. His latest is on Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette. Georgia State Alumni http://ow.ly/SP5S30qylsa

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Rebecca Serna (M.S. ’07) is on a mission: to ensure all kinds of commutes are reliable, affordable and safe. Read about how she and her team have put the wheels in motion. Georgia State Alumni http://ow.ly/kcLT30qvNU6