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Some major changes will be coming to the University of North Georgia's (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) Blue Ridge Campus thanks to the work of student Emma Mitchell. As Student Government Association (SGA) vice president for the Blue Ridge Campus, Mitchell and members of SGA are creating a hammock village on their respective campus.

"When we were looking at SGA funds, we were trying to find cost-effective ways to benefit students who are commuters," Mitchell said.

Mitchell, along with her team, had a goal to create an additional study space in a setting more dynamic than the lobby of the Blue Ridge main building. Campus-wide polls showed student preferences for an area covered with shade sails. With a few adjustments, the area could also be an outdoor classroom.   

"I’m heading the effort, but there is no way I could do what I do without my SGA team, as it’s been such a collective effort,” She said. "They are so incredibly important to me and they stick with me on good and bad days.”

Accepting leadership roles for the self-described introvert has been a learning experience.

"I realized I was more capable than I initially thought I was," Mitchell, who is pursuing a degree in marketing, said. "The boundaries I had set in my mind were just boundaries of comfort and not what I could actually achieve. I've learned to surpass those."

Mitchell's leadership doesn't stop at SGA. She was a member of the Blue Ridge Scholars program, a program for incoming freshmen providing community engagement activities during the academic year, and has also spoken at several campus events.

Inspired by her grandmother who was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2021, Mitchell aims to continue to be strong and active on campus.

"Seeing her go through treatments was a very difficult thing," Mitchell said. "But she has handled it beyond what even seemed possible. The drive and willpower that she's displayed through this has offered me encouragement on my bad days."

Mitchell's determination is keeping her focused on an expected graduation date of spring 2025 and she further plans to own a graphic design and advertising business in her hometown of Blue Ridge, Georgia.