Freshman goalkeeper Ulises Rodriguez of the Oglethorpe men's soccer team earned the Souther Athletic Association Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week award on Monday from the league office. A Business Administration major, Rodriguez is a graduate of St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City. Rodriguez earned the honor for his efforts in the Stormy Petrels' 2-0 weekend, featuring blowout wins over Birmingham-Southern College and Millsaps College. The Petrels' attack scored 17 goals over the two games, but Rodriguez did his part, too, allowing just one goal over 180 minutes of play. He tallied his first career clean sheet in Friday's 9-0 win over Birmingham-Southern College, recording five saves in that game. He also made five saves in Sunday's 8-1 victory over Millsaps College. Rodriguez is currently third in the SAA in goals-against average (0.98) and save percentage (.793). The Petrels will be back in action on Friday, when they head to Memphis, Tennessee, to take on Rhodes College at 4 p.m. Eastern.

Oglethorpe University Chemistry major Annika (Alex) Foret '23 has won a $1,000 SAGE Scholars scholarship in a nationwide essay contest. Foret, a 2019 graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, was one of only 100 scholarship recipients in the country who wrote winning essays. Students could submit essays on various topics, including "why you selected an independent, private college over a state or public college." Foret elected to write about how small universities like Oglethorpe can "prioritize individual learning over routine memorization," and "how the Core program at Oglethorpe allows me to keep studying the humanities, even as a chemistry major." "Winning this scholarship really took some of the stress off of paying for the smaller things such as books, allowing me to enjoy the last bit of my summer," said Foret. "I had actually forgotten I had even applied, so I was shocked when I got the email saying I had won. I immediately called my mom and I'm pretty sure I just screamed into the phone for the first few seconds of the call." SAGE Scholars recently pledged $1 million in college scholarships over the next five years for students attending one of over 400 private colleges and universities in the network. These scholarships are named "gap scholarships" with the goal of helping families fill in the gap between what they have to pay for their children to go to college and what colleges and universities can offer in terms of financial aid. SAGE Scholars is the nation's oldest and largest private college preparation and funding organization and has been helping families secure the best possible private college education at a discounted price for nearly a quarter of a century.

Oglethorpe University congratulates the 365 students named to the Spring 2019 Dean's List, honoring those who achieved at least a 3.50 term grade-point average while earning 12 or more semester hours.

Graduating senior Gillian Rabin was awarded the Sally Hull Weltner Award for Scholarship at the university's commencement ceremony on May 18, 2019. The award honors the student in the graduating class who has attained the highest grade-point average with the greatest number of hours in course work completed at the university. This award is given annually in loving memory of Sally Hull Weltner, wife of Dr. Philip Weltner, president of Oglethorpe University from 1944-1953.

Oglethorpe University junior Claudine Niyonsenga has received the U.S. Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad during the 2019 spring semester. Niyonsenga, a Business Administration major, will attend the Council On International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Open Campus program, where she will earn credits in three cities and countries: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Santiago, Chile. The Gilman Scholarship Program broadens the student population that studies and interns abroad by supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints. The program encourages students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries and world regions, with an emphasis on foreign language study, especially critical need languages deemed important to national security. By supporting undergraduate students who have high financial need, the program has been successful in supporting students who have been historically underrepresented in education abroad

Eleven Oglethorpe University students were tapped to be inducted into the national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa: Syeda Bano, Alejandra (Julissa) Canas-Escobar, Sarah Collum, Benna Curole, Hannah Dattilo, Deon Heavens, Ryan Holtzen, Margaret Light, Bethany Malskis, Linda Simpson, and Jax Wright. Omicron Delta Kappa is a highly selective national leadership honor society that encourages and rewards the highest standards of excellence for young leaders and innovators at universities nationwide. ODK's mission is to identify, honor and develop leaders in collegiate and community life; encourage collaboration among students, faculty, staff and alumni to advance leadership; and to promote and publicize its ideals. Oglethorpe University's ODK Circle was established in 1976 and remains a vital, thriving part of the campus today. Initiation into the circle is one of the highest honors an Oglethorpe student can achieve. New members are formally inducted at the annual Boar's Head Ceremony at the end of the fall semester.

Oglethorpe University students Caroline Chamberlain '19 and Victoria Lindbergh '18 worked side-by-side as interns at Oglethorpe's Pegasus Creative student communications agency last semester. This fall, through her internship at Hive Talent Acquisition Firm, Chamberlain recruited Lindbergh, a recent grad, helping her to land a job at Atlanta design firm Yellow Bungalow. A senior Human Resource Management major, Chamberlain has interned with Hive since summer 2018. She is able to work both in the firm's shared office environment, as well as on her own schedule from Oglethorpe's campus. As part of her position, Chamberlain helps with creative HR solutions and staffing. "At my internship, I actually have a curriculum... I'm learning the business development side and the recruiting side," Chamberlain explains. "My favorite part is the real-world experience I'm getting and that I feel like an employee." While helping her peers land jobs, Chamberlain has also managed to do the same for herself. She has been offered a full-time position with the company after graduation. Watch a video about Chamberlain's internship experience.

The Student Government Association recently held freshman class elections to fill president, senator, and programming board vacancies. These students will meet weekly as part of SGA to discuss campus issues, bring awareness to student concerns, and work to administer the student activities fee.

Five Oglethorpe University students attended the FinTech 2018 University Summit sponsored by FinTech Atlanta on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the American Cancer Society building in downtown Atlanta. Benjamin Davidson, Deanna Long, Parth Patel, Laura Sanchez and Malik Willis learned about the opportunity from Oglethorpe's Atlanta Laboratory for Learning (A_LAB) staff and business professors. FinTech encompasses financial technology in the financial services sector. The event began with a panel discussion with leaders in the FinTech industry plus a pitch session from various Atlanta companies such as Verifone, Pay Scape and Equinox. "We got a lot of information in a short amount of time," said Patel. Long said, "I finally got to know more about what some of these companies did." More than 100 students from many Atlanta-area universities and beyond attended the event, and were able to speak directly with company representatives about internships and post-graduation employment. Patel said he spoke to a number of representatives who asked for his resume to follow up. FinTech Atlanta is a coalition of companies (from Fortune 500s to startups) and other organizations working to cement Atlanta as the recognized global capital of financial technology. The group's priorities are to fund and fuel efforts to recruit, retain and expand businesses and jobs across the FinTech ecosystem in metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia.

The Jazzy Petrels, Oglethorpe's jazz ensemble, recently performed at St. James Methodist Church in Brookhaven, offering a line-up of jazz standards from Coltrane, Ellington and Gershwin, plus several Lennon/McCartney songs. Directed by Dr. Brent Runnels, the group has seen a significant increase in instrumentalists this semester, and with that, instrumental variety. The ensemble's growth is due in part to the migration of some instrumentalists from Oglethorpe Winds. With the Winds on a hiatus during fall semester, the music department wanted to ensure those students still had the chance to participate in an ensemble. During the hiatus, the Winds program will be revamped, based in part on feedback from an upcoming student survey. "We'd like to relaunch the Winds program in a way that encourages and maximizes student participation," said Dr. Runnels, Oglethorpe's director of music. "Eventually we'd like to have multiple ensembles-both classical and jazz-that will give students the opportunity to explore different musical genres." The Jazzy Petrels include: Alexander Oakley, alto saxophone Rachel Bacchus, trumpet Miles Davidson, drum set Kinsey Degroat, vocals Sean Handy, bongos Ryan Holtzen, guitar Elizabeth Kontyko, violin Tadjudin Nathasya, alto saxophone Alan Payne, tuba Tre Rice, piano Tyrell Snagg, alto saxophone Justin Speer, soprano saxophone Max Wagner, electric bass

At the start of the academic year, the entire freshman class volunteers at locations across Atlanta for the annual Orientation Day of Service. This year, more than 300 students, plus transfer students, members of Alpha Phi Omega and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Achieve Atlanta Scholars, each volunteered at one of 17 local nonprofit organizations. The contributed work is valued at over $25,000 for the day. "We used our time and talents to impact communities in ways that cannot be quantified," said Jessica Winestock, associate director of A_LAB, Civic Engagement at Oglethorpe. "We befriended young children as we handed out food, we laughed with seniors over a game of bingo, and we learned lessons in mechanics as we helped to build wheelchairs." Experiences such as the Orientation Day of Service are not just "feel good" events. Service Learning curricula melds the classroom experience with the rigors of service, instilling sought-after qualities such as teamwork, leadership, empathy, and enthusiasm, as well as concrete foundations for creative and intellectual advancement. Nonprofits visited included: Trees Atlanta, International Rescue Committee, The Drake House, The Wylde Center/Oakhurst Garden, The Wylde Center/Hawk Hollow Garden, Frazer Center, Making A Way Housing, Inc., Hosea Feed the Hungry, AG Rhodes Health and Rehabilitation Center, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, Books for Africa, Atlanta Community Food Bank, MedShare International, The Latin American Association, Charles R. Drew Charter School, UHOPE CDC, and the Latin American Association.

Engineering major Mateo Villa '20 is the recipient of a McKee "Men of Action" Scholarship, a $2,500 award for his commitment to outstanding service to the community, presented annually by Delta Sigma Phi.

On July 20, Oglethorpe University welcomed incoming students to campus for MAP Day (Making a Petrel), an event for students who have committed to attend Oglethorpe starting in fall 2018. During MAP Days, first-year students meet with their advisors, enroll in fall semester classes, and receive their official Petrel Pass student IDs.

Mathematics major Zoe Nelson '20 was among only five undergraduates who participated in Clemson University's five-week summer program "preliminary Research Experience for Undergraduates" focused on code-based cryptography.

Museum studies major Taylor Roberts '21 has been awarded the prestigious Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship -- the first Oglethorpe University student to achieve this honor.

Incoming first year student Caleb Smith '22 can now add the title of "world champion" to his resume. Smith earned a spot in the 2018 Optimist International Oratorical World Championship in St. Louis, Mo. over June 28-29, and emerged the winner after two days of competition.

Members of the 2018-2019 Honor Council have been announced. These are students selected by their peers to be entrusted with being a part of upholding the academic standards of Oglethorpe University.

Oglethorpe University congratulates the nearly 200 graduates who received their degrees on May 12.

More than 370 accepted students have indicated their commitment to attend Oglethorpe University by submitting their enrollment deposit. We're excited to welcome these new "Stormy Petrels" to campus this fall! The Class of 2021 will begin classes on August 21, 2017.

As many students were still finding their way around campus and getting into the groove of college life, first-year Moliha Zabbar '21 decided what better time to become an even bigger part of the Oglethorpe community.