Students in the advanced photojournalism course captured two photos — a portrait of a first-year student at the University of Georgia and one object that student brought from home. These freshmen were also asked what they hoped to accomplish in their first year in Athens.
See and read their stories below.
Cooper Gallagher, a first-year mechanical engineering student from Decatur, Georgia, poses for a portrait on the bridge connecting Tate Student Center and the Miller Learning Center on the University of Georgia's campus in Athens, Georgia, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Gallagher said he is, "looking forward to a fun time and fun people" in his first year at UGA. Gallagher made the decision to commit to UGA here. (Photo/Zachary Krausman)
Gallagher's Rubik's Cube sits on the bridge connecting Tate Student Center and the Miller Learning Center on University of Georgia's campus on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Gallagher's stepmom gave him the Rubik's Cube for his dorm as a reminder of home since there are always so many around the house. "It's a necessity in the living space just to fiddle with." (Photo/Zachary Krausman)
Lee Latimer, a first-year ecology student from Savannah, Georgia, poses for a portrait in The University of Georgia Trial Gardens on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Athens, Georgia. Latimer said they want to, “Just to get myself out there because, where I’m from there’s not many like-minded people who are into the same plants and bugs and that type of thing. So, I’ve just been doing it on my own, but here there’s finally people that also share that interest. Just live as myself and do the things that I am interested in. Just expand on myself and what I know.” (Photo/Zachary Krausman)
Latimer's Canon camera that they use for wildlife photography is shown at the University of Georgia Trial Gardens on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. Latimer visits the Trial Gardens several times a week to take photos of insects despite the gardens being comprised of cultivated plants rather than native plants. (Photo/Zachary Krausman)
Aiden Lynch, 19, an intended business management and real estate major, poses for a photo outside Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026 in Athens, Georgia. This is Lynch's first year at UGA after transferring from St. Thomas University, where he played football. "My hope for this year is to push myself academically and to be a part of a community of people that I laugh constantly with and also push me to become a better man of God," Lynch said.(Photo/Evan Frilingos)
Catherine Malcome, 18, poses in her dorm room at Myers Hall at University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, on Tuesday, Sept., 1, 2026. Malcome is taking her freshman year to figure out what major she wants to pursue. "Right now, it's biology," Malcome said. "I just switched it from environmental engineering. I wanted to be, like, an arborist. I'm still looking into stuff like that, but yeah, I'm just not sure, you know?" (Photo/Emily Laycock)
Lucie Pulliam, 18, poses in her dorm room at Myers Hall at University of Georgia on Tuesday, Sept., 1, 2026. Pulliam is a Vietnamese-American adoptee who grew up in the predominantly white small town of Monroe, Georgia, so she is excited to get outside of her comfort zone at the University of Georgia. "The large expanse of people will definitely help getting to know new people, new experiences, trying things that I've never tried before," Pulliam said. (Photo/Emily Laycock)
Hayden Bireley, 18, a piano minor at the University of Georgia, reads sheet music for Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 at the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 in Athens, Georgia. This is Bireley's first year at UGA, and she said she has been playing piano for about 12 years. "I play piano because I love music," she said. "I have a very analytically lined brain, but I'm able to apply that and shape the music how I want to. And my goal is to actually make progress on my examination pieces, because I take an exam for a Canadian school called The Royal Conservatory of Music." (Photo/Evan Frilingos)
Bireley holds her stuffed animal named Snoofus, at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. Bireley got Snoofus from a senior when she was a freshman in high school, and he's named after their marching band's cadence. "He became a sort of unofficial mascot for the marching band to anyone who knew me and saw him," Bireley said. "I'd often stick him in my pocket and take him with me to marching band games and I have a lot of fond memories that involve him." (Photo/Evan Frilingos)
Noah Beard, a first-year theatre major from Rome, Georgia, poses in front of the Fine Arts Theatre on the University of Georgia's campus in Athens, Georgia on Sept. 1, 2026. "I hope to make good connections in my theatre classes, get involved around campus and have fun," said Beard. (Photo/Sydney Grove)
Jodi Gist, a first-year student intending to major in journalism from McDonough, Georgia, poses for a portrait in front of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Athens, Georgia. "My biggest hope for this year is definitely to get into Grady, as well as get into the Sports Media Certificate," said Gist. "Those are my two biggest goals." (Photo/Delaney Higgenbottom)
Louis Harrington poses for a portrait outside of the McBay Science Library in Athens, Georgia, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. "My hope for this year is that I make lots of good, close friends by the end of it, and by the end of the semester, a year, whatever, that I really figure out what I want to do," Harrington said. (Photo/Sarah Roper)
Freshman at the University of Georgia, Hunter Birdwell, poses for a portrait outside of his dorm building, Russell Hall, on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2026 in Athens, Georgia. Birdwell was on his way back from a headshot session for new members with the UGA Finance Society when he was stopped for a portrait in his suit. His hopes for his first year at the University of Georgia? "To have fun while maintaining good grades." (Photo/Nora Wilson)
Sophie Lutzow, a first-year hospitality and food industry management major from Acworth, Georgia, sits outside at the newly developed Legion Field at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. "I'm hoping that I get into more clubs because right now I'm in the band, but I want to branch out into different clubs and just overall be more involved," said Lutzow. (Photo/Mollie Beth Johnson)
Lutzow holds a photograph of herself as a newborn with her mother, a reminder of home she brought with her to the University of Georgia on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. "I want to make her proud and do a lot because I know she's done so much for me to get me here," Lutzow said. (Photo/Mollie Beth Johnson)
Freshman at the University of Georgia, Emma Thomas, poses for a portrait in her dorm in Brumby Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Athens, Georgia. When asked what her hopes for this coming year were, she answered, "I really want to find community that reflects my values. My friends in high school were so solid...I am just hoping to find people who can be the same for me here." (Photo/Nora Wilson)
A collection of sentimental letters and notes of encouragement rest on the steps beside Thomas's bed in Brumby Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Thomas emphasized the importance of finding community similar to the one she has at home in Alpharetta, Georgia, when asked her hopes for freshman year at the University of Georgia. (Photo/Nora Wilson)
