Riya Pandya

Kensie Poor

Riya Pandya
Photographer Abigail Benefield

Coming from a large Indian family and the oldest of three children, Riya blazes her own trail. She calls Athens home and has been a part of the Georgia Center family for two years through internship positions. Her current administrative role in professional and personal development makes her the first point of contact for both internal stakeholders and external clients. This also allows her time to work with the Summer Academy at UGA camps, complementing her work in the Elementary Education major.

“Working at the Georgia Center allows me to pivot and cross-train while building my skills in an understanding and validating work environment.”

The Georgia Center offers internship opportunities throughout every department, and students like Riya benefit from daily experiential learning and mentorship. At first, coming to a large university like UGA after graduating from a small private school was overwhelming. She quickly learned the value of finding a community through volunteerism, sorority engagement, attending temple, or joining a jogging club to make connections with people. Her work at the Georgia Center has also encouraged her to help others find their own sense of community.

“I have seen Riya grow as an employee in the two years she has worked in Continuing Education and am so thankful to work with her. She is very knowledgeable about our course policies and procedures and advises customers with her positive attitude, which radiates throughout the office” says supervisor in continuing education, Suzanne Beckham.

Riya’s strong work ethic was nurtured from a young age by watching her parents and grandparents. The importance of education was instilled in Riya from a young age, and she is grateful to continue working on behalf of young learners in a supportive environment.

“This work experience makes me want to give back and positively impact these young learners.”

Community outreach, continuing education, and strong mentorship abound at the Georgia Center, and its hard-working student employees assist in exceeding the center’s primary missions.

Riya is currently in her junior year and hopes to enter graduate school upon graduation to work in student administration.