ATLANTA — Georgia State University was still primarily a commuter school when Lisa-Marie Haygood was a student here in the 1990s, but she was heavily involved in campus life. In addition to being a Presidential Scholar and member of the Honors Program, she was a sorority member, varsity basketball cheerleader, member of SGA and an Orientation leader. This year, she is serving as the chair of the Decennial Committee, celebrating 10 years of the Honors College at Georgia State University.
Haygood is a passionate advocate for educators and students. Beginning as a room parent who organized fundraisers for her children’s schools, she went on to become president of the Georgia PTA. She now serves as the executive director of the Cherokee County Educational Foundation. Part of her work involves fundraising for teacher grants that can provide creative initiatives for classrooms, like digital telescopes, outdoor learning spaces and ukuleles for music students.
Reflecting on her time in the Honors Program, she said, “I think it gave me a lot of great opportunity and experiences. I don’t think I could be the leader I am today without my time there. So I am thankful for it and stand ready to continue to help ensure that other students get that same experience.”
The structure of honors education at Georgia State has changed over the years, but students still enjoy the benefit of small class sizes, which is something that Haygood appreciated about her time in Honors. “It was the same content that my friends were receiving, just on a more intimate and inviting level,” she said. “I enjoyed the opportunity to engage with more professors outside of traditional lecture halls.”
As an alumna, Haygood has continued to support the Presidential Scholars program. She explained, “If you received a quality education, and your life is better because of the schooling you got, I think it’s important to give back.”
As part of the decennial, the Honors College hosted the Founders Lecture in February featuring Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and honoring Founding Dean Larry Berman. Learn more about how you can support the Honors College by donating to our 10x the Love campaign.
