Brooke Tome receives GSW Canes Spotlight recognition

Jan. 9—AMERICUS — Brooke Tome of Bainbridge was recently featured as a Canes Spotlight at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus.

Canes Spotlights highlight GSW students who hold leadership roles, are involved in extracurricular activities and excel academically on campus.

Tome serves as GSW's student activities coordinator, Thunder Camp director, Student Engagement Team advisor, and GSW drop advisor. She earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from GSW in May 2022 and completed work toward an MBA in December, thanks to GSW's accelerated Double Canes program. She completed both degrees while working full-time at GSW. She is also a first-generation college graduate.

Why did you choose to attend GSW?

"I chose GSW because I was looking for a great online program to further my education. I also wanted it to be close enough to me, just in case I ever needed to come to campus for anything as well."

What is a cause you're passionate about?

"I'm very passionate about student engagement. I firmly believe that a student's involvement outside of the classroom shapes their overall college experience and opens doors to their future. Because of this, those memories will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Student Affairs changed my life, and I've dedicated myself to doing everything that I can to give that same life-changing experience to as many students as possible."

What makes GSW special?

"There's been a special growth in engagement across campus over the past couple of years. I've watched faculty, staff and students become more involved and support one another. GSW is offering students more programs, activities, and initiatives across the board — the most that this university has ever seen before. To know and experience this fiery campus spirit is to love GSW."

What are some of the challenges and/or perks of online learning?

"Online learning has always been the best option for me during my college experience. I'm constantly working, so in-person classes have never worked for my personal schedule. Having the ability to access my courses from anywhere and at any time has given me unlimited opportunities to make college "work" for me on my own time. I would not have been as successful in college as I have been without access to online classes."

What is your plan after graduation?

"After graduating with my BBA in May 2022, I began my new journey as the Student Activities Coordinator here at GSW. This has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and the knowledge, skills and experiences that I cultivated here at GSW have catapulted me to this defining moment of my life. As I navigate through the first couple of months of my new role, I also plan to finish up the remaining courses of my MBA program, too. 2022 was an extremely busy year for me, but it's also shaping up to be one of the best years of my life as well-and it's all thanks to GSW."

What advice do you have for incoming students?

"The best piece of advice that I could give to incoming students is to get involved on campus. Students can get involved on campus in a variety of ways. They can join organizations, take on leadership roles, attend campus events, and even volunteer their time for various initiatives, too. But it goes beyond that — students should come to college with the expectation to get out of their comfort zones. The only way to learn or to experience new things is to do something that you've never done before. My challenge to them would be to speak up in class, take on that extra project, make new friends, go to campus events, join organizations, take on leadership roles, etc. The possibilities are endless, and incoming students should take advantage of as much as possible. After all, these are the moments that will change your life forever."

Read more at gsw.edu/canes-spotlight.