News and Updates

SGSC’s AAMI Guests at Okefenokee Occasion

Members of South Georgia State College’s AAMI were guests at this year’s Okefenokee Occasion, an event hosted by local governments and business leaders from thirteen South Georgia counties, including Coffee and Ware. The event, held in Atlanta, included state senators, local representatives, city council members, and delegates from SGSC, who all met over a dinner of local cuisine to discuss key issues facing the area.

Among those present was Waycross City Manager Ralph Maddox, who serves as a mentor for students in AAMI. Seeing an opportunity for the students to test their networking skills, Maddox invited them along for the event, and spoke highly of the young men in the program. “They are all very enthusiastic and are so appreciative of the opportunities they will have through this program,” he said.

SGSC Career Advisor Stanley J. Sinkfield, Jr., works closely with the group and said that it was a wonderful “opportunity to experience being in an atmosphere with people that make changes that affect the lives of the people of Georgia. This was also an opportunity for the students to network and make connections. [They] had a great time.”

As the only college students at the event, the men of SGSC’s AAMI acted as part of the greeting party to welcome guests to the event and allowed them to meet the dignitaries and public officials in attendance.

The African American Male Initiative is a project of the University System of Georgia, and the students comprising the group are a select few who receive personalized attention and guidance in order to successfully attend and graduate college. The AAMI provides these gentlemen with opportunities to present themselves as young men capable and worthy of respect, who have learned business skills, study skills, and life lessons through the program, and are ready to enter the workforce as skilled, knowledgeable workers.
“The AAMI is a vital part of campus life at SGSC,” said SGSC President Dr. Virginia Carson, who was also in attendance at the Okefenokee Occasion. “These young men will be able to take the experiences they’ve had here tonight, as well as what they’ve learned from their mentors in the program, and become well-rounded individuals capable of succeeding in whatever they choose to pursue in the future. We’re proud of what they’ve accomplished so far and eagerly await when they, in turn, invite the next generation of AAMI to be their guests at future events.”

For more information on the University System of Georgia’ African American Male Initiative, please visit usg.edu/aami. For more information about SGSC’s program, please visit www.sgsc.edu or contact Stanley J. Sinkfield, Jr., at stanley.sinkfield@sgsc.edu.