Best Experiences at IDEAL

Editor’s Note: The following is from students at Georgia State University discussing their experiences in IDEAL (Inclusive Digital Expression and Literacy).

My name is Sayid Webb, I am twenty-two years old and a second-year student at the IDEAL program. My experience during college is just like I dreamed it to be. I go to Georgia State University, and I am enrolled in the GSU IDEAL program. In my first year, I was a little bit nervous until I saw my old friends from Warren Tech. Warren Technical School is a trade school in DeKalb County, Georgia, for students aging from sixteen to twenty-two where we learned about different job industries and received training according to interest. Through the many programs, I was able to gain experience in graphic design, and that’s where I was recommended to apply for the IDEAL program at Georgia State. In IDEAL, I used my graphic design skills for events, invitations, and parties. For example, to plan for our past Halloween party in 2019, I was able to make the flyer, poster, and tickets to promote the event. We began the planning process in September to make sure that we had everything in order. My favorite memory is the annual Halloween party, and I became the host and designed all the invitations. We had a great time at the Halloween party. IDEAL helped me to intern at EXLAB at Georgia State University. I was a student assistant where I was able to be at the front desk, attend training and workshops, and shadow other students while they were working. My favorite part of the internship was giving the students a tour of the EXLAB because I was able to use the skills I learned while giving tours at the APEX Museum. I like to volunteer at the football and basketball games with Nadia and Deonte, my friends I have met at IDEAL. In the future, I look forward to creating my own graphic design and photography business. I was even thinking about doing something in the music industry. With the graphic design, I plan to host events such as birthday parties or just any type of celebration.

My name is Breyan Pettaway, and I am twenty-two years old. I have been a part of the IDEAL program for a year now. I love to write short stories, play video games like Fallout 4 and Sims, and watch YouTube. I am going to graduate next year. IDEAL has helped me with some of my social problems, and I have enjoyed my time here and the relationships I’ve made with people in IDEAL. The stories that I write are fan fiction writing, usually anime crossovers or similar to these, and I usually post the stories on Wattpad, where my username is Firebreather238. My favorite anime I watch are My Hero Academia, High School DxD, Highschool of the Dead, Naruto (not Boruto), The Seven Deadly Sins, Demon King Daimao, and Heaven’s Lost Property. My time with IDEAL was always a place to relax when I was somewhat stressed out. My closest friend within IDEAL is Deriq, and we talk about story ideas and what outcomes would be cool for each story. I have made some connections to some of the peer mentors, and they have provided help in some of my classes and in my story writing. I’m not sure what I plan to do after college, but I am open to what is to come.

My name is De’Onte Brown. I am twenty-four years old, and I like to play video games and meet new people. I’ve graduated from Georgia State, and I have enjoyed meeting new people and just being a part of the college campus—going to classes and having fun on campus. I will say the peer mentors play a big part in our lives or roles because without them we wouldn’t be where we are today, and it’s thanks to them that we got this far in the first place. Thank you, peer mentors, for your support and guidance and leadership. I work at O’Neill Communications, and I got a chance to edit videos and make my own videos on YouTube. There were some struggles to make these videos, but I overcame and persevered. I got a chance to take what I learned from video editing and tied it into my final project, a mini video series called Shaking It Up with De’Onte. I know it came out great! I also got a chance to work at CNN and edit videos for the news and the media source. I also got a chance to make my own video there as well for a project that I was doing. Though my time there got cut short due to Covid-19, it was very fun and I got to work beside two very special people as well, Ben and Sophia. It was fun working with Sophia because once I got used to the schedule I would have certain days where I would come alone, and I would work with Sophia throughout the whole entire day. I thought that was very cool that I was taking a big step on working by myself without my job coach/peer mentor Ben. I also got a chance to work with my best friend and my peer mentor Ben, which was very fun. Simon was very cool too. I just hope to have more opportunities like this in the future.

My name is Deriq Graves, and I am in my second year of college. I am twenty-two years old. My goal is to be a great actor and a storywriter. One thing I like about the IDEAL program is the costume party; that was a lot of fun hanging out with good friends, dressing up in costumes, and playing games like UNO. IDEAL has helped me by making great friends and having people by my side who care about me and support me in my goal to become an actor and storywriter. My time at college has been great, thanks to them. Some of my work includes Fantasy Land, a story I am working on for school, where a man goes on an adventurer to kill the Goblin King and becomes the world’s greatest hero. The story has our hero, Bill Garter, and a small group of friends go to the home of the Goblin King and kill him, but there is a twist near the end of the story . . . but you’ll have to read it to find out! The reason I did this story is that I like making action stories where you don’t know how it is going to end. One of the ways IDEAL has helped me is by finding programs with story writing for me to join, like dramatic writing and short screenwriting.

My name is Nadia Osbey. I am twenty-three and I’ve been with IDEAL from 2019 to 2020. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and going to CMII. The CMII stands for Creative Media Industries Institute, and it is located on Georgia State’s campus. There people can go to hang out, take creative media classes, and attend workshops. My friends and I would always go there to eat lunch and play with the VR goggles. My favorite part of IDEAL was getting an internship at the Panthers’ football stadium and working with people who love sports, just like me. At the stadium, I was in charge of data entry for marketing (that’s where I learned to use Excel) and working the football/basketball games. At the games, I was in charge of directing people to their seats. I was also a part of our Special Olympics basketball team! I’ve learned a lot and grown a lot through this program, and I’m thankful for the opportunities that the people of IDEAL have given me to go to college.