Georgia high school social studies teacher Lindsay McMichael is a vocal proponent of the state’s HOPE Scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs for a good reason. She participated in both as a 4-year-old growing up in Columbus and as a student at the University of Georgia.
McMichael was one of the speakers at a ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the programs. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution caught up with McMichael after the event.
Here are some excerpts from the interview.
Q: In your remarks, you said without HOPE, you might not have gone to UGA...
A: That’s true. I really feel like I would have stayed at home. Most likely, I would have gone to a community college or something like that, but I was able to go to UGA and have the funds to do that without taking out student loans, which was good. And also, the education department and social studies department helped me with the foundation to become a teacher.
Q: What do you say to your students about HOPE?
A: I do really encourage them to look into it. I’m always surprised that some of them don’t know about it...I tell them from the beginning of their junior year to look at the requirements and do the best they can to get there. I tell them about the Career Grant program too and tell them that there’s more options than they realize.
Q: Are you a tough grader?
A: I am. I’ve been told that. I am to give them feedback and tell them what they can do to help and really give them the tools that they need to do the best they can.
Q: What did it mean to you to be here today?
A: It’s very exciting to me. I read (former Gov. Zell Miller, who pushed to create HOPE) books when I was younger. To be here today to celebrate his legacy and what he did was very exciting.
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