Gerod Ford
For senior Gerod Ford, coming to Georgia State meant following in his sister’s footsteps. Now, as he prepares to tackle his last semester, he shares his plans to work in socioeconomic activism.
Interview by Jordan Ferguson
Tell us about yourself and why you chose Georgia State.
I am a Georgia native, and I grew up living in different areas of the state. Funny story — I came to Georgia State because my sister graduated from the university. She told me about the different opportunities the university offered, how diverse the campus is and it being right in the heart of downtown Atlanta. It was also easy for me to commute to work and go to school. I came in originally as a biology major, but some things happened, and I changed it to political science because I felt like I’d be able to help a larger majority of the people that way.
What do you plan to do with your degree?
Ultimately, I want to get into politics, but not just get into it — I want to change the landscape so it is more welcoming for younger people. I feel like people of my generation have all these great ideas that could change the course of history, and I want to cultivate a space that is more welcoming of newer ideas and of younger people.
You went to Washington, D.C., for an Environmental Protection Agency youth event. Tell us about the trip and your role.
The Georgia chapter of Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) asked me to attend the youth summit to speak with the new EPA Youth Advisory Council, get an idea of what exactly the EPA has planned for the future and see what other ideas can kind of help move that forward. Student PIRGs is an organization that helps college students with the necessary skills, opportunities and training for the real world. We not only help with voter registration but also climate change and public health. Besides speaking with the new Youth Advisory Council, we were also ensuring that climate change garnered the attention and funding it needs from Congress.
As a senior graduating in May, what are your plans for the future?
There is an opportunity to continue my work with Student PIRGs, but this time I can get paid. I currently help students register to vote, attend different summits and events to raise awareness about climate change and public policy, and go to Washington, D.C., to secure funding for different programs that our organization runs.
How is Georgia State helping you succeed and setting you up for the future?
I think the biggest thing is how accessible things are. I was talking about this with PIRGs, about how easy it was to get in contact with people like (political science lecturer) Michael Evans. He got back to me in a few hours that same day. I don’t feel like I’ve had to jump through a lot of hoops to get to talk with people. It just kind of makes it easy to get information that I need for certain things. They’re always there, and very willing to help.
Looking back to your first year of college, what advice would you give your first-year self?
Oh, man. Don’t be scared to try things, to talk to people or to reach out, even if you don’t think that it’s something you can work for. You should still try to go out and do everything you can to just make a lasting impression. I think the biggest problem I had in my first year was I was so timid. I was so scared of everything. I hated public speaking and talking with people. It was the worst thing ever. But now I see how beneficial it is to have these connections and to reach out to people. You’ll be surprised how willing people are to talk with you and to help you.
