Georgia Tech Excel

Concluding this series of EXCEL’s 10th anniversary celebration, Founding Director Ken Surdin reflects on how rewarding it is to support students as they discover their strengths, pursue their goals, and build confidence in themselves!

EXCEL Program Support Coordinator Ashley Johnson highlights the impact of the staff’s support on student growth, helping create an environment where students can thrive.

Nathan Heald, EXCEL Assistant Director and Senior Lecturer, shares how the program helps students access opportunities that support their academic, professional, and personal growth. He explains that students are able to transform these opportunities into meaningful futures through their own determination and independence!

Heather Dicks, EXCEL Career Development Advisor, describes how the program has grown into a model for colleges and universities across the country. Through innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to student success, EXCEL remains a powerful example of what inclusive education can look like in higher education.

EXCEL mentor Emma Volkmann describes how working with EXCEL students has influenced her approach to leadership, strengthened her empathy, and fostered personal growth.

In continuing to celebrate EXCEL’s 10 year anniversary, mentor Shreya Joy shares how watching a mentee grow in confidence, independence, and leadership led to a lasting friendship and a deeper understanding of inclusion. Her experience with the program demonstrates the meaningful impact of EXCEL students with their community!

EXCEL Mentor Kanishka Sindhwani shares how mentorship is built on mutual support, shared experiences, and genuine friendship. It's truly amazing how through these connections, both students and mentors get to learn from one another, which creates relationships that enrich the Georgia Tech community and extend beyond a single semester!

The EXCEL program is about more than academics. It's also about belonging, independence, and finding a supportive community even after graduation! One parent reflects on the lasting impact that EXCEL had on her son's college journey, helping him build lifelong skills, meaningful connections, and the confidence to pursue new opportunities post-grad.

Leadership can take many forms, and EXCEL students continue to demonstrate the impact of self-advocacy, collaboration, and community engagement. Here is a reflection from the parents of EXCEL graduate Martha Haythorn about how her time at Georgia Tech helped strengthen her advocacy work and amplify her voice as a leader.

The impact of EXCEL extends beyond the students in the program; it reaches their families and the broader Georgia Tech community as well! Today we're sharing one parent's perspective on what makes EXCEL unique: a commitment to career readiness, independent living, and building a campus culture where disability inclusion can be a learning opportunity for everyone. 🐝