Tucker Cox in action taking on all of his competitors, while making good use of his hiding spots while being attacked.
Luke Micham is getting ready to take action, while waiting for the other team to make the first move.
The Piedmont Campus Activies held a lazar tag event on Wedneday March 22nd. The team’s we’re red verse blue. Each played only had a certain amount of lives then they were out of the game. Lots of fun had by all who attended.
My name is Jarrett Jevon Ray. I am a Mass Communications major at Piedmont University. I believe I’m a sophomore or junior. Before I came to Piedmont, I attended Georgia State University for Communications and Theater. Before Georgia State University, I was attending Dalton State College majoring in psychology. I came to Piedmont to pursue a career in radio.
If my friends were to describe my personality, I think they would use words such as goofy, caring, and sensitive. From my perspective my personality usually leaves a positive impact on people whether we’re still friends today or not.
I am an only child. So, growing up I had to play by myself a lot. Which is probably the reason I easily fell in love with the game of basketball. It’s probably the only sport you can practice by yourself. Since the seventh grade I’ve had a deep passion for basketball. It’s always been more than a sport to me. Playing basketball was almost like therapy. Just being on the court and not having to worry about school, troubles at home, or my future. On my worst days basketball was always there for me one way or another, and still is.
Right now, I’m focused solely on pursuing a career in radio. A goal of mine is to one day become a member of the Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club is an American syndicated radio show based in New York City. They’re show has been on air since 2010 which amazes because, as they say on the show, they’re team and show has been on air together longer than some people have been married. After radio my retirement plans are a little all over the place. But I’m interested in trying stand-up comedy and I also hope to get a chance to host my own TV talk show.
My name is Chloe Spradlin and this is my first year at Piedmont. I am a junior transfer student from the University of Montevallo. I transferred to play soccer for the Lions, but the mass communications program is just as important to me.
I want to have a career in sports journalism. I love all sports but my favorites are soccer, football and baseball. I am always playing or watching sports, and I knew from an early age that I wanted my career to be in sports. I can see myself coaching but commentating and analyzing is my dream.
I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia with my mom, January, and my sister, Harper. I graduated from Starr’s Mill High School in 2020.
At my old school, I changed my major twice. My freshman year from exercise science to communications, and my sophomore year from communications to mass communications. I took a semester of mass communications classes and fell in love with what I was doing. I can’t wait to be involved with it when I am older.
Since I live in Atlanta, there are a lot of places I can intern or work for in the future. CNN, Cox Media, Sinclair Broadcasting and Bally Sports are all places I’ve applied to intern with, but I didn’t get them. This year my plan is to try and branch out of state for internship opportunities.
I am using Piedmont as a second chance. As much as I loved my old school, I struggled there for a lot of reasons. This past year I was able to regroup and find what is important to me. I have also matured and understood that I have to work for what I want. Life came easy to me in my childhood, so college was a shock for me.
Overall, I am anxious, but excited to start this new chapter in my life!
My name is Hailey Johnson. I am a junior and mass communications major at Piedmont University.
I was born and raised in Arizona but moved to Newnan, Georgia my sophomore year of high school. It’s difficult because all my extended family lives in Arizona so it’s hard not having them around but just gives us more of an excuse to go back and visit! I am on the Piedmont women’s soccer team, and I am involved with The Roar as the sports editor. I love writing as well as photography and am always taking pictures whether it’s of my friends when we hang out, out on the field at a sporting event, or planned photoshoots.
I come from a big family who I absolutely adore, and they mean so much to me. I have two brothers and two sisters. My older brother, Brenden, who is a helicopter mechanic in the Navy, is married and has a beautiful two-year-old daughter! I am the second oldest, then I have my two sisters who are both in high school. Rylie is a senior and Makenzie is a junior. Something interesting about them is that they’re only 11 months apart, so they are super close! Then I have my youngest brother, Callen, he just started second grade and loves to play baseball. They all are truly my best friends and I love being around them. I am very close with both my parents, especially my dad. Him and I have very similar personalities, not to mention I look just like him. My mom is the sweetest, most down to earth person I’ve met, and she always makes sure I feel loved and thought of, especially when I’m away at school! Something my whole family enjoys is the lake. We have a ski boat and love to take it out to go wakeboarding, tubing, and fishing. If I could live on the lake, I would!
After I graduate, I’m not sure exactly what I want to do but I’m hoping it will involve journalism and possibly photography!
Something about me that is kind of shocking to most people is my origin and ethnicity. It is my favorite thing to tell people simply because I love their reactions and sudden interest. Before I get into that, let me introduce myself.
My name is Samantha Carvallo and I am a senior graphic design major and mass communications minor here at Piedmont University. I came to Piedmont as a recruited cross country runner and had an interest in athletic training. My science skills, however, were pretty subpar and I did not do so well my first semester here. My art skills have been around since I was little but I always thought of them as a back-up plan. I never thought I could make a career out of it until I discovered my interest in graphic design. I changed my major the following semester and felt like I found my place. Last year, I decided to take my graphic design experience a little further by becoming the publications designer for The Roar and made so many new friends. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to minor in mass communications to pursue a career in design editing.
How did I end up in Georgia to begin with? Well, I was actually born in Talca, Chile along with my older sister (yes I do speak spanish). When I turned two years old, my family and I moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia which is where my younger brother was born. We moved down to Georgia not long after because my father had gotten a teaching position at the University of Georgia as a spanish professor. I come across as fully white because of my skin color but that is not the case. I am mixed. My mom is from Lafayette, Indiana and met my dad while they were getting their master’s degrees at Ohio State University. My dad is the one who encouraged my mom to go to his hometown (Talca) to meet his family and learn about the culture. She became fluent in spanish not long after she moved with my dad and they got married not long after.
Whenever I ask about why we left Chile, I am always told that it was so my siblings and I could have a better life and work for things that not every chilean can have. I am thankful and so happy to be here. It is crazy to think about how a simple decision affected my whole life up to this point, but I will never forget where I am from.
I graduate next spring and it sends chills down my spine even writing this because I have no clue what my capstone is going to be on. I haven’t determined if these are excited chills or anxious chills but I know that I will make it out okay. Piedmont will always have a place in my heart.
My name is Kayla, I’m 3rd year here at piedmont university. I’m a mass compaction major as well. Some things I love to do in my free time include. Swimming, dancing, singing, and reading. I’ve been swimming since I was 6 years old it’s always been my favorite thing to do. I have a total of 13 older siblings than me and one younger.
My favorite color is yellow, I have a bad obsession with the color yellow. I like to think I have a bubbly personality, I try to always smile and be nice key work here is that I try. Some goals I have for myself is to graduate and to get a new car before the year is up. Growing up I was raised more on the town boy side, sometimes I suspect my dad wanted me to be a boy.
Below you will see a picture of me where I felt like I was actually making moves in my life.
Bigg Daddy’s restaurant in downtown Cornelia is a restaurant many students go to on a weekly basis with its’ hometown restaurant feel, and the home-style foods that are served there.
“It is a homestyle restaurant, and we are always changing our menu to accommodate our guests,” said manager and bartender Sara Alexander. “Our wings and burgers seem to be our most popular food choices, so that’s what we’re known for.”
With two restaurants both located in the North Georgia mountain towns of Cornelia and Helen, the restaurant attracts both locals of the area, and also tourists from all around the country.
“Our location here in Cornelia is where you see more local people from the area, and the Helen location is where mostly tourist stop by and eat.,” said Alexander.
In Cornelia, the upstairs is comprised of the classic restaurant layout with a bar located in one corner of the large establishment. Here is where guests are served their meal or alcoholic drinks, and are treated to 12 flatscreen televisions that have live sports playing 24/7. Downstairs boasts a newly implemented club-type atmosphere that attracts the younger crowd who are looking for a night out. Headlined by their famous wings and amazing burgers, there is no shortage of variety in their menu.
“I’ve been going to Bigg Daddy’s since my freshman year,” said senior marketing major Brandon Gregory. “Everyone who goes to Piedmont, and people who live in the area are very familiar with Bigg Daddy’s.”
Opened about five years ago, the staff at Bigg Daddy’s is one that is rather young, and this is done on purpose to give opportunities to youth in the area to start in the working field.
“We have a pretty young staff,” said Alexander. “I think I’m the oldest person working here. It teaches kids responsibility and holds them accountable. It also gives them the experience they need for when they start working in their career field.”
The restaurant not only attracts young workers, but also young customers.
“I frequently go to Bigg Daddy’s,” said Senior exercise science major Anteca Hill. “It has definitely been one of my go-to restaurants in the Habersham area.”
Stephen and Marilyn Martin followed the breadcrumbs to what is now Farmhouse Coffee.
“People come in and not just to get coffee but they feel like they’ve made a connection that day with somebody,” said Stephen and Marilyn Martin. “The idea was to create a place with great coffee, and where we can create community.”
Living in Cleveland for eight years, both Stephen and Marilyn had the idea for a really good coffee shop in Cleveland because there wasn’t one. Prior to this small establishment, the location housed a barber shop, sub station, and a catering and houseware store. Since March 2021, it has been Farmhouse Coffee.
“So we get our coffee regionally from Dawsonville. A guy named Doug, roasts our coffee specifically to our taste. But we do have possible plans in the future to do our own roasting,” said Stephen and Marilyn Martin. “We are planning on doing a curbside pickup as well, since we don’t have a drive thru.”
Along with these fantastic plans, Stephen and Marilyn Martin have already put into place “Farmhouse Commons,” a place where students, businesses and groups can meet together or study. With Farmhouse Coffee being such a small establishment, there is minimal seating offered. With the Commons being put into place the Farmhouse family will grow even larger.
“I think our most popular drink is the Michael Jackson, that is white chocolate and mocha,” said Stephen Martin. “I would argue and say that the Milkyway is there neck and neck, milkyway is white chocolate and caramel,” said Marilyn Martin.
Junior, Mass communication major, Caden Nelms lives in Cleveland and has been going to Farmhouse for a little over a year. “I think Farmhouse differs from other coffee shops because Stephen and Marilyn built a relationship with the community so quickly,” said Nelms. “It’s hard to choose just one order from there, but I love their Lavanilla coffee with coconut milk.”
First timer Freshman, Athletic Training major, Ashley Jeffery describes Farmhouse as welcoming. “The workers greeted you with a smile as soon as you came in,” said Jeffery. “The coffee was really good, there were plenty of options as well as good size choices.”
Farmhouse Coffee is loved by many communities such as University of North Georgia, Truett McConnell, Piedmont University as well as Cleveland. Students can show their ID at the register for a discount of 10% off.
“We would always say that the breadcrumbs led us where we needed to go,” said Stephen and Marilyn Martin. “What has made us successful is that we have the best coffee around and it is how we treat people. Our mission is that people are seen, heard and valued.”
Chicago pizza is not only a restaurant, they work together to make a family.
“The atmosphere there is amazing, you know I really like their menus and how they are set up, I just saw it when I was driving past, and I was like I really need to go and check them out it looks nice, and turns out I was right,” said sophomore mcom major Ella Cain.
According to their website, Rudy and Carlos of this establishment, had several years of experience working in successful pizzerias in Chicago and made the decision to open a small, carry out and delivery restaurant in Clarksville, in 2005.” They stated on their website “Barely in our twenties, it was intimidating to start something from scratch,” “We barely survived the first couple of years we were open, never having more than three employees at a time, ourselves included. But that just made us more driven.”
Pizza isn’t the only thing served at Chicago “I love their salad, they have a really good ranch dressing that I love, and you can’t pass up, they also have this garlic bread that is really good, and my favorite pizza would have to be the white pizza. I get it every time I go there, I never pass nor the pizza or salad up,” said Cain.
“Their pizza is really good Chicago has always been known to have some of the best pizza so I was surprised when I went there and it was Fantastic, I would most definitely recommend the restaurant to anybody who has ever been. My favorite thing to get from their menu is the baked lasagna and a personal cheese pizza. It is literally to die for,” said sophomore nursing major Grace Beasley.
Summer Colston employee of Chicago’s Pizza said the family atmosphere has drawn her to the restaurant “Chicago’s seems like a good place to work. It is very close to my home, and it is privately owned, which is something I prefer compared to a corporation. Colston has a recommendation for her favorite dish which is the chicken pesto pizza. The atmosphere is so nice, and all the workers are absolute sweethearts.”
“Even though I’ve only been here for a short amount of time, I cannot see myself leaving this place any time soon.”
In hopes to reshape the coffee shop standards, Lawrence Bridges decided to put his business hand forward and build Temperance House Fine Coffee in 2019 in Demorest, Georgia.
“My buddies and I would go up to another coffee shop every morning…and we felt like we weren’t getting the service we would have liked,” said Bridges. “One of my other friends looked at me one day and said, ‘Why don’t you open a coffee shop and we all would have a place to go?’ and I decided to give it a shot.”
After approaching Demorest City Hall about a new potential business, Bridges was able to get a lease in April 2019 for the vacant space that used to be the Piedmont Bookstore.
“When I took the building over, it looked very sterile,” said Bridges. “The walls were gray, the ceiling was bright white and the floor was covered in tile. It was difficult to find anyone to do the renovations at the time so I ended up doing it all myself. I wasn’t even fully ready to open come August 1st of 2019, but I just had to get the business started to get some money flowing.”
But why stop at having just a coffee shop? On Aug. 1, 2021, Bridges opened up the Public House Brew in addition to the coffee shop to further his business plan.
“We had a five-year business plan in place that included beer and wine at our two year point,” said Bridges. “Now I am waiting to hit my three-year point to add further changes.”
Junior mass communications major Rowan Edmonds worked as a barista at Temperance for a little under a year and learned a lot from her time there while serving customers.
“I really liked my coworker and my boss, Lawrence. Meeting new people was awesome,” said Edmonds. “I got really good at making coffee and lattes. I learned to be a lot more patient with people during my time there and it was a great experience.”
Junior biology major Catherine Mote is still currently working at Temperance as a barista and bartender. She has been able to make a lot of friends and gained new organizing skills since she started working there in 2020.
“I’ve definitely learned to be better about organizing and planning due to the schedule making,” said Mote. “I’ve also gained a lot of friends and had some neat conversations with people I never would have met otherwise. Temperance is actually where I started to become friends with one of my current roommates because she would study there all the time.”
The aim for growth continues for the Temperance House as Lawrence Bridges progresses through his business plans. Adding another business to the area impacted the tiny town that Piedmont University is located in.
“The coffee shop added another aspect to Demorest being a destination,” said Bridges. “We’re moving along. You will be amazed by what’s to come in downtown Demorest.”