Our Take: 3.5 Stars

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, offers a look into what’s to come in Phase IV while introducing a new Asian superhero to the MCU.

It introduces the title character (Simu Liu, “Akira Project”), as an unimpressive Californian bachelor named Sean who works as a valet driver, frequents late-night karaoke bars with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina, “Ocean’s Eight”) and relies on Katy’s mother for meals. But Sean’s childish lifestyle is shattered when he is ambushed on a bus by agents of the Ten Rings, an underground terrorist empire built by his father (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, “Red Cliff”) over thousands of years, with the help of ten armlets.

The attack forces Sean to finally reckon with the reality of his past – the death of his mother (Fala Chen, “Heart of Greed”), the brutal training he underwent as a child to become an elite killer, and the failure that caused him to flee his father at 14 and abandon his sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). With Katy in tow, Sean (whose real name is Shang-Chi) travels across the world to find Xialing, discover the truth about his mother’s past, and ultimately confront his father and prevent him from unleashing a literal demon on the world.

The film has been received extremely well, with a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is primarily due to its stunning visuals and tasteful depiction of Chinese culture. The action sequences are some of the best Marvel has ever produced as the franchise continues to one-up themselves, taking full advantage of technological advances and big budgets to create increasingly mind-blowing sets.

The emphasis on contrasting martial arts styles is a major theme of the movie. Whereas Shang-Chi’s father relies on his rings for power, his mother draws her strength from nature. Shang-Chi himself struggles to reconcile these two natures, and this element of spirituality comes across through many cleverly choreographed fight scenes, as well as the actual plot and dialogue.

“Shang-Chi” is also Marvel’s first film to feature an Asian protagonist and a predominantly Asian cast. Chen and Leung especially give excellent performances, and Liu successfully portrays someone Shang’s loyalty and self-deprecation. The entire story revolves around an Asian family, and overall, the movie effectively introduces a new world to the MCU. It will be exciting to see the role that this world will play in future.

The main weakness of the film is its canned plot. There is nothing in the story that would surprise or intrigue a casual fan. The connections to other parts of the MCU (Wong, the Mandarin, etc.) are mostly comedic distraction and contribute little to the story, and the movie relies on its massive budget to distract the viewers from an lackluster narrative. The rings are essentially a plot device, the family-centric conflict has a predictable resolution, and everyone pretty much ends up where you would expect them to be.

The character development is also somewhat lacking, as Shang-Chi’s motivations are rather unclear for much of the movie — he abandoned his sister but wants to protect her, and he mourns his mother yet resolves to kill the man she loved. Katy’s character arc is unresolved, and the various decisions made by characters such as Shang’s mother are left unexplained. The story ultimately reaches a conclusion, but it is not a particularly satisfying one.

In the end, “Shang-Chi” is a standard superhero origin story with cool stunts and a unique cultural twist. It is worth seeing in theaters just for the visual effects, and it introduces an exciting new character to the MCU, but it is also somewhat overhyped: the plot is forgettable, and as technology continues to advance, a movie that is so reliant on CGI will not age well. It is comparable to origin movies like Dr. Strange, where the actual events of the movie are secondary to the introduction of central character to the larger narrative of the MCU. After the saga-concluding blockbusters of the past couple years, Marvel is entering a new phase. Shang-Chi serves its purpose as one of the building blocks in this process.

During my second year I was sitting in a lecture hall in Athens, GA at the annual Georgia College Press Association conference with editors from nearly every college newspaper in the state. At these conferences, I admittedly tend to feel a little inept among other students who have established journalism majors at their colleges. At this specific conference however, I realized that what Tech lacks in niche liberal art programs, it makes up for in preparation for the real world job market, which is ever evolving to be more technologically forward.

Over the course of the presentation, the speaker drilled into us that in order to be competitive journalists we needed to have experience working with virtual reality and data visualization, as well as some coding knowledge, since that was the direction the field was going in. While all of the other students from liberal art heavy colleges were furiously jotting down those terms, I was astonished that my CS 1315 class, which I had to take twice after a valiant yet futile first attempt, might end up being beneficial down the road.

I know that getting a Bachelor of Science in Literature, Media, and Communication may seem strange. I vividly remember joking about it with one of my high school friends my freshman year, as they too were ironically getting a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Computer Science from the University of Georgia. While I originally resented the technology and math heavy courses Tech forced me to take to achieve a B.S. when I would have been content never seeing an equation again in my life, it is moments like that conference when I realize I am miles ahead of my non-Tech counterparts.

STEM has constantly invaded my liberal arts education, making its presence known even in classes where you would not expect it. I remember sitting in my LMC seminar class, which was dedicated to studying Robin Hood, and having an in-depth conversation about the technological advancements of Robin Hood’s bow and arrow. At first I found these conversations to be a nuisance and, as someone who did not have a strong STEM background coming into Tech, they felt slightly inaccessible and exclusionary to me. After a while, I gained confidence in my liberal arts experience here and realized that in order for me to take full advantage of the brilliant minds at Tech, I needed to embrace the engineering invasions every so often.

Getting a B.S. as a liberal arts major may seem silly, but it’s one of the best decisions someone can make in today’s job field. Nearly every field is integrating more and more technology into their everyday business operations and that one coding class you have to suffer through will expose you to a world of knowledge that can give you a leg up in the job market, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

What was said at that conference made me evermore confident in my decision to be a LMC major at an engineering school. While those at humanities heavy institutions were jotting down what they needed to teach themselves in order to be a competitive candidate, I had already been exposed to all of those things through my classes at Tech. So, to all my fellow liberal art students out there, pay attention to the STEM concepts you’re taught in class. I know those long labs will be brutal and the lines of code might make you cry, but it will all be (hopefully) worth it in the end.

Our Take: 5 Stars

After a four year hiatus, a trip to Antarctica, multiple email updates sent out to fans and a whole lot of growing up, Lorde released her third studio album, “Solar Power,” on Aug. 20. Produced in conjunction with Jack Antonoff and Malay, the album explores themes of Lorde’s transition into adulthood as the 24 year old singer croons about the celebrity lifestyle and the reality of getting older. These themes are accompanied by a consistent laidback soundtrack that relies heavily on acoustic guitars, a high contrast to Lorde’s usual arsenal of synthetic beats.

At the top of the twelve track album is a song entitled “The Path” that sets the tone for the album as Lorde sheds herself of the responsibility of pulling others out of a sadness she herself just learned how to handle. Lyrics such as, “ … now, if you’re looking for a saviour/Well, that’s not me/You need someone to take your pain for you?/Well, that’s not me” point towards one of Lorde’s overall messages of the album that harps on the importance of prioritizing your mental health and happiness. Within the same song, Lorde hints at the anxiety she experienced as a young celebrity, noting the nightmares she has of the flashes of the paparazzi camera. Lyrics along this theme seem to serve as Lorde’s explanation for taking so many years off in order to grow up outside of the pressure of the public eye.

“Solar Power” turns back slightly towards Lorde’s roots with “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” a moody ballad that served as the second single of the album. While the song is surely no “Ribs,” from her freshman album, it does invoke some of the same heart wrenching feelings of uncertainty and fear of missing out, but in a more mature setting than the party scene Lorde painted in the aforementioned fan favorite.

The highlights of the album include “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All),” a song that discusses the desperation of being a young girl searching for the feeling of being desired. Another notable track is “Dominoes,” a message to the boy who seems to blow through second chances like cheap chewing gum.

One of the strongest songs of the album comes at the tail end with “Mood Ring,” a final attempt from Lorde to figure out her feelings through the use of millennial wellness tactics, including surrounding oneself with plants and crystals.

The loudest criticism of “Solar Power” has been it’s lack of radio worthy bangers.

Listeners that think this album is boring are going to be underwhelmed by the reality of getting older.

Once you get out of your angsty, melodramatic teenage years and begin to transition to adult life, Lorde seems to preach that everything becomes more simple and slow paced throughout the course of this album.

Lorde is self aware that she did not produce this album for the masses, and instead uses it as a personal diary guide for those of her fan base that are navigating the transition into adulthood at the same time as her. “Secrets from a Girl” reiterates this message with the lines, “…couldn’t wait to turn fifteen/Then you blink and it’s been ten years/Growing up a little at a time then all at once,” noting the incredibly terrifying passage of time.

Whether you grew up a millionaire off of a pop song about not being rich or you’re normal like the rest of us, this album can either be taken at face value as a nice soundtrack for hanging out outdoors, or listeners can dig a little deeper to excavate the lessons Lorde has learned throughout her journey to maturity that can be applied to their own lives when the time comes.

Students browsing around social media may notice a new Tech affiliated account with an unusual username in their suggested follow list. At first glance, Instagram users may not associate the handle @workhard.havefun with an account run by attorneys, but the lighthearted account allows followers to gain an inside look at the everyday life of Tech’s Office of the General Counsel.

The Instagram account, that frequently posts wholesome gifs and behind the scenes pictures of Tech’s legal staff, is updated by Ling-Ling Nie, who serves as General Counsel and Vice President for Ethics and Compliance.

Nie, who arrived at Tech in March of 2019, started the social media account as a way to connect everyone in the legal office.

She brought the idea over from her previous job as Chief Compliance Officer and Assistant General Counsel at Panasonic, where she originally came up with the idea of maintaining an Instagram account for the legal department there.

The original idea behind the social media account was to keep the team connected with each other and present an alternative perspective into the
lives of everyday attorneys.

“It was an idea I came up with and shared with my general counsel as sort of a useful tool for a number of reasons,” said Nie.

“For one, it helps to dispel the myth of what a lawyer is to our clients. We also used it as an inclusion tool since at my last employer we had attorneys all over the world, so we don’t necessarily know who everyone is and what their hobbies are and what they do, so it served as a way to stay connected and learn about each other.”

The Instagram account serves as a way for Nie to incorporate one of her passions into her work at the Institute.

“Growing up I was really into scrapbooking. I love photos, I love captions and I love design,” said Nie.

“I was on my high school student newspaper staff. I was always scrapbooking on the side, and when you start working time is never available anymore for your interests outside of your career. So, I thought well why don’t I transform my love of scrapbooking in some way that will be useful to me and my job. The Instagram account became kind of a creative outlet for me to kind of continue doing some of these things that I love, but too it was really an effort to kind of humanize the legal function so people saw us as human beings first and sort of lawyer second.”

The account’s name, @workhard.havefun, is a reflection of Nie’s philosophy when it comes to work. “I’ve told people this before and they get a little bit scared when I say it, but once I finish what I’m saying I think they understand, but I don’t actually believe in work-life balance,” said Nie.

“I don’t think it actually exists in the way that we think it should. If you’re constantly striving to have an equal amount of time at work and an equal amount of time with your home life, you’re going to be disappointed because we have so much to juggle. I sort of subscribe to that philosophy of work life integration where work becomes part of your life and the way to make it manageable is to make it fun.

“You know, we’re human beings, we have lots of hobbies, we are friends, we can bring your whole self to work and you don’t have to save that for after work hours. I really want people to enjoy working here, enjoy coming to work and enjoy their colleagues and I think this Instagram was sort of a reflection of that approach that I tried to take to managing this team.”

The motivation behind the account is that community members who interact with the Instagram page will see that the legal team at Tech is approachable and here to help.

“I hope [students] walk away thinking that the legal team is a part of the campus community. The analogy I like to use is like we’re lifeguards; we tell people what the rules are and we’re here to save you so that you don’t get yourself in trouble,” said Nie.

“I hope people take away from it that we are a group of really diverse individuals who like to have fun, we like to work hard and we get a lot of fulfillment from serving our clients. I hope people see that there’s more to being a lawyer than just contracts and lawsuits. We are human beings just like everybody else.”

Many posts on the page highlight the comradery of the legal office staff, including pictures from staff social outings. Nie feels as though these opportunities to bond are vital to a good working environment.

“I think people underestimate the importance of just spending time together, and not talking about work, it really sort of builds that fundamental relationship that you need to have when you’re faced with difficult issues,” said Nie.

“You know, I won’t lie, being an in-house attorney is a tough job. Being an attorney at Georgia Tech is a tough job. There’s lots of really difficult complex issues that we have to deal with and so the team really needs to get along with each other, and like each other to be able to tackle these things as a group.”

Nie stresses the importance of using the legal services at Tech to your advantage when needed.

“My motto is always contact us early and often,” said Nie. “You don’t need to come to us only when you have a problem, you know, feel free to come to us at any time. We’re more than happy to kind of share what we’re doing to sit down with you and help you work through what challenges you might face as you’re embarking on a new project or initiative.”

Nie also encourages students interested in pre-law to get connected with the team.

“I am very much someone who really wants people to pursue legal careers. I think it’s responsibility of lawyers right now to kind of create a space for the next generation of attorneys and so if anyone who’s pre-law or who’s considering a career in the legal field, wants to reach out and spend a day with us or just chat on the phone, we’re very happy to do that.”

Students interested in learning more about the Office of the General Counsel can follow their Instagram account @workhard.havefun or visit generalcounsel.gatech.edu/about to learn more.

In my first few months at Tech, I found myself in a position not uncommon for many students—choosing my major. Specifically, I was debating the merits of two great majors, business and industrial engineering (ISYE), and what impact they would have on my future career. The stress of my indecision wore on me, and every time I saw a brochure or email advertising the benefits of either major, I felt another weight added to the growing anchor of my concerns.

To an impressionable freshman, the two seemed identical. A seemingly fruitless meeting with an ISYE alumni bore one memorable statement, “I’m basically a business major except I can say that I’m also an engineer”.

None of the information that I gathered was helpful and the impressions that I gained felt like ISYE was a more advanced and successful version of Scheller. The process of debating either major was extremely drawn out. I whined to my advisor, scrolled aimlessly through LinkedIn, and panicked to my friends who were probably equally panicked.

From a course perspective, industrial engineering leans far more into the sciences, with math requirements including Discrete Mathematics, Physics 1 and 2, and another pair of sequential lab sciences. Conversely, business provides a broader course selection with math requirements up to Linear Algebra and only 2 lab sciences.

The decrease in STEM requirements allows Scheller students to take general management classes such as Foundations of Strategy and Technical Communication. Unsurprisingly, industrial engineering and business share few classes past the general curriculum besides Accounting 1.

While there are students who fervently align themselves with the strengths of industrial engineering, the theoretical learning of process improvement, statistics, and data modeling, I found the curriculum to be overwhelming for someone who didn’t immediately engage with those topics.

I found business to be much more welcoming to a student who didn’t particularly enjoy math. The requirements of Discrete Math were not in my future career goals of consulting, info technology, and pre law.

Granted, math will have a place in my future, but I don’t think I will use the level of mathematics that IE prepares its students for. A majority of the ISYE curriculum hinges on completing ISYE 2027, the gate way into the rest of the ISYE curriculum; business majors face no such gatekeeping through its curriculum.

Business’s biggest pull, its wide flexibility, was also what drew me to Scheller’s curriculum. While I can enroll in classes that introduce me to a multitude of business related topics, I also can explore more classes in my Pre-Law track where I could take classes such as Intro to Social Justice without worrying about falling behind in my major.

A notable shortcoming of business is its lack of exposure to computer science in its general requirements whereas Industrial Engineers are required to enroll in computer science courses such as CS 2316 and 4400. However, business students who are still interested in obtaining a CS related competitive advantage can concentrate their major in Information Technology Management and get certificates in Business Analytics.

This allows business majors to stay competitive with their IE counterparts while having the same business major “flexibility”.

For the foreseeable future, I will be staying in Scheller as a business major, and I will continue to explore the topics that pique my interests. IE and business, as close as they seem, are not the same.

The breadth of business allows Scheller students to explore fields that might not be as accessible to IE majors, but it still lacks the depth that Industrial Engineering students are able to reach through their highly analytical curriculum. There are merits to each major, but I found it most helpful to think about my future goals and how much math was required to get there.

On July 22, members of the Tech community came together to celebrate the unveiling of the Progress Pride Staircase, now located at the Klaus Advanced Computing Building.

The event was marked by speeches made by current Pride Alliance President Lisa Medford, fourth year PUBP, LGBTQIA Resource Center staff Camilla Frost-Brewer and Tegra Myanna, as well as a few words from Provost Mclaughlin and the project’s artist.

Medford led the way on the nearly year long Progress Pride Staircase project, which began as a conversation amongst various student leaders about the power of visual representation on campus and how they could work to bring more of that to Tech’s campus.

“We were having a really phenomenal discussion on visual representation and how we were going to accomplish that with a mural that included so many identities and it just sprang in to our own communities and how we celebrated ourselves,” said Medford.

“That led to me thinking, you know, we’re in the middle of Atlanta, we’re in the middle of an amazing city, and an amazing beautiful campus and adding a symbol of progress and pride with a design that represents intersex identity was an idea that came to mind and felt possible.”

Medford worked closely with and was supported by members of her Pride Alliance executive team, the LGBTQIA resource center and Tech administration to make her vision a reality.

The process was also made easier by Medford working alongside Sinet Adous, fifth-year INTA, who spear-headed her own diversity mural project that is currently in progress on Tech Walkway.

“You go to college and you don’t assume that you’ll be having conversations with your president and your provost and all these different departments trying to gather all of these people to make one project happen in away that, before Sinet’s project, hadn’t really happened before on this campus,” said Medford.

“You don’t think you’ll run into that many really cool adults in college that care about what students value and care about being really inclusive and that kind of support from administration and departments makes me have a greater appreciation of Georgia Tech and the ways in which we all work together to make some really needed initiatives happen.”

Students and staff members alike gathered under the hot Georgia sun to celebrate the official unveiling of the steps and listened in as Medford discussed the importance of the project for Tech’s LGBTQIA+ community.

“I want all of these collective efforts, the progress we’ve made together, to be permanently marked in full color on this cam-pus on stairs that move up.

It’s important for me to have LGBT people of color, the intersex community and the trans community all represented, making this visual one of the most inclusive in the nation,” Medford said.

The inclusiveness the staircase represents is well-needed in the Tech community, as noted by Lauren Paulson, a second year ME student who serves as head of Marketing and Graphic De-sign for Pride Alliance.

“When I was first considering going to Georgia Tech, part of me was a little worried as an out of state LGBT student going down to a school in Georgia,” Paulson said. I remember pulling up Georgia Tech’s Instagram and they had posted a photo of Buzz with the pride flag and that gave me a bit more confidence. I can’t imagine what seeing something like this on my campus tour would have meant to me. I remember walking around on my campus tour and seeing this little LGBT resource center tucked away in the corner and even that meant a ton to me back then.”

In her speech, Medford went on to note that the project was funded by the SGA Mental Health Joint Allocations Committee, which was formed in direct response to the shooting of Scout Schultz.

“Scout’s memory and their activism continues on in each of us, and brings recognition that there is still work that must be done. This Progress Staircase brings visual representation to the LGBTQ community. It pro-vides visibility to our queer community and it fosters a more accepting school environment.”

Scout’s impact was not underscored during the event as the artist behind the staircase, Ting, an alumni of the Institute, used their platform to speak out about the incident and Tech’s lack of adequate student mental health resources. “Until Georgia Tech GTPD defunds GTPD and invests in the well-being of its queer students, the pride staircase is merely a performative gesture,” said Ting.

Tech’s YDSA chapter distributed flyers containing information regarding their Counselors not Cops committee. The flyers also included QR codes that linked to the LGBTQIA Center Student Relief Fund and an article by LMC professor Dr. Hallie Lieberman titled “The Trigger Effect” that describes the Schultz incident and the after effects of the shooting surrounding Tech’s community.

For more information on LGBTQIA resources including the newly established LGBTQIA Center Student Relief Fund, please visit lgbtqia.gatech.edu/.

Climate change affects everyone, but not to the same extent nor in the same way. We are presented with plenty of environmentally-conscious lifestyle changes to make that are framed as being feasible alternatives for everyone, like biking instead of driving, buying second-hand clothing instead of fast fashion and cutting out single-use plastics.

However, not everyone has the same accessibility to sustainable choices, and especially not to drastic lifestyle changes.

The zero waste movement does more than just eliminate using plastic straws. Zero wasters eliminate nearly the entirety of their trash, focusing on reusing as much as possible.

A zero waste lifestyle is often characterized online by DIY projects making plastic-free cleaning supplies, lining pantry shelves with mason jars and carrying reusable utensils everywhere.

These efforts are in response to staggering amounts of waste generated each year (formally referred to as municipal solid waste, MSW). The EPA reported in 2018 that the US generated 292.4 million tons of MSW, which is equivalent to 4.9 pounds per person per day. 146.1 million tons of MSW was sent to the landfill that same year. While approximately 94 million tons of the MSW were recycled or composted, recycling programs in the US have faced challenges in recent years.

Cross contamination of dirty items placed with recyclables and a lack of effective federal recycling infrastructure in the US have both resulted in only a portion of what consumers intend to recycle actually being recycled.

By living a lifestyle in which everything is reused and repurposed, zero wasters are cutting out landfills and recycling plants from their daily routine. However, being zero waste may require access to a grocery store where food can be purchased in bulk or without plastic wrapping.

It can require time to cook certain foods from scratch and forgo conveniences such as pre-packaged meals, plastic bottles and paper towels — small sacrifices for some, but essentials for others.

Disability activists have pointed out that people with disabilities often rely on disposable products such as plastic straws to safely drink. Other alternatives like paper straws fall apart too quickly and silicone straws might not be flexible enough for people with limited mobility.

As Lei Wiley-Mydske, an autism activist who was diagnosed with autism in her thirties, explains, a plastic straw ban places a new burden on people with disabilities to come up with a new solution themselves, not on companies.

Additionally, people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis and extreme weather events. During Australian bushfires in 1994, people with disabilities were evacuated without essential equipment like wheelchairs and ventilators. Other factors such as inaccessibility of disaster-preparedness resources and planning without including people with disabilities are some of many contributing to higher death rates for people with disabilities during disasters.

I question why the zero waste movement doesn’t more frequently acknowledge people who cut out nearly all their waste from their lifestyle, or as much waste as they possibly can, given where they are living, what resources they have access to and how feasible some of these “quick changes” can be implemented. The perfectionism needed to live a truly zero waste lifestyle can be discouraging to start making substitutes and changes.

Remember that while eco-friendly substitutes in your life may be easy to implement, they might be challenging (or even life threatening) to others.

What frustrates me even more than how the zero waste movement is framed is how individual responsibility in addressing climate change is emphasized more than the responsibility of corporations and governments. Individual choices in our day-to-day life do make an impact on the climate, but such a small one when compared to the damage larger corporations have had.

Guilting or shaming people for their “inadequate” sustainability efforts turns the attention away from those who cause the most environmental damage and results in a non-inclusive and in turn, less effective, movement.

A 2017 report by CDP found 100 fossil fuel producers account for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Companies use greenwashing to market their unsustainable products as environmentally-friendly and when making efforts to reduce emissions, often do not account for emissions that occur from the product during and after it is used, only while it is being made.

Individuals can have a large impact on corporate decisions related to climate change by using their power as consumers. A Harvard Business Review survey found that while 65% of people want to choose greener options when shopping for products, only 26% follow through on this.

However, if greener options remain more expensive and not widely available (a result of environmental classism and racism which manifest itself in ways such as food deserts), pressuring corporations to produce more products in a sustainable manner, as well as products that can be used and disposed with minimal environmental impact, must remain central to the sustainability movement.

Additionally, without including BIPOC experiences in the sustainability movement, corporations who contribute to environmental racism will not be held accountable. Black people are more likely to be exposed to air pollution from many industries including construction, power plants and transportation, whereas white people are exposed to below average concentrations of particulate matter air pollution. More than half of people living within 1.86 miles to hazardous waste are people of color. The CDC found in a study that while 2.3% of white children are exposed to lead poisoning, 11.2% of Black children are.

Individuals can apply more pressure to corporations and governments to change their policies to reflect the values they claim to have. Governments often present mixed messages about climate change as Ian Christie explains in the Green Alliance’s 2010 publication “From Hot Air to Happy Endings.” Christie points out that although climate change is one of the most threatening issues to humanity, the time and geographical gap between individuals’ actions and their effects are large. Politicians often describe the climate crisis as a catastrophe that must be addressed, but present solutions to this is in a politically favorable light, such as the promise new technologies invented in the future will mean fewer lifestyle sacrifices.

I don’t have solutions to these complex issues, but if there isn’t more awareness of how the sustainability movement is failing certain groups of people by not providing feasible and accessible solutions, then the sustainability movement will fail at its central goal. Placing less blame on individuals for their choices and maintaining focus on larger corporations’ and governments’ policies is a good starting place.

The Gucci Changemakers North America Scholarship Program was launched in 2019 as an initiative to increase diversity in the fashion and design industries, as well as support undergraduate students with an interest in these fields.

The group of scholarship recipients are awarded financially with a scholarship of up to $20,000 and with mentorship opportunities and programs such as the Gucci Program for Scholars to learn more about working in the fashion industry.

“The fund was created to ensure a new era of diverse and exceptional young people will gain opportunities and experiences across the fashion industry, therefore empowering the youth and giving a voice to the next generation,” said the Gucci Equilibrium website.

Second-year BA Aboubacar Barrie was one of 22 recipients of the Changemaker scholarship this year, selected from 450 applicants. Barrie is the owner of the FORENAIRE clothing brand, which he founded in 2016.

The brand initially focused on creating minimalistic hoodies and now hopes to expand to professional clothing as well.

“An individual who despite all barriers, doubt, inconvenience, circumstances, and injustices, eventually perseveres and tries their very best to become the best version of themselves [is a Forenaire]. A person that fights for the right thing is a Forenaire,” the Forenaire website explains.

Recently, Barrie has expanded his brand to make athletic clothing for athletes wearing a hijab.

Additionally, the Forenaire Cares initiative was launched to support communities both in the United States and abroad. A percentage of profits made from sales of the “Forenaire For Guinea” hoodie were donated to organizations supporting people living in Guinea.

Barrie’s work building his brand over the last few years as both a high school and college student led him to find out about the scholarship.

“I found out about the Gucci Changemaker Scholarship through one of my business and career mentors who introduced me to the opportunity,” Barrie said.

“His name is Mr. Lorenzo Gordon with the Humbl Hustlr Organization. I decided to apply because I felt I met the criteria: an innovator in the fashion/clothing industry.”

The application process for the scholarship consisted of both a written portion and portfolio. Barrie wrote about the question of what progress meant to him and used the portfolio to highlight his brand.

“I submitted photocopies of my ‘FORENAIRE’ brand, including product images, model shots and mock-ups,” Barrie said.
In early April, Barrie found out he had advanced to the finalist round.

“During this round, I had to submit an introductory video explaining who I was and answering one of three questions,” Barrie said. “I chose the option ‘Receiving a financial award from Gucci will be instrumental in my life because…’ In this round, I also had to submit a copy of my college transcript and my financial aid award details.”

On June 21, Barrie found out he had been awarded the scholarship.

After hearing the news, Barrie reached out to some of the other finalists via social media to congratulate one another.

Being a scholarship recipient has helped Barrie in numerous ways beyond the financial component.

“I received valuable mentorship through an internship with Gucci, under the Gucci Program for Scholars. I also made valuable connections with top Gucci Executives whom I still speak to today,” Barrie said.

Looking to the future, Barrie hopes to combine his degree in Business with other interests.

“My plans after college [are] to work at a tech company in a business-related position,” Barrie said. “I would also love to work at Gucci in their marketing or ads positions. Lastly, I’d like to continue working on my brand.”

To learn more about Barrie’s brand, visit forenaire.com/.

Imagine Music Festival, Atlanta’s longest running EDM festival, will return to the city on September 17-19. This year, Imagine expects about 25,000 attendees and will feature a pool party, food trucks, and vendors. Imagine was founded in 2014 as a smaller two-day event, but year after year has attracted bigger musicians and bigger crowds. Every year, Imagine has successfully pulled off an exciting event with stunning  visuals, a silent disco, and even camping options for a one-of-a-kind experience.

Following a worldwide hiatus from festivals and concerts, Imagine is back for another year at a new venue. The new location is in Chattahoochee Hills, on the Bouckaert Farm. The location’s natural surroundings will make the change one for the better in comparison to the flat racetrack where Imagine has been held previously.

Like in previous years, Imagine has some big names lined up to perform. These include:

Illenium, Kaskade, Gryffin, Madeon, 3LAU, Adventure Club B2B Riot Ten, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Blunts & Blondes, Carnage B2B Borgore, CharlestheFirst, Clozee, Dabin, Dion Timmer, Ghost Rydr (Ghastly B2B Joyryde), Kasbo, Kayzo B2B Subtronics, Liquid Stranger, Peekaboo, Subtronics (“Wooked on Tronics” set), Shpongle Droid (Simon Posford Live, featuring Android Jones), Virtual Riot B2B Barely Alive. The Disco Inferno stage will feature Fisher with the Catch & Release Takeover and including Lee Foss, Malaa, Shiba San, Walker & Royce, John Summit, Noizu, Sidepiece, SNBRN, VNSSA, Dillon Nathaniel, Deeper Purpose, LP Giobbi, Subrinse, and Westend. The Wakaan Takeover will feature Liquid Stranger, Champagne Drip B2B Luzcid, Shlump, G-Rex, Esseks, Sully, Mize, and a Wakaan Family B2B set. Other artists joining the Imagine lineup include Abelation, Alber-K, Blackgummy, Brondo, Corrupt UK, Devault, Dieselboy, Eddie Gold, Joyce Muniz, Kaivon, Laser Assassins, Leah Culver, Lick, Mersiv, Moore Kismet, No Mana, Of the Trees, and Reaper.

The daytime party will continue this year, along with the option to camp. Imagine has always been a very friendly environment and is a great place to start for baby-ravers. Tickets are on sale at www.imaginefestival.com. Ticket sales are in Phase 4 so supply is limited.