The MTV Movie Awards occurred this past Sunday and recognized many worthy movies. Most of the contenders were worthy of their nominations, however, one was particularly well-liked and according to some, should have earned even more wins than it’s two wins out of six nominations.

Movie of the Year

While “Deadpool” was nominated for Movie of the Year, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” swooped in for the win. This is understandable as Star Wars speaks to multiple generations and brings out the inner-child in many people. The CGI and visual aesthetics were out of this world, but the movie lacked character development and left too many plot holes for many viewers.

Arguably, this is a more worthy goal than Deadpool’s lack of compassion and single-minded rampage, but the comedic appeal of the crimson antihero could outweigh the need for morals presented in the much anticipated revival of the adventures in the Star Wars movie universe.

Best Fight

“Deadpool” brought home the win for best fight for the scene between Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Ajax (Ed Skrein). This award is well deserved, but it would have been a sweeter win if the competition had been a little stiffer.

The fight that took place between Kylo Ren and Rey in “Star Wars” was anticlimactic and an unfair match as Kylo was a trained Knight of Ren, and Rey had no training — only having touched a light saber a few days earlier.

Comedic Performance

Beating out other contenders who included Melissa McCarthy’s surprisingly competent character in “Spy” and Rebel Wilson’s misfit character in “Pitch Perfect 2” who is blunt to the point of humor, Ryan Reynolds garnered the title of the Best Comedic Performance with Wade Wilson’s fourth wall breaking movie. The murderous protagonist gave the audience plenty of laughs as he gleefully hunts for Ajax, slaughtering whoever he chances to encounter along the way.

Best Villain

Keeping with the theme of the “Star Wars” and “Deadpool” dynamic duo, Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, from “Star Wars” was awarded Best Villain. This was an interesting decision as Kylo tended to act like a whiny teenager who throws tantrums on a regular bases and damages expensive property in the process. (*SPOILER ALERT*) He also killed Han Solo which was awful. This horrible act could also have won him best villain as he was able to do the unthinkable.

Best Female Performance

While the Technique’s forerunner was not a contender for Best Female Performance, there is a possibility of this in future, as his internal monologues often embody divers personas.

Charlize Theron’s Furiosa, however, would give Wade Wilson some trouble for the title. Her performance was noteworthy in that the movie did not emphasize that she was a woman more than that she was a capable hero. Furiosa is one of the few female protagonists allowed to think for herself and simply be a human, not a female in need of other’s protection or an ear to whine in.

For generations, society has been trying to answer the complex issue of what it means to be human. Is it flesh and bone or soul? Or is it the mind that ultimately defines your existence?

“And Again” is the incredible debut novel by Jessica Chiarella released in January earlier this year. Promoted as a science-fiction/dystopian look at human cloning, the novel is less sci-fi and more a character study of four individuals grasping at a second chance at life, which turns out to be a rather daunting prospect.

In the ultimate lottery, SUBLife has chosen four terminally-ill patients to have their consciousness transferred into perfectly cloned bodies as part of their pilot program to save lives, but the metamorphosis is too perfect.

While attempting to integrate into their previous lives, each character is forced to adjust to a body that, in reality, is not their own. Muscle memory is gone, sensory perceptions are new, tastes buds are those of a new born infant, and even their fingerprints have changed.

Generic in its basic premise, Chiarella could have played it safe and created a sci-fi thriller that perhaps would have appealed to a wider audience. Instead, she produces a deeply engaging perspective into the lives of Hannah, Connie, David and Linda as they struggle to return to their old lives and relationships while adjusting to their “new” bodies.

Chiarella first introduces Hannah, the artist, who has lost her unique ability to realize her inspirations on canvass. With the loss of her gift, the one distinguishing quality of her life that allows her to sustain her otherwise ordinary life, where will she turn? And can Tom, the devoted husband and father, fulfill her emotional and physical needs?

Connie, the beautiful bombshell, has only known the life of what her beauty and sexuality can attain, and what that kind of life cost her. Infected with a resistant strain of HIV, the former actress must decide if she will use her Grace Kelly good looks to get back into the business, or if she can find some attribute within herself to obtain the self-respect she so desperately needs.

David, crooked Congressman and part-time Christian, wrestles with the promise to his wife that the procedure will be an opportunity to amend his old habits. While others seem to have lost a part of themselves that made them who they were, David is resigned to facing the fact that his old habits will forever be plaguing his existence.

Linda, paralysed from the nose down due to an auto accident, spent eight years surrounded by four walls and one old television, blinking once for no and twice for yes. Fighting for what was simple in her life, Linda is thrust into a life that continued without her.

The inspired choosing of the book’s four characters leads the reader into a state of introspection and speculation. How much of our true selves do we sacrifice for the ones we love or for the success we crave?

The secret desire to be selfish seems to be the root of what Chiarella believes is the most basic of human nature. Unable to appreciate what has been given to them, Hannah and David’s self-centeredness led to the destruction of their relationships. Though frustrating at times, their stories have such a truth to them that it makes the reader question his or her own selfishness and what would happen if decisions could be made without regard to consequences.

Linda, on the other hand, is the most poignant character, and as such, is so heartfelt and beautifully written that it takes little imagination to understand her need to maintain the simple life she had for so many years, and the selfishness required to endure through this trial.

However, it is the most unexpected character who captivates the reader. Connie, who at first glance is the epitome of egocentricity, develops into a character with such depth and personality that the reader cannot help but want to reach out a hand and comfort her.

Chiarella does delve into some interesting questions as to the moral implications of cloning, but contrary to what was expected, Chiarella refused to use this novel as a platform for her beliefs in the morality of stem-cell and cloning research. While briefly addressing the issue, “How do you believe in God and also choose to defy everything you’ve been taught to believe?” Chiarella masterfully presented a different, thought-provoking perspective of each character’s viewpoint.

“I’ll tell you and anyone else the same thing. That God put a gun to my head and asked me what I was willing to do to save myself, to save this life that he gave me. And I answered that I would do anything.”

The fully fledged, complex characters capture the heart leaving the reader only momentarily disappointed that “And Again” was not the science-fiction it was purported. The emotions are raw, the personal conflicts are genuine, and the idea that this could really happen is hauntingly realistic.

At first glance, it’s difficult to understand why everyone raves about the Clermont Lounge. It would be incredibly easy to confuse this popular bar for a dilapidated building — the bricks were fading and the windows were boarded up or missing altogether.

The smell of stale smoke greets visitors even before they step foot into the dimly lit venue where several other amateur journalists and photographers were eagerly awaiting the exclusive meet-and-greet with popular comedy duo Key and Peele, along with Wu-Tang clan member Method Man and Jason Mitchell from “Straight Outta Compton,” about their brand new feature film, “Keanu.”

The club was small and allowed for a surprisingly intimate setting which fostered deep conversation about the upcoming comedy movie.

Key and Peele, known popularly for their sketches on Comedy Central, always dreamed to make it on to the big screen. But admitted that the experience was very different than writing for television.

“It becomes a plot issue,” said Key, “With a sketch, sometimes sketches have plots and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes a sketch is ‘let’s screw around and get out in three minutes.’”

Following the standard introductory questions, the cast began to delve deep about the role of comedy has changed throughout the years. Key began, “The question is when people decided if we just act goofy all the time it’ll be fine. It’s like, no no no … The story has to be intact. My thing is that if you’re trying to make some kind of social statement, you have to do it through a story. You don’t want people making speeches in the middle of a movie. Does our movie make social statements? Yes, it does.”

Peele went on to add, “We like to steer into difficult areas …Then we bring comedy into it, and it helps promote conversation about these things … It gives people a little bit of a release. Obviously we’re making a movie that deals with an epidemic of crime, of black-on-black crime, the stereotypes in Hollywood.”

Key continued, “What does it mean to be black? Am I less black than you are? We’re starting to deconstruct the word ‘black’ … Are you blacker because you’re poorer, or blacker because you’re richer? And I think that’s something we’ve always explored in the show: the African-American experience is not a monolith, it’s a mosaic.”

This then led to a question about the commentary the film made the black experience in America to which Mitchell answered, “For me, it shows the same race in different forms of culture. [Keanu] has a lot of juxtaposition in it, but none of it is about race. And I think it’s good … People will try to use [race] as a crutch instead of using as a way to empower themselves … [Keanu] shows both worlds.”

Method followed, “It shows different kinds of black … if you’re not hood enough, you’re not black enough … There is a line in the sand where there’s these kinds of blacks and those kinds of blacks, and both sides think the other isn’t black enough.”

It was clear that this movie is more than just a comedy and is worth watching, but Key and Peele continued to make a convincing argument.

Peele started off jokingly saying, “…this movie is crazy, first of all, if you partake in the smoky, smoky treats you should get in the front row. If you don’t it’ll still take you through; it’s got heart.”

He continued, “We made our favorite movie … we put everything into this.”

Key went on to add, “You’re not gonna see a movie like this … You’ll get everything you need to get out of the cinematic experience, but it’s also branded so differently than anything you’ve ever seen. You can go see another movie that’s paint-by-numbers by a studio, or you can see our movie, which has a different feel to it, I guarantee it.”

Keanu comes out in theaters on Apr. 29.

The GT Scuba club recently participated in a service trip known as Dive Against Debris.

The organization helped to clean up over 600 pounds of underwater trash from the island of Bonaire, which is a special municipality of the Netherlands located in the southern Caribbean.

Although the group practices the techniques necessary for proper diving in the CRC pools, certification must be performed in open water. The divers have taken this requirement and turned it into an opportunity to give back to the local community of their dive spot.

Each spring break for the past six years now, the group plans out an international trip in collaboration with Campus Recreation, Student Life and Professional Education, in order to get their divers certified and simultaneously let them participate in a clean up project for their dive spot.

This specific project undertaken by GT Scuba was part of a larger organization called, Project AWARE, a global foundation of scuba divers whose goal is to help protect the oceans.

On each of the six trips taken so far, an average of over 40 divers participate, with 16 students becoming certified this year.

“We both want to introduce diving to as many students as possible in a very safe environment,” said Debbie Dorsey, the director of administration of Student Life. “Scuba is a lifelong activity that simulates the closest most will ever be to outer space. It’s a privilege to share the sea with so many amazing creatures and a huge responsibility to be good stewards of the marine environment as well. Being trained to scuba dive prepares you for this responsibility.”

Chaperoning the event were Dorsey and Jim Consuegra, the director of GT Scuba.

Dorsey was the Aquatics Director of the CRC for 16 years before her assumed her current role on campus, and Consuegra is a Master scuba instructor.

“Conducting this service project affords the opportunity to teach sustainability to all on the trip. These resources will only be around as long as we take care of them, so it’s important to protect the marine life and marine environment,” Dorsey said.

“It has become a very popular opportunity to experience an international opportunity for our students,” Consuegra said. “Past years have included trips to Mexico three times, the Bahamas once, and Netherlands Antilles [(Bonaire)] twice. This is the first time that we have included an environmental event but intend to continue it in future years.”

Students who are registered divers can participate in any GT Scuba event; interested students who are not yet certified must first enroll in the entry-level course, which can be accessed at gtscuba.gatech.edu.

On this trip, the divers were tasked with gathering 20 pounds of garbage each over the course of five hours.

“I have been diving for nine years now, and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to give back,” said Kyle Lucy, fourth-year ME and one of this year’s participants. “I would definitely be interested in doing another one of these dives on a future trip.”

Although having fun is certainly part of the spring break experience, Consuegra believes that these divers can make a difference in the world’s oceans.

“There are between 2.7 and 3.5 million active scuba divers in the U.S. and as many as 6 million … worldwide,” Consuegra said. “If we could get 6 million divers to each collect 20 pounds of garbage around the world, then we could remove over 120 million pounds in half a day. Imagine if we could get each diver to sign up for two events such as ours each year … just imagine.”

“A collaborative partnership with Project AWARE gives us a great opportunity to educate our students and participants in the importance of divers’ getting involved in the protection of our water planet,” Consuegra said.

GT Scuba will work with Project AWARE in future dives.

Stephen Go and Avi Ahuja are both third-year IE and CS, respectively. These two along with Thomas Ross, another third-year IE have teamed up to start to new organization on campus known as Data Science at Georgia Tech.

The duo realized their passion for data science when they attended a competition together pertaining to data science.  Go described the experience as “very interesting and rewarding.”

Go said, “We tried to look for something similar at Tech, but couldn’t find anything.”

Ahuja and Go were determined to change this, and created this organization where students could learn about and explore the field of data science. The organization aims to serve as a “platform for students to practice and expand their knowledge on data science.”

Data science is more than just a pastime. It is a growing field that has many prospects in the job market. “There’s so much data these days,” Ahuja said, “and most companies actually don’t know what to do with it. If they were able to go in and extract this data and really analyze it, they can cut costs, increase margins and improve efficiency all around.”

The club has not officially started, but the team decided to launch the organization in a hackathon that they have named “Hacklytics.”

“This is our way of introducing what we do as a club and the types of events we’re going to throw,”  Go said.

Hacklytics is a twelve-hour data science hackathon taking place on April 16. “We will provide students with prompts … that they will try to complete throughout the day and compete for prizes,” Ahuja said.

Many students are interested in this club’s inaugural event. The number of students that applied was so overwhelming that the event had to change locations from the Centergy building to Clough in order to accommodate more people.

This hackathon is the first of its kind at Tech.  The team planned the event in about an moth and a half with mindset of “maximizing impact.” Go went on to emphasize the important aspects of planning the event: “ … it was a lot of thinking about what professors to contact, which sponsors to reach out to and at type of interaction we want to have with the students.”

The team really took into consideration what would “help students grow and be challenged at the same time.”

Data science is a crucial skill that everyone needs to learn. Go emphasized this by saying, “We really think that everyone should give [data science] a shot.” He continued, “Data science is the intersection of three things — statistics, computer science and domain expertise … everyone has something to contribute to the final product.”

Go closed by saying his favorite part about data science is the challenge. “It’s very rigorous,” Go said, “but at the end of each project, you get a different type of satisfaction because you feel like you’ve discovered something that’s not trivial.”

Ahuja’s fascination with data science lies in its potential. “I like the fact that you can take thousands of lines of data and consolidate it, run a couple of algorithms, rigorously analyze the data and come up with practical results that make sense.”

All students are encouraged to check out the data science hackathon on Saturday and come to the weekly meetings that will begin in the fall.

There is a pandemic sweeping through the upper echelons of college basketball. A plague that offers new hope for the programs who don’t always pull the big name prospects.

This is the influx of so-called “one-and-done” players to big name programs like Duke and Kentucky. Villanova’s national title win on Monday is just the beginning of what looks like a power shift in college basketball.

These one-and-dones, such as Brandon Ingram, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, lead to a revolving door of a program that is simply focused on moving players through to the NBA. This should not be the sole goal of a college program; rather, it should be a by-product of the program’s success in general.

Teams like Kentucky and Duke who routinely lose integral parts of their lineups every year are seeing a steady decline in performance from the days of the past. Now more than ever, it is becoming obvious that there is more to winning a national title than just raw talent.

At this point, the biggest thing that is separating the good teams from the great teams is senior leadership that has had experience playing in high pressure situations. Now, a lack of this is not necessarily a death sentence to any team trying to win the national championship; it’s just
an extremely large hurdle to be overcome.

In April 4 night’s game, you could see just how important it is to have this leadership and chemistry in the face of adversity. During the game, both teams were on the brink of being out of the game before the final minutes. For Villanova, it came at the end of the first half when UNC started draining three pointers with little to no response. For UNC, it came towards the end of the second half when they were down by 10, and it seemed like the game was all but over. Had it not been for the upperclassmen leadership on both teams, I question whether they would have stayed in the game or even gotten to the national championship in the first place.

To quantify the leadership coming from both teams, all it takes is a look at the starting lineups. Villanova started one freshman as their only underclassman and UNC started two sophomores. Both of these teams had definite upperclassmen leadership to guide them through trying times, both through the season and in games themselves.

It is becoming clear that if a program wants to focus on getting better in the hope of winning a national championship, they should not necessarily focus on getting the top talent in the country; rather, they should focus on grabbing talent they know won’t flee to the NBA after a year or two. By doing so, programs can develop the talent they receive, fit that talent into their system and make them a better player for the NBA in the process.

I foresee two scenarios that will possibly end these revolving door programs. The first is that the NCAA passes something similar to what is in place for college baseball right now. Players would have to spend at least three years in college, and after their junior year they could declare for the draft or play another season. This would be the true end of revolving door programs but, in my mind, this won’t happen within the next 10 years.

The second possibility is that these coaches, in a moment of clarity, realize that their true goal is to win national championships, and if they can convince kids to stay with their program for more than one year, they drastically increase their chances of winning that title.

Now, I think that this is already in both Coach K’s and Coach Calipari’s minds for obvious reasons, and I think they could possibly develop a more convincing case to keep their players for more than just one year. For me, this scenario is even less likely to occur than the first because of the allure that the NBA and its salaries provides for any top prospect.

For a program like the one here at Tech, the time is now to pick up a coach who focuses on recruiting consistent talent over a period of a few years all the while working to develop a specific system not necessarily unique to Tech, but something we can say we do well. The time is now, but the window of opportunity is most likely closing.

Overall, I think Tech and a lot of other programs that are not always on the radar have a better chance of winning a title now than they did in the past.

For teams like Tech who are currently searching for a new coach, I think the main focus should be on recruiting talent to develop over four years and hiring a coach who has a proven record of being able to recruit. Perhaps we can then restore Tech basketball to its rightful glory.

For the Jackets, that search starts right now, and its repercussions begin immediately after.

A 64-61 second-round Women’s National Invitational Tournament loss to Tulane closed the book on the Tech women’s basketball season. It was a quietly successful slate, one that saw the Jackets win at Duke’s hostile Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time in decades, notch 20 wins and tread .500 in a conference that is sending Syracuse to the national title game.

The team’s success has extended beyond their record. Two individuals, graduating senior guard/forward Aaliyah Whiteside and junior forward Katarina Vuckovic, have garnered national accolades.

Whiteside was named an All-American Honorable Mention by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, an honor that puts her among the top 52 women’s players in the country. What she has lacked in a national spotlight to showcase her talent this season she has more than made up for in statistics.

Despite a talented supporting cast, including the likes of fellow senior Roddreka Rogers, Vuckovic and UTEP graduate transfer Irene Gari, the offense was only as effective as Whiteside, its centerpiece.

The Memphis, Tenn., native launched up an astounding 509 field goal attempts over the course of her final campaign, nearly twice that of second-ranked Vuckovic’s 290 tries, courtesy of ramblinwreck.com. Her 216 made free throws accounted for almost half of the team’s total.

This volume-based approach meant sacrificing efficiency — Whiteside’s .270 mark from beyond the three-point arc was worst on the team for all players with more than 5 attempts from deep — but on a team with rising talents in sophomores Antonia Peresson, Zaire O’Neil and Imani Tilford and freshman Ciani Cryor, the star senior provided a steadying presence.

In reaching All-American status, Whiteside becomes the sixth of her kind in school history, courtesy of ramblinwreck.com. The most recent, guard Tyaunna Marshall, plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, and while Whiteside may not follow in her professional footsteps, the latter will leave a similar legacy on The Flats for future generations.

While Katarina Vuckovic proved herself a key cog in Tech’s gameplan this season, her charitable efforts were equally valuable. The Serbian was recognized for her philanthropy in being named to the Allstate Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association’s Good Works Team for 2016. Teams from all across the country submitted 103 nominations for honorees. Vuckovic was one of 10 to be selected by a panel largely comprised of media and former coaches, including ex-Tech helmsman Bobby Cremins. Her inclusion marked her as the only representative from the ACC.

In conjunction with program ambassador and three-time Olympicpic gold medalist Tamika Catchings, Vuckovic and her fellow honorees were honored in Indianapolis during the Women’s Final Four. The Good Works Team also made an appearance at Indiana University’s Simon Cancer Center to offer patients and their families care packages.

For Vuckovic, volunteering means more than public image; prior to being named to the Good Works team, she worked with the Ronald McDonald House and helped built a basketball court for local children, courtesy of ramblinwreck.com.

Just as Whiteside followed in the footsteps of All-Americans before her, the Jackets are no stranger to service. In 2014, center Shayla Bivins was named to the Good Works Team for her philanthropic commitment.

Along with earning a degree and the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship, Bivins served on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Isssues Committee. If she is any indication, Vuckovic will continue to make an impact in the Atlanta community.

Despite a number of talented players, Tech is yet to truly make its mark on the local scene. Notre Dame tore through the slate with a 16-0 record against conference foes, while the Jackets sat with the Blue Devils in the middle of the ACC table.

If championship contention is indeed off the table, especially in a world dominated by an elite few powerhouses, Jackets fans can at least take pride in the legacies of their athletes, figures who have represented the team with grace.

While Vuckovic will return to lead the Jackets next season, Whiteside’s performance in the defeat at the hands of the Tulane Green Wave was her swan song to Jacket fans. Regardless, both will be remembered as difference-makers, on and off the court.

Tech’s tennis team may be propelled by an influx of youth for this season, but leading the group is junior Cole Fiegel. An IE from Alachua, Fla., Fiegel sat down with the Technique to discuss his experiences on and off the court over his first three seasons.

Technique: How did you first get into tennis?

Fiegel: When I was a kid, probably about five years old, my mom put me in literally every sport, so I started off playing basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer and then football around eight [years old].

Baseball and tennis were the sports that I was best at. I played both until I was thirteen when I went to high school, and then I had to choose one, so I chose tennis. It was really a flip of a coin.

Technique: Coming from Florida, why did you choose Georgia Tech or Atlanta as a whole?

Fiegel: Really, the school was the big draw. When I was younger, I always really liked math, so Georgia Tech was the school in the South if you wanted to be an engineer, and now, it’s the school anywhere if you want to be an engineer. That was always the school I really wanted to go to and when the coaches contacted me, it was instant [decision].

Technique: How would you assess your play at Tech each year thus far?

Fiegel: For me, coming in my freshman year, I wasn’t even necessarily expected to play in the line-up. The team looked to be loaded. Unfortunately, [we] had some injuries, but it kind of helped me because it allowed me a chance to play in the line-up my freshman year.

My freshman year, I did well. My record was good, and I felt that I really competed hard throughout the entire season. Going into my second year, it was nice to have experience, but we also had more guys come in.

We had four freshmen come in [the next year]. The freshmen did very well and were able to play high spots in the lineup, which is very impressive especially in the ACC where the teams are so good. For Mike [Kay] and Chris [Eubanks] to be able to come in as freshmen and play high in the lineup is really impressive. It helped the team … make a push at the end of my second year in the last couple matches and then the ACC to make the NCAA. The NCAA didn’t exactly go how we wanted it to, but it was still a big step up from not making NCAA [and] not being ranked my freshman year.

This year, I feel like we have a shot to do some really good things. For me, I feel like I’ve improved each season, getting better and better and playing higher in the lineup.

Technique: How has your role changed over the last few seasons?

Fiegel: Honestly, it’s not that much different than this year because I would say even last year, my sophomore year, I still had to provide some sort of guidance.

[The younger players have] done well for the most part, so they don’t need too much of my advice. The best way to lead is by example, so if I show that I am willing to put the effort in and do whatever it takes to help the team, that will motivate them to do the same.

Technique: Congratulations on making the ACC Academic Honor Roll twice. How do you balance being a student athlete while completing a full engineering curriculum?

Fiegel: I’m struggling a little bit this year, actually, but I would say it’s about time management and priorities. If you manage your time well and outside of the athletic perspective, you set your priority as school, you’ll be fine. I think when I run into trouble … is when [I] want to do other things as well.

I still have the opportunity to succeed if I put all of my focus on tennis and school, but if I want to spend time on other things, my grades will suffer.

Technique: Is there anything academically or organizationally that you wanted to participate in that you didn’t get to do because of tennis?

Fiegel: No, but I wouldn’t say that’s because there’s nothing that I want to do … I’m just not that aware … I would have no way to really know about the other things going on that I’m not participating in. I don’t like to always be doing things. My break time, my time away from school and tennis, is just time I spend by myself doing whatever, and so, I can spend that time whenever.

Technique: What improvements are you looking to make for the coming year?

Fiegel: I think there’s always room for improvement. I definitely I feel like I have [improved] a lot and so knowing that I only have one more year left of competitive tennis at this high of a level gives me a lot of motivation to try to do everything I can to maximize what I do have.

Technique: Is there anything that you have been changing training-wise?

Fiegel: No, I think it’s more of what I do in my training time, compared to the way I train. I know that I’ve played my best tennis over the summer. I’m sleeping 11 hours per day over the summer. I’m so well-rested, and it’s my only priority.

Technique: You’re left-handed. Did that give you an edge?

Fiegel: I think that it does have its positives. The obvious advantage that it would have is on the serve: the slice serves going to the opponent’s backhand. But if you think about it, that means their slice serves are going to my backhand as well.

I would say that the biggest advantage is the fact that I’m always playing people who are right-handed. Right-handed people are rarely playing people that are left-handed, so the biggest advantage I get is that I’m used to playing them, but they’re not used to playing me.

Technique: How significant of an advantage does your handedness provide?

Fiegel: I wouldn’t even necessarily say it’s an advantage. It’s all about how it’s handled by the opponent and really how it affects the match-up.

If you look at the top of men’s tennis, Nadal, because he’s left-handed, matches up very well against Federer because his forehand going across for Federer’s backhand is a very good pattern for Nadal. It’s very difficult for Federer to handle that, but you can’t match Nadal against Djokovic or Nishikori or someone who takes the backhand on the rise very well … being left-handed or right-handed doesn’t really help Nadal because those opponents take the backhand early. They neutralize something that would be an advantage, and it’s not. It doesn’t really help him much anymore. It’s just that it’s an even playing field.

Technique: Speaking of professional tennis players, do you have a role model?

Fiegel: I wouldn’t say there’s like one guy that really stands out. I think that all of the players are inspirational. They all have their own stories and they all work
incredibly hard.

Nadal is kind of the easy pick for me just because he’s left-handed, I’m left-handed, and his game style is more similar to the way that I play. It would be an easy choice, and I do like Nadal very much. I love watching him play, but I wouldn’t say that any player is like above them, the favorite.

Technique: Do you ever intentionally try to model your playing style after Nadal’s?

Fiegel: To some extent. I think that every individual is different, and everybody should try to take different things from different players’ games.

I knew if I were to take something from Nadal, which I do try to take, it’s the way that he competes … and really just his overall stature on the court. His presence, the person standing on the other side of the court knows that the match will be tough, and that gives him somewhat of a psychological edge.

Technique: What is your favorite thing about Georgia Tech that isn’t academics or tennis?

Fiegel: That’s a tough one. The big thing for me is the people. You’ll notice when [new students] first come in that they have a sense of pride because they were all the best in their high school, but once that kind of simmers down, you realize that you can really go up to anybody and talk, and there’s so much to learn.

The students here are all successful, and they’ve all achieved so much, but some people achieve it here through just brilliance and some people are frantically studying all the time and then some people kind of like downplay how much it really means to them.

I love just learning from the students and how hard they work and how they’ve achieved success. I think that that’s really helped me because my whole life I’ve kind of … I hate to say this, but it’s almost how I’ve done and what I’ve achieved has been kind of based around the community that I’ve been put in.

If I’ve been put with a group of people who work extremely hard, I’m more likely to work extremely hard. When I first came here, the academic success is so high at Georgia Tech. At Georgia Tech, I did way better than high school, which is like, why?

I’m taking harder classes now, and I’m being compared to much smarter people that work harder, and it’s like why? How come I [am doing] better at Georgia Tech than in high school? It’s really the environment. It forces me to work harder, so I really like that. It helps me a lot.

It has been ten years since Tech had a chance at a collegiate world championship, and this season was the third opportunity the team had under head coach Danny Hall. Five years have also gone by since the Jackets were last crowned ACC champions. This could be the season Tech returns to the top.

Just under the halfway mark, Tech baseball holds a 21-7 record so far. If the Jackets are able to maintain, and even improve their performance on the field, there could be a place for Tech in the 2016 record book.

Danny Hall and the rest of the coaching staff, has, no doubt, played an enormous role in this season’s successful performances. This season, courtesy of ramblinwreck.com, Tech baseball has been ranked in all six college baseball polls. Tech comes
in at 18th in USA Today’s Coaches poll. Freshman Tristin English is turning out to be a key to the program’s continued excellence.

One of two freshman that turned down the MLB Draft to attend Tech, English has become a regular member of the starting lineup. English turned down a 39th round draft by the Cleveland Indians and made his Tech debut in the first game against Purdue. Almost halfway through the season, English is ranked fifth on the team in batting average.

In a 5-2 win against the Boilermakers, English’s savvy at the plate powered an offensive outburst, and he was a major factor throughout the team’s compelling early run of wins.

The Jackets experienced their first loss on March 11 against No. 11 Florida State. Though the entire lineup was unhappy with the loss, game thirteen was not disastrous in every aspect. English went 3-for-3 in hits for a career high. Whether it was just an off weekend, or the struggles of being away from their home field, the jackets ended their weekend in Tallahassee with three losses. Tech quickly moved forward and looked to have better future performances.

Tristin English’s name hasn’t made it to every headline, but he is a player who has consistently performed well when Tech has needed him most. Fans have seen English many times at bat, but fans have yet to see him pitch out of the bullpen. If English gets that chance to pitch relief for Tech’s starting lineup, there is a sizable chance that he could make himself a stalwart on the mound if the situation demands it.

His 1.09 ERA during his high school career earned him the Preseason All-American title by Perfect Game USA last year. Not to mention such a low ERA tops the best ERA posted by the jackets this season. In fact, the lowest ERA posted so far by Brandon Gold, 2.23, is nearly twice that of English’s 1.09.

With potentially three and a half seasons left in his collegiate career at Tech, English will have lots of chances to further impress Tech fans. Tech’s entire lineup has been impressive this season. English’s fellow freshmen and MLB draft picks, Joey Bart and Jonathon Hughes, have also become regulars in Tech’s lineup.

Bart comes in third in the lineup in overall batting average. Hughes has the second best ERA on the team. Kel Johnson has made some great plays on the field and Gold’s performance on the mound continues to improve as the season progresses, good signs for a team hoping to capitalize on a youth movement.

Coach Danny Hall has gathered together a talented roster this year and fans have good reason to keep cheering.

When we decided to run for executive ticket, we started with a vision: we believe in a Georgia Tech where students of all backgrounds, cultures and identities have equal access and opportunity to pursue the highest level of success as they define it. Georgia Tech deserves candidates who will fight for and defend our student body, and we assure you that: Together We Can!

It is never enough to simply recognize issues that face us; we must also be committed to making real the dream that got us started in the beginning. That is why we have worked tirelessly to craft a platform that echoes how deeply dedicated we are to the GT community. In simplest terms, WE CAN.

WE CAN is a simple reminder of our community’s most pressing issues: wellness, enhanced parking and transportation, campus inclusivity, academic concerns & student programs, and new student resource improvements. But beyond this, it is our contract with the Georgia Tech community. We are committed to using the next year to leverage relationships we have built with administration and student organizations to make specific, actionable improvements to our campus. “We Can” is the promise of our ticket for true progress and service.

What does an actionable goal look like under our platform? It is making CIOS data — like hours spent on work outside of class — available to students on Course Critique, so they can make informed academic decisions. It’s fighting for an Interfaith Center and building upon strategic, interfaith partnerships with Emory. It is creating a
mental health portal on BuzzPort to connect students with the most efficient campus, local, state and national resources to meet their unique needs. It’s making funds more easily
available to student organizations. It’s mitigating the impact of a campus carry law and being present at legislative hearings to inform statewide decision-making with Yellow Jacket opinion. It’s reinstating free night and weekend parking, providing for a public means of artistic expression, and helping international students find jobs. All these things — initiatives that WE CAN achieve — are provided for by our ticket.

What we do not provide are unrealistic expectations of what we can offer. Instead, we bring actionable ideas and tangible results. That’s why as important as it is to think of things that WE CAN do, we must also note that together, we already have.

Nagela brings three years of SGA experience to defend what’s important to you. As VP of Student Life, she has overseen advancements in athletics, cultural and diversity initiatives and wellness on campus. In that capacity, she’s pushed forward innovative ideas like the Hammock Garden pilot project, the Campus Inclusivity Pledge, the Ramblin’ Rewards program, and the Basketball Tip-Off Event. Nagela meets with administrators on a weekly basis, and is prepared to leverage these networks to make actionable change happen.

Shane brings a familiarity with SGA affairs as Junior Class Rep, and his extracurricular involvements bolster his advocacy for a wide array of student interests. He has co-authored resolutions to help cultural organizations receive funding for cultural food and to promote transparency and fairness regarding the Student Code of Conduct. Much of his on-campus experience comes from the work he’s done in Phi Gamma Delta as Pledge Educator, Social Chairman & Assistant Social Chairman, as co-President of Tech Beautification Day, member of FASET, ODK, GT Ambassadors and more.

On behalf of us and our entire team, thank you. We’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to us on Facebook or at our website nagelashane2016.com! And remember that because together we have, TOGETHER WE CAN.