Math enthusiast, entrepreneur,  educator, advocate for minority groups and traveler can all be used to describe Michole Washington, MATH ‘16, who graduated last year as the ninth African American woman to graduate with an Applied Mathematics degree from Georgia Tech.

Mathematics has always been important to Washington, even as a little girl. Since fourth grade, she recalls spending her summer vacations in the library teaching herself the material for the next grade out of math textbooks. However, loving math did not equate to it always being easy.

“I was born with the curiosity of learning math, not just born knowing it,” said Washington.

Yet, she did not believe she could pursue mathematics as a career and first set her sights on becoming a veterinarian. In the end, mathematics drew her back in and with the help of teachers and mentors, she decided to become a math major.

The idea of pursuing higher education seemed to be only a dream at the time. She had a humble beginning, raised on the south side of Atlanta by a single mother. As a first generation college student, Washington did not know the process of applying to college. But with the help of a teacher, she took on the challenge of navigating the application process. Washington noted that “Georgia Tech was my reach school. I didn’t think I would get in.”

Fate, though, had other ideas, as Washington received an acceptance letter from Tech on her first try. Then, the only remaining barrier became  how to fund her education. This resolved itself when Washington received the G. Wayne Clough Scholarship, awarding  her a full ride to Tech.

As it is for many incoming freshman, Tech was a very new atmosphere to Washington that allowed her to experience her love of math in a whole new way. She also went through the typical adjustment period of adapting to Tech’s rigorous curriculum. She noted with a fond laugh, “You had to figure out how to be a smartie in a group of smarties.”

However, she feels she adapted well, in part because she had gone through the Challenge program, a short “bridge” program designed by the Office of Minority Education Development (OMED) to prepare incoming student of minority groups for Tech.

The summer-long program provides the opportunity to get a head start at Tech by taking courses, interacting with students, faculty and Fortune 500 companies, and living in freshman dormitories.

In her sophomore year, Washington became a TA for a math course in the Challenge program. This experience made her realize she had a passion and talent for teaching.

In addition, she worked on math research for Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley, California. Her topic of research, now a published journal article, involved the expression of infinite products in terms of gamma functions. Washington describes the experience as difficult since the research explored mathematical content she was not yet familiar with. However, she still sees the research as time well spent as not only did she learn many new things, but it made her realize she was not suited to pure mathematical research.

Besides math, Washington was also active in promoting minority groups during her time at Tech. As a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), she helped facilitate social and academic events the organization hosted around campus.

To top of her many achievements, another significant turning point in college was Washington’s startup company. She created mathematical tutoring company called Afrithmetic Tutoring with the help of two high school friends.

The company setup matches students from sixth to 12th grade with qualified tutors to help strengthen their math skills. It also helps older students with college level math classes as well as provides preparation for standardized testing such as the SAT, GRE Math, and Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE).

One of the key aspects of this program is that tutors do more than just teach math. They serve as mentors to help students see how concepts they are learning can be applied to the real world and how they can use math in future career paths.  This is why Washington requires that her tutors have or are pursuing a STEM degree. Therefore, they can provide mentoring or have access to resources to provide career advice.

When reflecting back on the company’s beginnings, Washington described it as a daunting task. The final push to start the company came to Washington after she read The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau. The book emphasized the importance of getting your idea out which resonated with Washington.

The biggest lesson she learned while building Afrithmetic is that the owners of startups should never compare themselves to larger companies, as the scale is completely different. She realized that she had to start small and build up with goals that had her particular company in mind. Washington sees her company as a learning experience that required a lot of perseverance and hard work.

Today, the company consists of four tutors. Afrithmetic will be hosting an AP Calculus workshop for Atlanta students in February.

Washington’s vision for the future is to expand her company with the dream that it will operate nationwide. She plans to advance Afrihmetic through videos accessible on the internet to target a wider range of students.

“I want to recreate the ‘aha!’ moment where the students understand the math,” said Washington.

Washington’s experiences at Tech made a lasting impression on the perception of her racial identity.  Coming to Tech was somewhat of a culture shock as she was not used to such a diverse community. She was coming from a place where she was in the majority, and now she was the minority.

Studying a semester abroad in Hungary also opened Washington’s eyes to how race is viewed in other cultures. She recalls people unabashedly staring at her as they were not used to seeing someone of her skin tone.

Washington additionally said that her travel experiences through Tech helped her develop  a global awareness that made her consider her own situation differently.

Knowing she holds the title of the ninth African American woman to complete Applied Mathematics at Tech leaves her feeling sad as she wishes she was the eighteenth or thirtieth.

“It feels like there should be more representation of minorities, and there is a need to spark this interest of higher education in minority groups,” said Washington.

Now that Washington has completed her degree she said she has “no regrets about Georgia Tech and would do it all over again.” Tech taught her to develop a strong sense of self-esteem. It also created a strong sense of work ethic that she now practices in her everyday life. She is more than ever aware of the world and desires to travel more in the future.

Her aspiration is to obtain a Ph.D and become a professor of mathematics, following her passion and sharing it with others.

I remember tackling a difficult orchestral work a few years ago when I played violin in my city’s youth symphony orchestra. It was Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, and we spent hours at it every rehearsal.

Although I had a solid four months to appreciate the intricacies of the piece, I never grew to like it. It never appealed to me, with its confrontational percussion and hostile dissonance. Yet somehow that lack of enjoyment of a piece so prominent in classical music might come across to some as narrow-minded.

There exist various perceptions of what it means to be open-minded. One is that open-mindedness is based on whether you will train yourself to enjoy all things and appreciate value by, at the very least, being neutral about it rather than disliking it. The key in this definition is the belief that there is a certain ignorance in actively disliking a work rather than being neutral about it. According to this definition, in order to be truly open-minded, you must push yourself to not only explore all things but also enjoy all things because training yourself to do so opens doors to a wider scope of what is available. So if Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite is enjoyed by some people, should I not have the capacity to enjoy it as well?

While I find this to be an interesting perspective, I also believe it to be profoundly untrue.

I believe that one is open-minded by virtue of the fact that one understands that there is value in something. While it may be true that it is important to give something that may be initially unappealing a second, or even third, chance, I think forcing yourself to like everything is futile.

I also believe that neutrality, as a middle ground between distaste and enjoyment, is worse than utter contempt. It conveys a certain indifference, a lack of motivation to appreciate or understand. While neutrality can be interpreted in different ways, open-mindedness involves forming opinions; neutrality, if equated with indifference, is more disrespectful to a work of art or piece of human progress than a blatant dislike for it. It is better to have an opinion — whether positive or negative — to show an effort in understanding the value of something rather than to be indifferent.

The counter to this may be that if a work is truly important, one should put in the effort to have the result be enjoyment, to train oneself to enjoy the work. If that were the result, I may as well be miserably playing Stravinsky until I die.

Thus, looking at this from a realistic perspective we are either all close-minded or the initial argument on effort as a means for enjoyment does not hold true. It is futile to attempt to enjoy all “important” things, and it is up to the individual to choose what he or she believes is “important.”

I think awareness, rather than enjoyment, equates to open-mindedness. Enjoy the things you enjoy; appreciate the things you do not.

As the college football (and soon the NFL) season has come and gone, it is a good time to look at the direction broadcasting companies are taking when it comes to how they broadcast games.

Nowadays, it seems broadcasts are getting longer and longer. Companies are looking to reduce game times to compensate; however, the main problem is the companies themselves.

While the statistics for the 2016 season seem to still be in the wind, the stats from 2014 and 2015 give a view of game length trends. According to an article published by the Wall Street Journal titled “College Football Games Are Far Too Long,” since 2008, the average length of a college football game has grown by about 15 minutes. This puts the average game time at almost three and a half hours.

While this is not inherently a problem, you have to consider how much of that actual time is spent playing the game. In the NFL, most games have about 11 minutes of action. Translating this back to the college game, we can say that college football games have 11 minutes plus or minus five minutes of action. This results in at most 16 minutes of the
actual game.

I understand that many sports have this problem. Major League Baseball has recently been changing rules to shorten game times and make baseball more appealing to fans at home; however, college football does not have a problem with appeal. College football ratings are soaring, especially for big playoff games. With those ratings increasing so too are the length
of broadcasts.

A common gripe for the championship game this season was the absurd length of the coverage coupled with the game being played late on the east coast. After that game, some companies made statements about decreasing the length of halftime.

Many fans responded with sassy remarks regarding commercial breaks. It seems now that any time a team scores a touchdown, the fans must prepare for three commercial breaks: one following the initial touchdown, another following the extra point and the final one after the kickoff. It seems that there are large pockets of dead time.

For a football team like Tech’s, which feeds off energetic offensive plays and maintaining momentum, the random commercial breaks stop momentum and stagnate drives. As a fan, this pisses me off to no end. An apt comparison would be the astounding amount of replay in the National Championship game. It seemed as soon as there was a big play, the replay officials would call that the play was under further review, killing all momentum a team had
just earned.

This all comes down to money; broadcasting companies want to maximize profits and have found a business model that allows it. However, I think there are better ways. I would like to look at two current models in place: soccer and e-sports.

I think the main difference between soccer and e-sports models and football and baseball models is the amount of action. In e-sports and soccer, a commercial break in the middle of a match would throw off viewers, so they resort to other forms of advertising, like advertisements placed in the stadium and sponsor logos placed on jerseys, which do not break
the action.

The NBA recently announced that in the upcoming 2017–18 season teams would be allowed to place ads on their jerseys. One drawback to this is that many colleges and universities would not support this decision, as many of their stadiums are largely void of outside advertising. However, if teams want fewer commercials, concessions will have to be made.

I long for the day we return to short commercials with plenty of time talking about the game. Unfortunately, I think the time to return to that has passed, and we can now only put our feet down.

If you are like me, you would appreciate it if there were less unnecessary and disruptive construction on this campus.

That which is occurring on Atlantic Drive is only the most recent of heinous offenses. The construction, which involves replacement of aged steam lines, has been ongoing since March 2016. That is nearly a year of work, and more of the area is impassable than when construction began due to the addition of renovation on Van Leer. I guess the thought process there was that “the area doesn’t seem quite impassable enough, so let’s go ahead and start more construction.”

There is also the recently “finished” work on the intersection between Hemphill and Ferst Drive. The redoing of that area was nothing short of a travesty. It began with the literal axing of two beautiful old willow oak trees, which provided great shade, and it ended with the creation of a hideous pimple that not only disgustingly protrudes into the intersection but also hurts traffic along Ferst due to the elimination of the continuous-flow junctures.

Now, it would be fair to argue at this point that the Atlantic Drive renovations are by no means concerned with glitz. Yet, the way this project has been approached leaves much to be desired. In July 2015, Atlantic Drive’s steam lines were repaired. That somehow morphed into the approval at an October 2015 University System of Georgia Board of Regents meeting for Tech to go ahead in replacing the aged steam lines between Fourth Street and Ferst Drive at a cost of $12.5 million in institutional funds and with a timetable of three years. That is an incredible amount of time and money for a single renovation project. And while I do understand that the project is of obvious importance, the seemingly lackadaisical timetable indicates it is not being prioritized, which it clearly should be.

Nevertheless, the work at the Hemphill intersection is epitomic of a great deal of the construction projects on campus throughout my time here. So what is the motive? Some banal attempt to make Tech more attractive to potential recruits? If so, the administration needs a reality check. Tech’s flashy buildings or sparkly sidewalks are not what draw smart kids; it is the prestige and quality of the education. If the institute misses out on some by not choosing to invest in surface-level gleam, that is perfectly fine. We probably do not want those kinds of minds here anyway.

What is the purpose of all of this work? And who decided that they would go ahead with it? I do not remember the student body ever stating categorically that all the sidewalks need to have the same patterning, a mission being apparently pursued across Tech’s campus with what seems to be near-obsession.

In any case, it is not hard to make the judgment that there could be improvement in the methodology of the construction at Tech.

hough my major — Electrical Engineering — was set in stone, I was still very confused about what I wanted to pursue.

The problem with being given so many options is that I want them all. I was pre-med for two semesters, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed taking Organic Chemistry. I decided that standing in the middle of a cadaver lab with my eyes closed during a high school field trip was a sign I would not enjoy medical school — my burning love for “Grey’s Anatomy” notwithstanding.

After taking two ECE biomedical electives, I regretted not continuing with my pre-med track. Not because I still wanted to go to medical school, but because I realized I missed learning about how the heart functions and the mechanisms of respiration.

Albert Einstein once said, “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” I understand this now. There are so many classes at Tech that I want to take, so many things that I want to learn, and yet I would never sign up for those classes.

Some are hard and would make it difficult for me to maintain a certain GPA for graduate school admissions. Others are too time-consuming.

It is quite ironic that I am at such a wonderful institution and yet I cannot indulge myself as much as I want.

In my third year, I had a mid-life crisis. I spent every free moment exploring all possible career options for someone with an EE degree. I found so many.

I could be an intellectual property or patent lawyer — so I contacted a dual Ph.D./J.D. degree program. Public policy was a viable option, so I reached out to a friend of a friend who worked at the Department of Energy and looked at policy-related degree programs. A common trend is to go into technical consulting, so I raided the internet. I drove myself crazy looking at the options.

This is my last semester at Tech. I know what I am doing for the next five years, hopefully. I am waiting for EE graduate programs to get back to me. You would think that would calm the raging creature within me craving a passion to latch on to.

I still have not found exactly what I would love to do, but that is OK. People say that if you love your job, you never work a day in your life. I want that, but I will settle for a job that I like until I finally get there.

I think the most important thing that Tech has taught me is that it is OK to be interested in everything and anything and nothing at all.

You can do a million different things, and yet at the end of four (or sometimes more) years, we all walk across that stage with the whole world at our feet, and the sky is not even the limit because we have the tools to go beyond that.

The greatest lessons learned on campus are not the ones found in the pages of textbooks or on the whiteboards in your classrooms — unless you had a profound professor.

Tech throws you in the deep end. Some people make their own life jackets from what’s in their pockets; others learn to kick their feet until they break through the surface and breathe in lungfuls of fresh air.

It is quite beautiful because everyone has their own method. Some seem similar, but upon closer inspection, we are all quite unique in what motivates us to the finish line and how we get there.

Georgia Tech, Mayor Kasim Reed and 10 Atlanta-based companies announced the launch of a nationwide startup accelerator program, known as Engage.

Applications for the program are scheduled to open in early 2017, with initial enrollees beginning the program as early as this spring. Engage hopes to involve up to 48 startups in the program over the first three years.

The program will last 12 weeks, with the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) providing education, workshops and working space to participants. For the duration of the program, startups’ founders must be present in Atlanta, although the program will be open to applicants from across the country.

The ATDC is a technology incubator which was founded, by the Georgia legislature in 1981, in order to encourage the formation and development of new technology companies.

Mayor Reed issued a statement on the launch of the program, praising Atlanta as a technology hub and outlining some of his goals for the program.

“Atlanta is the Southeast’s technology, innovation and entrepreneurship capital, with the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the country,” Mayor Reed said. “We must take advantage of these unique assets to further stimulate our growing ecosystem of startups and growth-stage companies, connecting them to capital, talent and mentorship.

“This new venture fund and accelerator program will offer an unmatched opportunity for entrepreneurs in Atlanta and the region, and I am confident its success will lead to greater interest and investment in our emerging technology companies.”

Mayor Reed approached the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) for support regarding the program, following his 2013 trip to Silicon Valley.

Engage program members will be able to communicate with companies that are members of the ACP in addition to receiving support and mentorship from the program’s 10 founding members.

The accelerator program will also feature a venture capital fund designed to provide investments to startups enrolled in the Engage program. Each founding member has committed $1.5 million to the fund, which will be managed by Tech Square Ventures.

Blake Patton, managing partner of Tech Square Ventures, explained one of the purposes of the accelerator program, saying that “by combining mentoring from executives of Atlanta’s top companies and experienced entrepreneurs with programming from ATDC, Engage will give entrepreneurs unparalleled market access and connectivity to help them bring their ideas to market.”

The Engage program will be administered in Tech Square through the ATDC at Tech. Tech Square is currently home to the Scheller College of Business as well as over a dozen corporate innovation centers, including companies, such as Delta, Coca-Cola, The Home Depot and AT&T.

Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson outlined some of the potential benefits of the program in a statement, released Jan. 12, saying, “Georgia Tech is committed to continue working with both large corporations and startups to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast.

“By engaging the business community to maximize our collective strengths, we can attract and grow new companies, foster economic development and retain talent in Georgia.”

The program is also projected to benefit members of the Tech community.

“Engage is a unique platform to enhance Georgia Tech’s strategy to provide opportunities for large corporations to access talent and innovation in the startup ecosystem while benefitting ATDC’s mission to help entrepreneurs launch and build technology companies in Georgia,” according to Jen Bonnett, general manager of the ATDC. “Georgia Tech is a leader in corporate innovation. The Institute is home to more than a dozen corporate innovation centers.

“Georgia Tech’s Tech Square is recognized as a national leader in providing entrepreneurial opportunities and economic development. Engage will also support increased commercialization opportunities for Georgia Tech students and faculty.”

The 10 founding companies of Engage are AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power Foundation, Inc., Intercontinental Exchange, Invesco Ltd., The Home Depot and UPS. Each of these companies has committed to providing venture capital funds and mentoring to startups that receive that funding.

The 2017 Ivan Allen, Jr. Prize in Social Courage has been awarded to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.

The Carters are being jointly recognized for their work in improving human rights conditions throughout the world, both in their capacities as former President and First Lady as well as through the Carter Center. Based in Atlanta, the Carter Center has made a name for itself by focusing on disease eradication in a post-smallpox era.

President Carter himself won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts as president and through the Carter Center for pursuing diplomatic and peaceful solutions to international issues.

The former First Lady has championed mental health activism throughout her career through both Carter Center initiatives and independent ventures.

This year’s symposium honoring the winners will be held at the Biltmore on Feb. 17 and will feature events, such as a panel discussion on “the power of partnerships” as well as a Town Hall between the Carters and Tech students. Symposiums in past years have honored activist Nancy Parrish, Representative John Lewis and former Senator Sam Nunn.

To compare dry lessons about names, dates and events in a history course with a dramatized, for-profit television program based on names, dates and historical events is to miss the point of studying history. There are indeed many great and worthwhile reasons for people to study history, of their own culture and that of others, but to be told the fates of a set of characters in a memorable way is not high on that list.

Studying history allows a person to think more critically about the stories that they are told, and see how the shaping of those narratives by the powerful bolsters the status quo.

Studying history allows a person to understand that “our present is neither natural nor inevitable, and that we consequently have many more possibilities before us than we imagine,” as Yuval Noah Hirari wrote in his book “Sapiens.”

Studying history allows a person to see that “history” is a selective cultural memory that should never be accepted as handed down. I am glad to hear that you were interested enough to fact check “Medici” — yet any good history teacher worth his salt would encourage you to read more deeply and look for multiple perspectives.

The best prestige drama imaginable will never take a contrarian or alternative approach to a historical period because they exist to make profits. They will tell you about the Borgias as re-enacted people, but are unlikely to show how the concentrated wealth and influence of the city-states, combined with the curiosity and greed spurred by Columbus’s discovery of the New World, led to the rise of multiple European capitalist empires within such a little
space of time.

“If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one,” wrote Ray Bradbury in “Fahrenheit 451.”“Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war … Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn was grown in Iowa last year. Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving.”

Dramas are an even more persuasive and “real”-feeling way than textbooks to learn the facts and minutiae of the past without necessitating the development of an eye for historical manipulation, the signs of a real story swept under the rug, the historical trends and forces in play that are larger than the any of the specific individuals in question.

I understand that for many at this school in particular, the idea of studying history seriously sounds like a grievously misplaced opportunity cost — time and effort most probably better spent working out or studying math and science or networking for professional life. That is all fine and good, and there is definitely a benefit in making a rational decision to opt for one course of action over another.

Yet I fear that to write off the study of all past human lives as told by the people who lived them in favor of those that re-create it with as much shock and pomp and circumstance as possible is a grave mistake.

By all means, continue with enjoying prestige TV dramatizations of historical events — I confess that I do too, at times. But please do not confuse entertainment with education, or a linear story presented in one television-ready and accessible way with the real, tumultuous, multi-faceted history of what is being shown that actually occurred.

With National Signing Day on the horizon, it’s a good time to examine what recruits Tech has picked up over the past year. Because of the uncommon triple option offense and a multitude of other factors, it is rare that Tech pulls in a nationally remarkable recruiting class for football. Basketball is currently in the middle of the season so recruiting is halted for the moment, and spring sports such as softball and baseball will finally see what the freshman they received truly have to offer.

Football

Football has had a somewhat fruitful class in terms of raw talent compared to the past few years. With the Swilling brothers, Bruce and Tre, committing to follow in their father’s footsteps by attending Tech, the Jackets receive their only four-star recruit and their top three-star recruit, courtesy of 247Sports. While on paper the Jackets’ rank is extremely similar to past years, the addition of a four-star gives it a boost that Tech hasn’t seen since Shamire Devine in the class of 2013, who will be a redshirt senior this coming year.

Additionally, Tech adds two niche special team players in No.  3 punter in the country Pressley Harvin III and No. 10 kicker in the country Joseph Bulovas (both ranks are computed courtesy of 247Sports.com).

This year’s class is also incredibly heavy in defensive players, a subset of players that Tech sorely needs. While most defensive players will be returning for the season in the fall, it will be the year after that the incoming players will be needed most, what with the graduation of the Austin brothers.

Basketball

Josh Pastner was hired to be the next head coach of Tech men’s basketball team on April 8, 2016, leaving him without much time to recruit for the next year when many top recruits have already verbally declared intent.

However, Pastner put his nose to the grindstone almost immediately after arriving and picked up two three star recruits: point guard Jose Alverado and small forward Curtis Haywood II. There are also currently three players considering Tech, the biggest being four-star point guard J.J. Smith.

If Pastner is able to recruit Smith, he will only add to what he has been able to make in the short amount of time he has been here at Tech.

Baseball

As for spring sports, baseball has 12 freshman getting their first college experience this season. According to perfectgame.org, the class was ranked No. 22 nationally, with only one player choosing to forgo their college commitment to go on to the MLB. The class includes six pitchers, a position that Tech lacked depth in last season, especially towards the postseason.

For next season, Tech’s recruiting class is rated even higher than last season. Perfectgame has them listed at No. 17 with sixteen recruits. However, what remains to be seen is how many will get drafted and choose to sign a major league contract instead of attending Tech. The main problem with both of these baseball recruiting classes is the lack of top 100 talent. For the 2017 class, Tech is currently the only top 25 team who doesn’t have at least one recruit from the top 100. This is disappointing in a talent-rich area.

Softball

The other spring sport, softball, has an incredibly young roster and will be looking to prove itself this season. 10 of the 21 players currently on the roster are freshman, and while they are talented, their biggest test will be adjusting to the college level.

The good news for softball is that recruiting continues to improve. The 2017 class is currently ranked No. 43 in the nation according to FloSoftball, with one top 100 recruit and one just missing that cut. The most important thing in the future for softball will be experience, and the future looks bright.

Overall, Tech recruiting this season has appeared to have taken an upswing. Football grabbed the first four-star recruit in a few years, basketball has the rambunctious Josh Pastner and both baseball and softball continue to bring in high ranking recruiting classes to Atlanta.

The question, of course, is whether this talent will translate into results. Despite
outrecruiting the Jackets significantly in recent years, Georgia has lost two straight games to Tech in Athens. There is no doubt that Tech coaches can and will bring quality athletes to campus. How they use them is another matter altogether. As players such as Josh Okogie have shown, prospect rankings, popular as they are, are far from perfect.

While they wait for Tech’s newest athletes to step onto campus and begin competing, however, fans have reason to look forward to their appearances. From punters to pitchers, next year’s teams are stocked with players with significant potential.

Center stage in recent weeks has belonged to the Tech men’s basketball team, and not without reason. With impressive conference wins over NC State, North Carolina and Clemson, Josh Pastner’s tenure in The Flats is off to a good start.

At least equally as impressive, however, is the performance of the women’s team. Fresh off conference against Boston College and No. 24 Syracuse, the Jackets are making noise in the ACC slate’s early goings.

With the graduation of legendary Tech guard Aaliyah Whiteside, it would have been natural to expect a step backwards. After all, Whiteside turned in a 2015-16 campaign that ended with All-ACC awards and an Honorable Mention All-American nod from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, a season that also saw Whiteside lead the conference in scoring with 19.5 points/game.

What standout guard Josh Okogie has done for the men, Francesca Pan has done for the women. Pan recently notched her third ACC Rookie of the Week award, offering the Jackets a consistent scoring presence in the backcourt alongside sophomore guard Kaylan Pugh and junior forward Zaire O’Neill. Together, the trio combine for 35.3 points per game, more than half of the team’s 67.3 points per game total.

While Pan is in her first year at Tech, opponents have found in her a veteran savvy that comes from prior experience. The Bassanno del Grappa, Italy native represented her country at both the U18 and U20 level and was one of the top-ranked international recruits when she made the decision to play for the Jackets, courtesy of ramblinwreck.com.

Last year, the Jackets tallied a 20-13 season record, with eight wins and eight losses within the conference. This season, Tech has already picked up 13 wins, which puts it in place to secure its fourth consecutive winning season.

Nevertheless, a difficult month separates the Jackets from the present and the March conference tournament that could make or break the team’s goals. That includes matchups against current No. 2 Notre Dame and current No. 5 Florida State. The former held the Jackets to 38 points on January 2nd, marking the team’s season low.

After the game, Coach MaChelle Joseph said, “[Notre Dame] did a great job of changing defenses on us. That’s really hard to play against for a young team, especially freshmen guards and you could tell it rattled us,” courtesy of ramblinwreck.com. Since then, the Jackets have had time to adapt to the Fighting Irish’s play style. That experience could well come in handy, and seeing that the Jackets held the Irish to an underwhelming 55, even a small improvement on offense could turn the tide if the stingy defense returns for the second bout.

Of their 11 remaining games, five of Tech’s contests will take place on the road against conference foes, while the remaining six will be played in the friendly confines of McCamish Pavilion. With only four road games under their belt, including just one within the conference, the young Jackets will undergo trial by fire. From standout freshmen like Pan to longtime Tech players like Antonia Peresson and Zaire O’Neill, they may have the right pieces to exit successful and optimistic about the team’s long-term prospects.