Morgan Pope is on a mission to leave Athens and the Terry College of Business better than it was when she arrived.
Her passion for finding opportunities to give back and sharing those opportunities with her fellow students has earned her the title of UGA Terry College of Business’s 2024 Terry College Student of the Year.
Each spring since 2012, the Terry College Alumni Board recognizes a graduating senior who exemplifies the ideals of the Terry College and demonstrates the skills and commitment required to succeed in college, business and life. The awards selection committee is composed of emeritus members of the Terry College Alumni Board.
Pope, originally from Tallapoosa, Ga., will graduate in May with bachelor’s degrees in marketing and management, a certificate in Personal and Organizational Leadership, a certificate in Entrepreneurship and a Beckham Workforce Diversity Certificate.
Outside of the classroom, Pope strives to get the most out of her experience at Terry College. She has served as a Terry Ambassador, an EY Diversity Fellow, vice president of communications for UGA’s chapter of the American Marketing Association vice president for instruction for the Terry College Student Advisory Board, a UGA Lead Rural Student Ambassador with the All-Georgia Program and as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee lead for her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta.
She also served as community outreach co-chair of Terry Women’s Initiative, where co-founded the Terry Week of Service — a community-wide event that marshaled Terry students for multiple days of hands-on service.
In addition to interning with the Coca-Cola Company, Pope has put her digital marketing skills to work as a social media and marketing brand ambassador for multiple national brands during her time in Athens.
In addition to Pope, the board recognized four other Student of the Year Finalists at Terry College of Business’s 2024 Honors Day on April 3.
The finalists, who were selected based on academics, financial responsibility and community and campus leadership, are:
Tyler Collins Ege is a double major in finance and real estate with a pricing and valuation emphasis. He is a Deer Run Fellow and serves as the president and alumni chair of the Student Managed Investment Fund. In addition to his leadership work at Terry, he served as the service captain for UGA Mind Blowers, working with the Boys & Girls Club of Athens to teach financial literacy to middle schoolers. After graduation, Ege will join Truist Securities as an Investment Banking Analyst
Gabriella Rachel Lewis is a marketing major with a digital emphasis, earning certificates in new media and personal and organizational leadership. She was part of the inaugural class of Terry Diversity Fellows and served as student body treasurer of SGA. Lewis is also a Deer Run Fellow, a Leonard Leadership Scholar in the Institute for Leadership Advancement and director of academics for her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi. She is known for her leadership as well as her volunteer service with programs like the Backpack Project and Books for Keeps.
Grant Michael McDonald is a finance major with a pricing and valuation area of emphasis. Prior to attending UGA, he served as an Infantry machine gun squad leader in the United States Marine Corps. McDonald has served as president of the Corsair Society and president of the Kennedy Program, as well as the communications services sector leader for the Student Managed Investment Fund. He is also the scholarship manager for the UGA Student Veterans Resource Center. After graduation, McDonald will work as an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore in New York.
Eniola Olujumoke Olubunmi is an accounting major earning certificates in legal studies and non-profit management and leadership. She is a UGA Foundation Fellow, Sea Island Scholar, Terry Ambassador, Terry Diversity Fellow, Morehead Honors College Ambassador and Deer Fun Fellow. She has received the Saeeda Peermahomed Award from UGA International Student Life and serves as the communications chair of the Palladia women’s honor society. She is the chairperson of the International Student Advisory Board, and instructor for the American-English Language Lab. Following graduation, Olubunmi will return to EY to intern with their forensic accounting department and then pursue her Master of Accountancy at Terry.