The fedora-wearing professor, Joe Dennis works at Piedmont University, a private liberal arts college. Dennis teaches his college students and his own kids journalism.
“I have no senior family members that did journalism. I’m the first one to do it, as far as I know,” said Dennis. “My oldest son did a little bit in high school. He won some awards for it too but he’s more into computer programming. My fourteen-year-old has expressed a lot of interest when I’m just talking about things. He has a weird fascination in it. I’m like oh cool, maybe he’ll take after me.”
He has matching tattoos with his oldest son of the sun and stars from the Philipino flag. It connects the two to their culture along with their father-son bond. Dennis also wrote a blog about his three sons and how he raised them along with some fun moments.
Now Dennis writes editorial pieces based on his students lives.
“The day after the election I had students in my office; I had an openly bisexual student, I had an illegal immigrant, I had a self-identified feminist and I had someone with severe anxiety and an African American student,” Dennis said. “They were all devastated and they were waiting for me. I keep my door unlocked and they were all waiting there. They needed someone to talk to, someone to vent to, someone to know they weren’t alone and that really inspired me.”
Dennis has loved being a teacher to his students. They inspire him to write. He gets to be a safe space for them, which is different from his catholic school. The professor enjoys seeing what his students have learned and how they have grown in their writing skills.
And the fedoras?
“Yeah, I have 6 fedoras that I own,” said Dennis.
Most of them are light because of Georgia’s hot weather.
“I do have a favorite, it’s a black fedora,” Dennis said, “I purchased it at the House of Blues in Chicago. It’s kinda the same fedora supposedly that the Blues Brothers wore in the 1980s movie that I loved. So that’s kinda my special fedora. It’s thicker, it’s wool, so I really only wear it in the winter.”
We can see how education matters to Dennis. He continues to teach and wants more people to be interested in journalism. He cares for humanity and enjoys talking to others and learning their stories.
Getting to know an only child is very easy because you are asking them about their most favorite topic ever — themselves! While I could be very detailed and tell you that I’m a Leo, in a STEAM program, Georgia Merit student, or how the time I fell off of my bike and smashed my bacon burger created one of my most cherished friendships ever, I can just give you a little insight.
I am from a city right on the edge of Los Angeles — Inglewood, California. After my parents split, my mom decided to move us across country, which was the end of the world to 7-year-old me. My mom promised me a bike to ease the pain. That same bike is the one to blame for the smashed burger incident, but that gave me a best friend so it wasn’t to bad (minus the huge scar and a missing chunk of my left elbow).
With that same best friend, we both tried out for a volleyball club, and that started one of my favorite hobbies. I’ve been a middle blocker ever since that day and wouldn’t change it. Outside of volleyball you can find me reading outside on a hot day because I love the feeling of sun on my skin, or inside my own world listening to music through my Beats. I’m a huge sports fan, especially football. I absolutely adore Friday night lights, every little thing about it. From the theme-matching outfits, constant screaming for joy, the majestical sounds from the band, to the post-game debriefs at Waffle House with your friends. My mom told me to find a job in doing what I love and what’s more cooler than getting to cover athletes and sports all over the world, which is why I fell in love with sports journalism. I knew I wouldn’t play volleyball in college but I still wanted to stay connected to the athletic lifestyle — or at least get first-hand info about it.
Being on my own does have some draw-backs from time to time but it also leaves me with time to figure out what to say when I’m asked “Who are you?” . The fun part is that being so young, you can never have a finished answer to that question, which means I can do what I do best — always talk about myself!
I am Paul Chandler, a current student, and I am lucky to have two loving parents and an older brother. I have been given a front seat ride to multiple different experiences and cultures. I was born near Baltimore, and I moved down to Oglethorpe when I was two, not having any real memories of my past. We moved into a house in a rural neighborhood, with access to the woods and a river behind our house. I loved when my parents would take me back into the forest on hikes with me and my brother wearing our superhero costumes. I remember when I would get tired, my parents would convince me to keep going by saying that Joker was up ahead the next bend.
I started school at a small montessori school, which I went to until I was in third grade. There I made my best friends which I still am connected with today. I was taught how to garden and have a somewhat free childhood. We stayed in the same class with 1st through 3rd graders for three years, allowing to form deep connection with those kids in our class.
In 3rd grade, I switched schools to Whit Davis, a public elementary on the East Side. At first I somewhat held onto my brother because he had gone to that school the previous year, where he accidently pulled the fire alarm during his tour with the principle. I ended up getting used to the transition, and I met a lot of people with different personalities and stories. I enjoyed it a lot and it got me a good grip on the larger school. That summer in 5th grade I went to a YMCA Christian sleep away camp in Tullulah, where I won Camper of the Year and enjoyed it a lot. I did remember feeling out of place jumping around singing Christian music in a circle, being punished if we weren’t screaming but whatever.
I went to Hilsman for middle school, which is the school everyone went to after graduating Whit Davis. It was way bigger than my last two years of school, because all 4 elementary schools joined as one, so 4 times the people. A few of my old friends from 3rd grade came to this school from the other elementarys that led to that school. I really enjoyed the experience, and I had a lot of fun in classes and making new friends. 6th grade went well. I returned to the same camp in the summer, this time for two weeks. This ended up somehow becoming miles less joyful, and one time we were sleeping in a bungalow type place by a lake, when a neighboring house burned down, giving me severe Bronchiectasis.
In 7th grade, I had an even better semester at school, and made a lot more new friends than the previous year. That November, we moved into my grandpas condo for two months and rented out our house, for 7 months while we went to Switzerland, which was such a special trip that we got to take because my dad had a job opportunity over there for the semester. I was sad to leave, because I was enjoying school so much, but the homesickness wore off after two months of being over there. I went to the public school on the german speaking side of Switzerland. Most people were welcoming and spoke slow German to me allowing me to become semi-fluent after my trip concluded. I was very into basketball then, unlike the majority of the country, who played soccer and tennis. Thanks to the amazing public transportation, I was able to take a free bus to the train station, ride to the closest city, Lucerne, take another bus to the town Kriens, then walk a bit to the basketball gym, where I practiced with kids from around the city. My coach was very nice, and although I couldn’t play in the games, I was able to improve a lot and learn more Swiss casual German. We went to multiple countries using the train system since we didn’t have a car.
We came home late that June since that’s when school ends there. I had a fun summer revisiting friends, and sharing my experiences. Cedar Shoals, the school my mom taught at didn’t hire her back after our trip, so she got a job at my middle school which led into Cedar. I helped my mom move her stuff into the class along with her fish for most of the summer, then started the best school year of my life. My teachers were really nice, and all I had a lot of fun. I tried out for basketball along with 70 other kids, and played really well in tryouts and made the team. Although I was kind of a bench rider throughout the season, practice was super fun and I made friends from 7th grade and strengthened my friendships with the 8th graders. We won the championship that year, and then I tried out for soccer pretty much the next day. I played a decent amount because that was the only pick up game to play in Switzerland, and some of my friends were playing. The team wasn’t as competitive, and I made it. I played CB, which was fun, and I loved the relaxed energy of the team, and even though we barely won, it was even better when we did. The season ended, and I finished out the last 2 months of school, which were really fun, because the real schoolwork ended and we just had fun.
My parents decided it was best for me to go to Athens Academy for high school because they believe the education would be better for my future. I was very sad because it meant leaving all my friends I made throughout the last five years, but I ended up going to the new school anyway. I went to my grandpas house in Maine for the July that summer and spent a lot of time with my moms side of the family, my 3 first cousins and my 50 something second cousins, along with my grandparents.
I started my 9th year at Athens Academy, and I knew one friend from 3rd grade, but it was still akward and hard to make new friends. We were assigned so much more work than I was used to, especially because I never really had homework, and now it was nightly for every class. I finished the year with average grades and a decent education, but I was still sentimental and sad that I left my old life at my old school.
Now it is the summer and I am at this journalism camp writing a biography about my life so far. I feel like I have experienced many shades of life, and I am hopefully ready to finish high school strongly and then have a good future.
Hello, I’m Saybel Shuster! I am from Macon, Georgia, originally from Vero Beach in Florida then I moved here in 3rd grade. I am one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet when you get to know me! I play tennis and am top doubles and singles, I don’t want to brag. I also do electric guitar. I love to eat! All the time! Like french fries, dumplings, cookies and cream ice creams, you name it, except seafood I don’t like. I love sweets most of all and would choose it over savory and salty foods. I like to pass out candy because I always have some on me, so if you’re ever looking for a sweet treat just ask! Another fun fact is my parents are opening a candy shop in Macon, Georgia called Shuster’s Candy and Creamery, so stop by if you’re visiting downtown! I like to talk a lot so just ask my best friend and the nerdiest but nicest person you’ll ever meet, Alli!
Growing up, me and my family have always traveled every summer to explore different foods and cultures. Just last week we went to The Galapagos Islands and Ecuador which had great food and not so much wifi, which honestly I can’t live without. Last summer we went to the Bahamas, and the summer before that, Italy!
My favorite music artists include Billie Eilish, who doesn’t like her?; Paramore, Cigarettes After Sex, The Weeknd, Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief. My favorite shows are “Insatiable,” “The Simpsons,” “Dexter” and “Love Island”. My favorite movies are “The Princess Swan,” “Straw,” “Despicable me 2” and “13 Going on 30”. I have a pet golden poodle, Sunny, and an older sister, Ella.
I have a huge family with my mom having four sisters, all of their names starting with T, and my father having a sister and two brothers, they all had two kids except two of my aunts. So in total I have 12 cousins. I am Jewish and I had my Bat Mitzvah in October. Since only my dad is Jewish and my mom isn’t, we still celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah! It’s fun celebrating both and I get double the gifts.
As I grew up I think I always knew I wanted to be a journalist, I loved photography and public speaking. My friends call me a very social person. I never knew I could have both in one job until my mom told me about becoming a journalist! Back in 6th and 7th grade I was a junior journalist for 13 WMAZ in Macon. I went to different schools, did Teachers Tops with interviewing the teachers and the students privately, or topics like about our Science and Arts Museum Christmas Tree Exhibit, or the ROTC program in high schools, and those videos were on the news and on their websites.
Yes, that’s me 4 years ago, we look and we don’t judge. I hope you guys think I had a major glow up. 🙂
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