Jessica Hunt shares her own experiences as a Foundation Fellow
When Jessica Hunt talks with Foundation Fellow candidates, she’s speaking from experience.
In fall 1981, Hunt entered the University of Georgia as a Foundation Fellow herself, and it proved to be a life-changing opportunity. And that transformative time gives her a unique perspective and way to connect when she recruits current Foundation Fellows.
“I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have made the decision to come here,” she said. “I haven’t looked back since. It was the best thing that could have happened to me because the program and university completely embraced me.”
Hunt joined nine other students for that 1981 cohort. Now as an assistant dean and director of scholarships in the Morehead Honors College, her office supports 100 Foundation Fellows each year, as well as Ramsey Scholars, which graduated its last cohort in May 2024.
“Working with these students is so inspiring,” she said. “I’m almost always walking out the door with real contentment and with real optimism. Every day, I feel confident that the next generation is up to the challenge.”
Hunt earned her bachelor’s degree in English and then worked for UGA as an admissions counselor. After studying international development as a graduate student, she decided to work in the field and joined the Peace Corps and spent two years on a reforestation project in Guatemala.
Upon returning to the United States, Hunt spent 16 years teaching English in middle and high schools in Atlanta; Montgomery County, Maryland; and Aberdeen, Scotland, before moving back to Athens and teaching at Athens Academy.
In 2007, the Honors College recruited Hunt back to UGA to lead external scholarship support, which includes the Rhodes, Marshall, Schwarzman, Knight-Hennessy, Udall, Truman and Goldwater awards. Within a year, she took on the management of the Foundation Fellows program.
“The process of applying for these kinds of scholarships is really helpful,” she said. “Even when they don’t get the big prize they’re going for, they are in a better position because they know how to tell their story, they have clarity of purpose, they know a little bit more about where they’re looking to land, and they have this wonderful support network to cheer them on as they go after it.”
Hunt, who also earned a master’s degree in instructional technology from UGA, was drawn to working with scholarships because she knows firsthand the impact the financial and learning support makes. Beyond easing the expense of higher education, these scholarships also offer academic enrichment, mentoring, internship, research, study abroad and other experiential learning opportunities.
But according to Hunt, the community created among these scholars often ends up being the most valuable asset. In fact, she is still friends with members of her cohort and sees herself as a connector — students to the support they need, students to each other and students to faculty and alumni who can help them on their journey.
“The recruits figure out that, number one, I can get anywhere from here. If I go to the University of Georgia and do this program, the world is going to open up to me. The second thing is that I’m going to have a really great time, I’m going to meet wonderful people, and I’m going to be really happy doing it,” she said.
Hunt’s role is to manage internal scholars and coordinate external major awards. That includes many meetings with students, a good amount of scholarship coaching and lots of event and program planning.
“We’re always working on many different threads and trying to weave them together,” she said. “The real work is sitting down with one person and asking, ‘What do you want to do, and how can I help you?’ Those are the most meaningful moments.”
When she’s not working with students, Hunt enjoys hiking and traveling with her husband. She also enjoys writing and aspires to one day publish genre fiction.
For now, she’s helping students pursue their own dreams.
“I’m committed to student success as defined by the student. Whoever they are when they walk through the door, I want to get to know them and be there as a source of support,” she said.
