kate pope
BY JULIA MAX OLLER
Kate Pope walks through the door of Blackbird Cafe and orders coffee for herself and some to bring back to her co-workers after our meeting . As she sits for an interview , she greets passersby . Whether close friends , co-workers or local community members , it seems as if she has a connection with everyone .
Those she doesn ’ t know she greets with a warm smile , giving true meaning to the phrase “ people person .”
“ It ’ s really important for me to be me . I love loud clothes , I love laughing and I ’ m not always appropriate or politically correct and I still get some looks , but I ’ ve been very pleased that I ’ ve been able to be me — 100 percent .”
Pope started her career at Georgia College , her alma mater , as the donor engagement coordinator . However , her No . 1 job has always been taking care of her family , which includes her two kids , Sidney , 8 , and Jack , 6 .
She explais how starting out at Georgia College , she was given ample time to adjust to being a working mother .
“ Georgia College , especially Elizabeth Hines , allowed me to be a young working mom . It was really hard — but they allowed me to make sure my kids were always my first priority .”
When making the transition to Georgia Military College , one of her main concerns was making sure to still prioritize her children .
“ It was a gut check for me to come to GMC , but I knew coming in under Tiffany Bayne ( assistant director and dean of students ), she knew what was most important for me , and that they ( my kids ) were my number one .”
Pope hasn ’ t worked at GMC very long , but her impact has certainly been noticed .
“ We started a thing called the admissions lab . We started with Baldwin High School . So , the admissions team came into Baldwin High School — prior to going there they gave us the students names and we wrote each of them a personalized acceptance letter from our executive director . We go on the campus . Each student gives us their provisional transcripts . We walked each ( graduating ) class through the application and waived the ( application ) fee . We talked about the admissions process
in general , and talked about financial aid . We made it an educational opportunity , and when we left every senior went home with an acceptance from GMC . I was really proud of that . Whether we are their first choice or not . I hope this shows those students who think they might not be college material that they are .”
Pope explains that she didn ’ t always know that college was the path for her .
“ When I was a student , if I would have gone straight to college , I wouldn ’ t have been ready — maturity-wise . I danced ballet and waited tables for a year , and then I came to Georgia College at 19 . That is why I see so much value in community colleges because sometimes you aren ’ t ready , for one reason or another , and that doesn ’ t mean it ends there . So , I have become very passionate about that because sometimes the opportunity needs to be there , whether you use it immediately or later .”
Starting the admissions lab was important for Pope because it shows other students like her that even if they are not ready to go to college immediately after high school , have that choice . She explains that she wasn ’ t the best high school student but that changed when she got to Georgia College .
“ I did very well in school , graduated summa cum laude and all that …” She says laughingly , “ but what I had forgotten over the years is that I had to take learning support math . I forgot that , until I went to GMC and I was like — oh wait , I am one of these students .”
With that background Pope makes it a priority to set students up for success and give them equal opportunities , which has led her to start programs like the admission lab .
Moving from Georgia College to GMC and switching roles , Pope had a lot of learning to do .
“ I was learning how to go back into the office after Covid . It was a different culture , and I was also learning admissions ... I was also learning how to manage a team . This is the first time I ’ ve managed full-time staff .”
Going from fundraising to admissions was quite the switch for Pope .
“ I kept using words like prospect and pipeline … my co-workers would look at me and
24 Milledgeville Scene | 20 Under 40 2022