Putting the "Fam" in Familiarization

The “F” in FASET stands for familiarization. In this case, it stands for family. Chris Jordan attended his orientation in 1982 and met his wife here. Thirty-two years later, he is back on campus with his daughter, Katie. The Air Force veteran and ISyE graduate still had the pin he wore at his freshman orientation in ’82, and he proudly affixed it to the name badge he wore as a parent of an incoming Georgia Tech freshman. Jordan says looking back on his FASET experience he was surprised at the duration and depth of the program. He recalls many of his high school friends having a half day or single day orientation experience. Jordan remembers getting to know his FASET leader well during the two and a half days exploring every corner of the Georgia Tech campus.

Jordan is a proud Yellow Jacket through and through. He hopes it was the love for his alma mater that sealed his daughter’s decision to travel from Virginia to Midtown Atlanta to begin her college experience. But when it came down to it, Georgia Tech offered one of the top programs in the country for the field that Katie is planning to major in. Soon the Jordan family will have two generations of Helluva Engineers. Katie is planning to go into Biomedical Engineering, a degree field growing increasingly popular with incoming female students. In fact, last fall women made up the majority of the freshman class in BME, marking the first time in history that has happened. Dad meantime is already looking forward to cheering the brave and bold from Bobby Dodd stadium with his daughter. 

What was it like experiencing FASET with your daughter?

Chris: I actually think I learned more this time as a parent than I did as a student! I couldn’t wait to get back to campus to see what’s new and to give my daughter every piece of advice that I could about what Tech would be like for her. As we walked together around campus, I attempted to insert anecdotes about my four years at Tech in our conversation, such as certain classes I remember, things I liked or didn’t about my dorm or dining hall, or good places to study or eat.  However, I eventually realized that this is her orientation, not mine, and she should have her own sense of discovery about campus life.

What's the biggest thing that's changed since you were a Yellow Jacket?

Chris: Students today have so many more opportunities beyond the classroom. A few that come to mind are undergraduate research and studying abroad. Another welcome change is the increase in female students, particularly in engineering majors. I don’t know the actual numbers but it seems to me that the percentage of women at Tech may have doubled in the past 30 or so years. In fact, these are the very reasons why my daughter chose Georgia Tech over other schools. I’d like to think it was my connection and admiration for Tech that influenced her decision but, honestly, Tech has everything she wants and she couldn’t have chosen a better BME program at any other university today than Georgia Tech. 

What was your FASET experience like as an incoming Freshman?

Katie: FASET got me really excited for starting at Tech in the fall. All the FASET leaders were really enthusiastic and you could tell they loved Tech.

What are your career goals?

Katie: I plan to study Biomedical Engineering. I would like to go into research or industry possibly in the field of prosthetics.

What are you most looking forward to about your time at Georgia Tech?

Katie: I'm looking forward to meeting new people and getting involved with all the things going on on campus.