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Alumni Spotlight: Jesse Greener ’08

"A beautifully unique aspect of Rabun Gap is the exposure students get to people from all over the world." Jesse Greener '08.
The Alumni Spotlights are features where alumni are interviewed by student-submitted questions. The questions for this interview were submitted by the students from the junior and senior class. Jesse Greener from the class of 2008 was chosen to be interviewed.
 
While at Rabun Gap, Jesse participated in as many things as possible. She was awarded the MADFest T-shirt design in her senior year, while participating in the AP Arts Program. She lettered in both girls basketball and soccer. During her senior year, she was part of the program that helped Coach Earnhardt go undefeated in conference during his first season as head coach of the girls varsity basketball team. Soccer was always her main focus and she developed immensely as a young adult and player while serving as the varsity girls captain in her junior and senior year. During her junior year, she was named the first female all-conference and all-state athlete from Rabun Gap for women’s soccer.
 
Tell us about where you went to college and what you’ve been up to after graduating from Rabun Gap? After graduating from Rabun Gap I attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. At Alabama I pledged Phi Mu Sorority and was part of the Women’s Club Soccer Team. I attended Alabama during Nick Saban’s second season at the school. I was able to see three national championships and travel to two - they are certainly memories I will cherish forever. I graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts Communications. Following graduation I moved to Atlanta to intern for Governor Deal in his scheduling office. While interning for the governor, I met my fiance who I am marrying in July of this year. From the Governor’s office I took a job on the Senatorial Campaign for U.S Senator David Perdue as his deputy finance director. After Perdue won the election I decided to do some soul searching - I was not sure politics were for me. In December of 2015 I decided to pursue another degree at Kennesaw State University for English Education. I graduated in May of 2017 Magna Cum Laude from KSU with a degree in Secondary English Education. Upon graduation I took a job with Fulton County Schools at Cambridge High School in Milton, Georgia. I am currently a first year teacher teaching 10th Grade Honors Literature and 11th Grade American Literature. Additionally, I have taken on the the role as the Varsity Girls Soccer coach - it was beyond all my expectations and has been a phenomenal experience.
 
What did Rabun Gap most prepare you for... What did it least prepare you for? Rabun Gap most prepared me to be able to build relationships. A beautifully unique aspect of Rabun Gap is the exposure students get to people from all over the world. Students from all different backgrounds, with different native languages, traditions and beliefs are all placed in one location with one commonality: education. In this real life melting pot, relationships are formed that may not have ever otherwise. Being thrown in the deep end, living without my parents and not knowing a soul who went to the school I learned how to build relationships despite what others may view as barriers. These experiences prepared me for an essential part of success later in life - to be able to build successful relationships. I felt least prepared for the harshness of the outside world. It is easy to live entirely in the bubble that is Rabun Gap. When I left Rabun Gap I had the harsh realization of the “real world.”
 
How was the transition from Rabun Gap to college? The transition from Rabun Gap to college was a little difficult for me. There are very few moments in the life of a student at Rabun Gap that are not filled. I was so used to having a schedule that every minute of every day I was busy and somewhere to be. During my first semester at Alabama, I had a really hard time with time management. There are no longer built in study halls, or teachers checking in on your progress. Instead, you have to consciously make the choice to go to the library. Oh, and the library is not a fun place to hang with your friends. I had to learn the hard way how to manage my own time and prioritize what was important.
 
Did Rabun Gap prepare you for the challenges you faced later in your life? Absolutely. Rabun Gap prepared me to adapt. Going away for school at a young age and living states away from my family taught me to be independent and fend for myself. It taught me to be resourceful and to face challenges head on.
 
What is your best memory from Rabun Gap? This is tough - I have several. One of my favorite memories from Rabun Gap was junior year attempting to prank the boys in Bellingrath. After study hall, Rebecca Young, Lynsi Wavra and I walked back from the library to Coit. On the way home we decided to stop by the field across from what used to be the Bolland’s house - I think now it is Mr. Landis’. We gathered some materials: a few pieces of rope, some scraps from the back of the dining hall and our phones for light. We hopped the fence and went into the field with the cows. Our plan was to grab a cow and put it in the boys dorm. Rebecca Young assured us this would be no problem - she had been a part of the farm program a few years back and she remembered the pregnant female cows being very friendly. After several hours of running in circles attempting to “trip” one of the cows with the rope we were exhausted, sweaty and defeated. It was not until Becca was physically run down by one of the cows that we realized we were not in the field with “friendly pregnant female cows.” Instead, we were in the field with several unhappy bulls.
 
What was different from the Rabun Gap you graduated from and today's Rabun Gap? I recently had the pleasure of returning to campus over winter break. It was so fun being back with some girls I played basketball with and reconnecting with Coach Earnhardt and his wife. Coach spent the afternoon taking us around campus and showing us all the new additions to campus. I was so very impressed. When I was at Rabun Gap, the middle school was up the hill from the dining hall and there was no lower school. Now that I am in education, I think that is a remarkable concept - to have students exposed to the Rabun Gap tradition from the time they enter school.
 
What was the greatest lesson Rabun Gap taught you? The greatest lesson the Rabun Gap taught me was importance of having faith in others. Prior to attending Rabun Gap I was under the impression that the only person I could trust was myself - other people would eventually let me down. The relationships I built at Rabun Gap with my peers, teachers and coaches taught me that this it not the case. The people that you form legitimate relationships with are there to support you when you cannot do it yourself. Above all, Rabun Gap taught me that the most important relationship to put faith in is one with the Lord. At different points in life, there will not be people there to pick you up or help you make decisions. However, no matter where you are in life, no matter how complex the problem, no matter how defeated you feel, a relationship with Jesus will prevail.
 
Did Rabun Gap influence your college decision? How did you choose your college? One of the amazing aspects of Rabun Gap is the personalized college counseling experience. I had originally looked at several smaller schools thinking that I wanted to play soccer and have smaller classes, but then spent some time on the campuses of a few SEC schools and had a change of heart. I applied to several SEC schools, but when visiting Alabama’s campus I fell in love. The campus is so incredibly beautiful and the energy is contagious. I spoke to several of my teachers and decided that it was the place for me.
 
How did your experience at Rabun Gap prepare you for a successful career? Rabun Gap taught me to never underestimate the power behind showing someone that you are invested in their well-being. Prior to attending Rabun Gap, I had very few, if any, teachers that I felt were truly invested in my life and success both inside and outside of the classroom. It was attending Rabun Gap and leaving every class feeling as though the teacher in that room cared about me as an individual that pushed me to do better in school, be more involved in my church and community, and try to provide the people around me with that same respect. More than anything, it was this experience that made me want to be an educator. Every day that I feel defeated in my own classroom, I think back the many teachers I had at Rabun Gap and ask myself what I would have done if they had given up on me. They never did.
 
How do you balance professional ambition with personal happiness? I do not know if anyone has ever completely mastered this difficult task. Something that I learned when I decided to back to school to become a teacher was to prioritize things. Priorities in life change depending on the season. Every few months I list out my priorities. While I was getting my degree in education, that was my number one priority for two years. There are some priorities that I have on every list every created: family and god. Making sure your priorities are aligned with what you want out of every day is a good way to find that balance. At some points your list might consist more of professional pieces, other times it may be personal goals. Checking in with yourself periodically and honestly having to ask “are my priorities in line” can be incredibly eye opening.
 
Where is your career path heading? As a first year teacher, I hope my career is just at the beginning and I can only go up from here. I keep hearing from other teachers to make it through the first three years before adding anything else in. My hope is to grow our soccer program and build on the foundation that we already have. When I feel more settled, I hope to get a specialists degree in English Language Learning to help assist students that do not come from English speaking households.  
 
Is there anything you wish you would have done while at Rabun Gap, but didn't? I wish that I had taken more time to learn and experience the different cultures I was surrounded by every day. I had the pleasure of rooming with someone from Korea, eating lunch every day with students from the Turks and Caicos, Germany, France and many more. During my time at Rabun Gap I think I took these things for granted. I wish that I had taken the time to learn more about the various cultures I was exposed to every day and maybe even travel to see it in person.
 
What do you miss the most about Rabun Gap? The community. While at Rabun Gap I loved my friends, teachers and coaches, but did not fully understand the depth of the community there. Every day you are able to learn, play, eat and grow in one space. It is so incredibly unique. When you are able to experience all the aspects of a single day together, a communities bond becomes so strong.
 
What is something that you took for granted at Rabun Gap that you wish was at college? I never thought I would say this - mandatory study hall. If someone in college had told me I had to study and get work done during a specific time period, I would have probably been able to manage my time better and had structured time to dedicate to school. The structure I often felt the need to try and rebel from is what I found myself needing in college.
 
What is your #1 piece of advice to give a high school senior? Enjoy your time while you are there. It goes so incredibly fast. I cannot believe that next spring will be my ten year reunion. For so long I was worried about my next step - getting into college, going to college, graduating from college, getting a job. At some point it all comes into fruition and you stop and wonder how it all happened. Enjoy your community, your friends, your time to get involved in extracurricular activities, but most importantly enjoy the small things - seeing your friends every day in the hallway, walking down to the dining hall together, spending time in the common room of Jane, planning senior pranks. You will be like me reflecting on all of it sooner than you can imagine.
 
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.