Mark Trammell

When I was a freshman in High School I came together with a group of close friends and we decided our community needed help. Being from San Diego we have a very large refugee population, and these families come into the States with nothing and no direction for where to go. The most devastating part about the refugee crisis in San Diego is that these families have numerous children, many of whom are young, who have all the opportunity in the world but they never have the chance to capitalize on this opportunity. Thus, my friends and I decided to start a non-profit with the goal of mentoring and educating underprivileged youth in San Diego. We named the non-profit Nova Spero, meaning new hope, representing our vision for the non-profit. What started out as a few families showing up turned into something amazing. Nova Spero has grown into an incredible non-profit organization helping educate and mentor hundreds of underprivileged youth in the San Diego area. I personally got to build some amazing relationships with the kids that we helped and it was an experience that I have the pleasure of cherishing for the rest of my life. I was on the board of Nova Spero throughout all of High School however I had to part ways with the organization upon entering college. I still remain passionate about helping the underprivileged in any community I am a part of. I believe everyone has opportunities around them to be successful, sometimes they just need help and I have always had a passion for helping others. Moving forward into what I hope is a season at Georgia Tech, I plan on bringing this same spirit of community to the Georgia Tech campus, and having a positive impact on the lives around me.