March 28, 2023
Greensboro, Ga. – Jai’Lyn Armour, GCHS Class of 2023, has committed to attending the University of Georgia close to home in Athens this fall, although he did not have a shortage of options. Jai’Lyn has been accepted to 50 colleges and universities, as far north as Pennsylvania (Lincoln University) as far west as St. Louis, Missouri (Harris-Stowe State University) and as far south as Miami, Florida (Florida Memorial University).
Jai’Lyn said he applied to so many schools because the current college admissions scene is extremely competitive. He had heard that many students are often waitlisted or deferred from the schools at the top of their lists. “I knew I couldn’t have just a plan A, B, and C,” he said. “I also wanted to have a plan X, Y, and Z.”
So, he started early, in July 2022, and applied to a college or two each week until January. He was accepted everywhere he applied but was especially overjoyed to receive the acceptance letter from his first choice. “UGA has always been my dream school,” he said. “I am very grateful that I get to attend my Plan A school.”
Jai’Lyn plans to major in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. He has known ever since he was a kid that he was destined for a career in marketing. He received a computer for a Christmas present when he was 10 years old and immediately became interested in graphic design. Throughout his early years, he helped out family members who are local business owners by making graphics and marketing materials, and eventually even writing marketing plans for their businesses.
Last summer, he was volunteering at the Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club when Director Stacy McClendon learned of his interest and talent in graphic design and asked him to draft a brochure for the club to use in its marketing efforts. The brochure Jai’Lyn created has been widely used by the Club’s staff and board to promote the club’s initiatives and achievements.
At GCHS, Jai’Lyn is president of the school’s DECA chapter. Participating in DECA, the career-technical student organization for marketing, gave him the opportunity to compete against other students from across the state and win 1st and 2nd place regional awards in the areas of Principals of Finance and Retail Merchandising. He hopes to continue participating in DECA and other marketing student organizations at the collegiate level.
Jai’Lyn has also worked as an Office Marketing Assistant at Randolph Tax Service in Union Point for about two years. That job started through his Work-Based Learning class at school, which places students with part-time jobs in their local communities that align to their future career interests.
Jai’Lyn says that Kati Mize, the GCHS Work-Based Learning teacher, Marketing teacher, and DECA advisor, has been an inspiration to him throughout his high school career. “She definitely encouraged me a lot and kept me going,” he said, “and she introduced me to a lot of new tools like marketing software.”
After college, Jai’Lyn is interested in going into market research and analytics, “or wherever the field takes me,” he said with a smile.
