Oni McCoy

Number 37, September 15, 2015

Oni McCoy ’18 was born in Texas, but her family moved to Georgia in 2010 and she graduated from North Cobb High School in the Acworth-Kennesaw suburbs of Atlanta.

She chose the College of Coastal Georgia for affordability and the hospitality management program available through the School of Business and Public Management. During her freshman year, however, she changed her major from a two-year career associate degree to a B.B.A. with a concentration in leadership.

“I decided I didn’t really want a career helping people find a great vacation,” she laughed, “and I fell in love with Coastal Georgia. This school is growing, but it is not a big, disinterested institution. Coastal offers a personal experience with small classes and more one-on-one with the professors. I don’t want to transfer, not when I can have such great interaction with faculty and do so much worthwhile volunteer work on and off campus.”

She participated in the alternative spring break organized by the Center for Service-Learning, working alongside Cody Cocchi, Assistant Director of Service-Learning, Andrew Smith, Director of Student Activities, and other CCGA students at Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa, Florida. The non-profit organization provides services for poor and homeless families across the Tampa Bay area, including growing food in community gardens; operating food kitchens; providing shelters and housing assistance; serving as a resource for job training, education, and medical referrals; and organizing child and youth activities, from hugs to sports and games, tutoring, before- and after-school care, and summer programs.

Her willingness to volunteer and her involvement with the campus Rotaract Club led to her selection as a representative to the Leaving a Legacy of Leadership (L3) Summit at the University of North Georgia campus in Dahlonega in May.  She accepted the invitation, she said, because it matched her degree track, offering the opportunity to learn team building skills and broaden her horizons.

Her particular interest, now that she’s a sophomore, is the freshman experience. “I want to be able to help students who want to help themselves.”

She admitted Brunswick is a slower pace than what she was accustomed to in Kennesaw, but living here, she recognizes the potential for business and for growth.  “Brunswick may not bustle, but the college experience is about more than the college town,” she noted. “I see so much opportunity. Students work here as well as do things in the community. It’s not just about where we can spend money. We want to make money, too.”

The HOPE scholarship student worked at a fast-food restaurant while maintaining good grades in high school, so no surprise that she works at Chick-fil-A while attending college. “We need public transportation in Brunswick and we need more business – more people willing to invest in this area,” she concluded.

“I’m a hard worker and I’m ambitious – I work hard to do well. That’s the best way to secure my future.”