By David Williams, CmpE 00
Georgia Tech has always prided itself on being an institution that values performance in the classroom, and in turn holds its students to high academic standards. Student-athletes are treated no differently. In fact, that’s exactly why many make Tech their college of choice.
Some student-athletes take this spirit of learning a step further. After “getting out,” they’ve gone on to become teachers themselves. And two of the best examples—former Tech women’s basketball standout Regina Tate-Leslie, ME 02, and Yellow Jacket football star Avery Roberson, Mgt 08—are making an impact right here in the Atlanta metro area.
Tate-Leslie, who ranks as one of Tech’s best all-around athletes and rebounders, now teaches honors and college prep chemistry and coaches girls’ basketball at Shiloh High School, located in Snellville, Ga. She started her teaching and coaching career at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in 2003, and also coached and taught at Pace Academy from 2008-2014.
A former high school valedictorian, Tate-Leslie says she chose her career so she could serve as a role model for the next generation of student-athletes. Her mission has been rewarding, but also challenging.
As a Title I school, Shiloh High serves a high percentage of students from low-income families. “My goal is to raise the bar, through rigor and nurturing, so that my students meet or exceed national standards,” Tate-Leslie says. “I teach them how to analyze and solve problems—skills that transfer across subjects that will last them a lifetime.”
In turn, she also works with parents, connecting them with college prep resources that many have never been exposed to. “I have been able to connect parents with scholarship programs, enrichment programs, and other resources that prepare students for their future,” Tate-Leslie says.
As a coach, Tate-Leslie’s career highlight is being named the 2011 State of Georgia Girls Class A Coach of the Year after leading Pace Academy to the state finals, where her team finished as a runner-up. Tate was also able to help two players from that team earn NCAA basketball scholarships. “I’m particularly proud of that accomplishment,” she says.
Roberson followed a similar path as his fellow Yellow Jacket, earning certification in
Algebra I, statistics and Common Core Curriculum math, which he teaches at Carver High School. A former football standout at Atlanta’s Washington High School, he brings his years spent navigating the challenges of being a young man balancing school and sports to his students, in addition to his Tech experiences and know-how. “Like the kids I teach, I grew up in Atlanta,” Roberson says. “I experienced the same situations they are experiencing and I try to set an example for them in how to get through them successfully.”
Roberson notes that he didn’t traverse the difficult landscape of high school by himself. “A lot of people helped me get to where I am, and I am trying to do the same thing for my students,” he says. “Things such as exposing them to college earlier and encouraging them to make it a real goal in their lives.”
As part of his efforts, Roberson has partnered with Tech’s College of Computing for the
past four years to bring Carver students to Georgia Tech to introduce them to computer programming and give them a taste of college life. He also worked with Cedric Stallworth, assistant dean of outreach, enrollment and community, to connect students with 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Dan Shectman. “I wanted to be able to expose my students to such experiences and high aspirations for themselves,” Roberson says.
He also works with Georgia Tech Horizons, a program that fosters academic and life development for low-income Atlanta area students. Roberson loves to bring his students to Tech’s campus, where they can learn academic, cultural and recreational skills.
On the field with the Carver High football team, Roberson is a defensive backs coach, the position he played in college. “We ‘ve been fortunate to make the playoffs every year I’ve coached here,” Roberson says.
But what he’s most proud of is his students and athletes succeeding in high school. “It’s great to see them go from their freshman year to graduating and going off to college,” he says. “And to know that I’ve been there to be a role model for them and inspire them to succeed.”
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