Manolis Androulakis
2024 Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement
The Honorable Manolis Androulakis Chargé d'affaires of the Greek Embassy Kyiv, Ukraine
Faculty member Louis A. Ruprecht Jr. writes, "I am delighted to announce that Dr. Faidra Papavasiliou and I nominated our former student, and former Greek Consul to Atlanta, the Honorable Emmanouil (Manolis) Androulakis, for the 2024 Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement. In August, we learned that he had been selected to receive this award, one of the highest honors that GSU bestows on its alumni.
The Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement celebrates Manolis Androulakis's remarkable record of accomplishment as a masters student in Anthropology at GSU, as well as his distinguished subsequent career. Manolis has served tirelessly and fearlessly as a diplomat stationed on the front lines, first in Mariupol and now in Kyiv, Ukraine, since the invasion began in February 2022. While recent setbacks in the war prevented him from traveling, Manolis was recognized at a formal award ceremony held in the Law School Builing on November 13, 2024."
2024 International Honorary Reception: Louis A. Ruprecht Jr.’s Remarks at Award Ceremony
"Good evening. I am honored to receive the Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement on behalf of the 2024 awardee, the Honorable Emmanouil Androulakis. Emmanouil’s time with us, both as the Greek Consul to Atlanta and as a Masters student in the Department of Anthropology, left a decisive mark on all those who were graced to work with him.
A scholar and diplomat by training, and a humanist by instinct, Emmanouil has dedicated his capacious intellect and rare moral courage to every endeavor, and more significantly by far, to every person, with whom he engages.His studies here at Georgia State University focused on modern democracy as a transatlantic cultural tradition, one comprising an essential commitment to lateral, rather than hierarchical relationships, and thus to a politics of non-domination.
Emmanouil is unable to be with us this evening because he has committed himself to that principle in the context of invasion and of war. His capacious intellect and moral courage are on bright display in Kyiv this evening, as we celebrate him here in Atlanta. I am sorry that he cannot be with us this evening, but grateful for and inspired by the reasons why.
Thank you very much, on his behalf."
For more information about this award see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFKzLIwrTus
See also https://iew.gsu.edu/2024/11/18/2024-international-honorary-reception/ to learn about the honorary reception held in fall 2024 and for more content on Androulakis's work.
David Grogan
David Gorgan was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) dissertation grant this summer for his doctoral research on early medieval glass at the University of Notre Dame. David’s work focuses on early medieval Irish glass production and exchange networks. His work draws on a compositional analysis of early medieval glass to critically evaluate models of the early medieval economy.
David Grogan obtained his Master’s degree from Georgia State University. Department of Anthropology, in 2020. Under the guidance of Professor Nicola Sharratt, he completed his thesis, titled “Urban Spaces, Places, and Identity in Early Medieval Britain.” In 2022, he co-edited a special section titled ‘The Dig: Archaeology in the Public Eye’ in the journal SAA Archaeological Record with Dr. Sharratt.
Alexandra St. Tellien
In Spring 2024, Alexandra St. Tellien completed her M.A. thesis (under the direction of Dr. Steven Black,) was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, and was accepted into a number of top programs in anthropology and Africana studies! She has now started the PhD program in African American Studies at Emory University.
The NSF fellowship, which is perhaps the most prestigious and competitive graduate award in anthropology, pays for up to three years of graduate school with a focus on anthropological scholarship. Alexandra’s research investigates African and African-derived ritual languages from an African diasporic perspective, tracing the historical and contemporary interconnections between Benin Vodùn (in West Africa) and Haitian Vodou religious traditions and linguistic practices.
Aspen Kemmerlin
Aspen Kemmerlin, alumna of the MA program, co-authored an article entitled 'Experiencing Archaeology Beyond the Classroom' in the May issue of the SAA Archaeological Record. This article drew on Aspen's MA thesis research, supervised by Dr. Sharratt, on introducing undergraduates to archaeology using the MARTA collection.
Currently, Aspen Kemmerlin is the Director of External Engagement at the Office of the Associate Vice Provost for the Arts.
Birney Robert
Our alumna of the Museum Anthropology program, Birney Robert, joined 'Arts at Tech' initiative in Georgia Tech’s Office of the Associate Vice Provost for the Arts in a full-time role. In her new position, Birney is engaging external stakeholders interested in arts innovations at Georgia Tech and in Atlanta. Birney was also on the Board for inaugural Atlanta Arts Fair, held in 2024 in Pullman Yards. Birney Robert completed her Master’s Degree in 2022, with a thesis titled “An Art Museum at the Intersection of Science and Technology: An anthropological Approach” under the direction of Dr. Nicola Sharratt.