continues to lead for GGC

Jonelle Faal learned from an early age that life doesn’t hand people things, especially young women trying to forge a path for themselves.

She lost her mother at 15 and was on her own shortly after. When she moved to the Atlanta area in 2001 to be near her older brother, Brian, she was a young mother with a threeyear-old son. At just 21, the demands of raising a child had forced her to abandon her first try at college.

She found work as an administrator for a law firm, and within a few years, she was training incoming attorneys.

“I started thinking, wow, if only I were a little bit more educated, something great could happen for me,” said Faal. “That’s when I knew I was ready for a second chance at higher education.”

One day while shopping, she came across a kiosk touting Georgia’s newest college, which had just launched the year before.

“They were giving out information about this new, innovative school and I thought, ‘W hat the heck? Let’s give it a try,’” said Faal. “They told us those first few students would be taking a chance on something new, but that made me want to do it more. The draw to it was not just that I would be going back to school, but having the opportunity to take part in building something from the ground up and be a pioneer.”

Faal came to Georgia Gwinnett College in 2007 in its second class of students. Her original major was psychology, but she was soon pulled in another direction.

“It was a very small campus at the time, so it was easy to get involved because they needed people for so many different things. I took part in a lot of campus infrastructure development, interacting with school lead- ership and the business community at large,” said Faal. She citied Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman, GGC’s charter president, as one of her mentors.

One day, a member of the GGC Foundation Board of Trustees told her that she was a natural businesswoman and she should pursue an education that played to those strengths. It was a push in the right direction. She switched her major to business administration.

Faal excelled in her new career path and became one of the early presidents of GGC ’s Student Government Association. In 2011 the Georgia state senate passed a resolution naming her “Presidential Scholar” for the University Systems of Georgia.

She received her undergraduate degree that same year and went on to earn a master’s degree in commercial real estate from Georgia State University, where she now teaches real estate and finance as a professor of real estate for the J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

Today, she is vice president of asset management for SitusAMC, one of the nation’s most extensive financial services and real estate companies. She and her husband, Ousman, also run a trucking logistics company along with their two sons.

She credits much of her success to her time at GGC.

“GGC was the springboard to my successful career in commercial real estate,” she said. “I never could have imagined that part of my undergraduate experience would involve throwing on a hard hat, digging dirt to break ground, and cutting the ribbon to open what is now the library, student center and student housing. This sparked a passion, and the connection between that passion and what I was meant to do in life happened on GGC’s campus.”

Faal became a charter member of the School of Business Board of V isitors (BOV) in 2011. Today, she serves as its vice chair.

“I felt that I benefited so much from GGC that it’s only natural for me to give back,” she said. “Being on the BOV is a great opportunity to help the next generation of students.”

Faal said one of her passions is mentoring women and minorities to get involved in commercial real estate, and the BOV gives her an outlet to do just that.

“I encourage young women not to be intimidated by business, but to be encouraged by it because we have a lot of ideas. We bring a unique perspective to the table,” she said.

“Every business started with a single idea from a single person, and that next big innovation could be yours. Women need to have confidence in their ideas.”

Coming full circle, Faal’s new role with GGC is that of parent, as the three-year-old son she brought to Georgia all those years ago, Essa, is a sophomore studying film production.

“As an employee of the University System of Georgia, I can send my kids to almost any institution within it, but I chose Georgia Gwinnett because I know the attention and individual focus students receive there. I know my son is getting a good education.”

The 2022 Grizzlyfest week kicked off with a pep rally featuring GGC Athletics, the homecoming court, the Grizzliettes dance troupe and GGC Percussion. General was armed with a t-shirt cannon and students learned the GGC Fight Song and Alma Mater. Other activities that week included the Decorate Your Den spirit contest, a comedy night, a Link to Lawrenceville event, and the first GGC Grizzly Crawl for alumni in downtown Lawrenceville.

More than 300 alumni, students, faculty, staff, families and friends came to campus for the Saturday event to enjoy tasty chili, games, assorted tabling activities by student groups, a rock-climbing wall, GrizzlyCon board games, a color fun run, the crowning of the homecoming king and queen, and an Octoberfest-style lunch.

Entertainment was provided by Grizzly Percussion and the GGC string and jazz ensembles, the Grizzliettes and others.

Dr. Jann L. Joseph, president, David Still, Lawrenceville mayor, and Tom Willard, ‘11, business, Alumni Board chair, presented greetings and joined Anthony Thomas, Student Government Association president, in judging entries for the best-tasting chili, an honor won by Dr. Chavonda Mills, dean of the School of Science and Technology.

Dr. Bernard Oliver, dean of the School of Education, took first place by popular vote in the Deans’ Chili Cook-off for the second consecutive year.