Like others who dual-enroll at the University of North Georgia (UNG), Anna Cronan continued her studies and is now leading others on the Dahlonega Campus.
She was awarded a scholarship after being recognized "Most Outstanding Student" during UNG Summer Honors camp for rising high school seniors.
Cronan graduated high school in 2020 and decided to continue in the Honors Program with online classes, not sure if she'd remain at UNG.
Pursuing a degree in biology with a minor in chemistry with an expected graduation date of May, 2024, Cronan began her academics as a Nighthawk with online classes, due to Covid-19.
"Then good things started happening," Cronan said. "I took a STEM lab and Dr. Margaret Smith encouraged me to do research, which I discovered I really enjoyed doing. I participated in the Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement program, encouraged by Dr. Anastasia Lin, which led to scholarships.. Things were going in my favor."
Cronan has been selected to participate in the Fulbright-MITACS Globalink program in summer 2023 and received a Goldwater Scholarship in spring 2022.
The Lumpkin County native defines leadership as "the ability to give clear, kind communication with the people around me to reach a goal, even if it's not my goal, it’s theirs."
Using her experience as a tutor for an example, Cronan said the goal is for all the students to achieve a better understanding of class material.
Cronan first encountered a tutor in her freshman year when she attended Supplemental Instruction (SI) for a "not fun" chemistry class.
"I needed all the help I could get, so I went to those SI sessions," she said. "At the end of the semester, the SI facilitator encouraged me to apply, and so second semester I started being an SI facilitator."
Her leadership role with SI extends into the lab where her first project required her to student volunteers who tended to the biology labs and were responsible for checking on samples and live frogs.
The various roles Cronan has held have challenged her to improve her time management skills. Balancing work commitments, her education and downtime was a struggle.
"Clear communication helped a lot," she said. "That, and being honest with what I can do with the time that I have and with myself about what I can actually do. It took a while to realize I had to take a step back and learn to do things differently."
Part of the solution was prioritizing her responsibilities and avoiding burnout and frustration. Cronan added ice hockey for fun.
"I became interested in it in high school, but I played other sports and so I never had time," she said. "I also live in north Georgia and there are not many places that you can go to play hockey here."
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Cronan took to the ice.
"I was like, you know what, if I'm not going to do it now, I never will. So I registered for a learn-to-skate class, and learned to play ice hockey," Cronan said. "It was something that I wanted to do since high school. And so I did it."
She skates weekly at a rink in Fulton County in a beginner league.
"We're covered in padding and have a stick," Cronan said. "We're really just a hazard to ourselves, not anyone else at this point. It's been fun."
When not on the ice or in the lab, Cronan said she enjoys hiking with her dog, Ember, rescue from a local shelter.
