Samantha Wilson Named 2023 GT 1000 Instructor of the Year

The GT 1000 program is designed to ease the transition from high school to higher education through a course for first-year Georgia Tech students. It also recognizes faculty members who help to make a student’s initial campus classroom experience welcoming and productive. 

That recognition comes in the form of the GT 1000 Instructor of the Year, and for 2023 the honor goes to Samantha Wilson, academic professional and student advisor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and curriculum director for the B.S. Environmental Sciences degree.

“Wilson’s commitment to providing a caring, inclusive class community and ample resources and planning opportunities for her students to do their personal and academic best in GT 1000 make her an outstanding instructor,” says Catherine Thomas, associate director of Undergraduate Transition Seminars in the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE). “The program is grateful for her many contributions to student success and support at Tech.”

“I want to thank all of the students I work with for making my Georgia Tech experience amazing,” Wilson says. “I want to give a special thank you to the students from GT 1000 who nominated me. I also want to thank the GT 1000 team for setting up a great program that I can be involved with each fall.

“It is always nice to receive an award, but one that is student-nominated means so much more to me,” Wilson added. “I love working with students through advising, teaching, and/or helping them feel more comfortable in navigating the undergraduate experience.”

Cameron Hyde, one of Wilson’s student nominators, said that Wilson “makes her class such a tightly knit community that feels like the eye of the storm when our workload has us down — and one that we’re grateful to spend time with every week.” 

Wilson’s other student nominator, Claire Riggs, adds that Wilson “explains aspects of college that seem stressful, like class scheduling and managinga tough workload, and makes them feel achievable. After every class, she leaves us motivated to continue even when we’re overwhelmed.”

Previous College of Sciences winners of the GT 1000 Instructor of the Year Award include Michael Evans, senior academic professional and Director of First-Year Chemistry in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, in 2016; and Dana Hartley and Violet Toma, both formerly of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, in 2013.

About Samantha Wilson

Samantha Wilson joined Georgia Tech in 2018. She serves as an advisor for undergraduate students majoring in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Science, Solid Earth & Planetary Science, and Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences. Wilson is also an instructor for graduate and undergraduate courses. Other responsibilities include curriculum development, student recruiting, class scheduling, and serving as an advisor for the Sigma Gamma Epsilon (SGE) honor society.