Profiles of Tenacity: Cole Doherty

Cole Doherty is a senior advertising major with a business minor and music business certificate from St. Louis, MO. Cole is deeply involved in campus life, serving as Co-President of the UGA Pickleball Club, a member of UGA Spirit, a Digital Dawg, and a Grady Ambassador.

Why did you choose your major?

Choosing advertising was like a hidden gem. To be honest, I didn’t even know it was a major at all. After chatting with people from Grady and seeing how passionate they were about it, I knew which direction I was going to take. 

What does tenacity mean to you?

I had to Chat GPT tenacity because I honestly didn’t know what it meant, and it told me 3 key words that stood out to me: courage, perseverance, and growth. As an out-of-state transfer student, I didn’t know a single soul when I first came to UGA. I remember how afraid I was about not knowing anyone and feeling unsettled. I’m not going to lie, coming here was so difficult at first. But, by putting myself out there, finding my people, and pushing myself to try new things, I was able to find my place here at UGA.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to other Grady students?

Embrace every possible opportunity. FOMO is real, and when I tell you I always feel FOMO, I do. Don’t look at others and compare yourselves to what they are doing, instead try your best to make yourself your best self.

What motivates you?

Making every day a better tomorrow. In my head, there’s no sense in not trying to make the most out of my experiences here in college. I always pack my schedule to ensure I can use my time wisely and gain experiences/skills that will help me in the future. “Rise & Grind” or whatever the kids are saying these days.

What or who has had the biggest impact on your life during your time at UGA?

I shout her out all of the time but quite literally all of my credit goes to the one, the only: Elisa Fontanillas who graduated from Grady last spring. Elisa was my orientation leader when I first transferred here, and she was also my very first friend. We ran into each other during the first week of classes and she was the only person on campus I had recognized. We then made plans to hangout and she helped me learn the ins and outs of UGA as well as introduced me to my, now, best friends. I couldn’t imagine how different my experience here at UGA would have been without her and I’m so incredibly grateful for our friendship! 

What has been your biggest accomplishment in the past year?

This past Spring, I tried out and joined the UGA Spirit program. You should have seen the look on my face when I got the decision email, the amount of happy tears that flew down my face was unreal. I found out on my brother’s graduation day, surrounded by friends and family. It was an incredibly special moment, and I’m blessed to have this experience. It’s been such an honor to represent the university within the Athens community as well as on a national stage!

Where’s your favorite place on campus and why?

My favorite place on campus has to be Sanford Stadium. Every “Saturday In Athens” the stadium comes to life with 93,033 fans and it’s such an electric environment. I’m able to experience the games on the field with my new BFF, Boom. All of my shoes are turning green from the painted grass, though.

What advice would you give to your freshman self?

To my freshman self, I’d tell him: “If you never try, you’ll never know.”

Something I’ve learned throughout college is that you can quite literally be anything you want to be. Without you taking the initial step, that won’t happen. Work hard, push through, and you can do anything you put your mind to.

Editor: Madden Callahan, emc50486@uga.edu