The Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce is offering a new service to Gwinnettians now online. It is detailed information about the November elections in Gwinnett cities.
With advanced voting now under way in city elections on November 7, the Chamber has produced a guide listing the candidates for all the offices. It also lists a short summary from each candidate about why they seek the office. It’s a “one stop shop” to guide voters in the elections.
The heads of government in Buford, Duluth, Peachtree Corners, Lawrenceville, Snellville and Suwanee have no opposition. In the City of Lawrenceville, all candidates who qualified have no opposition. In the other cities, there are candidates for Council seats for the election.
To view the new Chamber voting information, go to https://gwinnettchamber.org/2023-gwinnett-municipal-elections/. The information was put together by Paul Oh, director of Public Policy for the Chamber.
Panchal joins Hudgens as ceramic studio manager
Panchal
Internationally acclaimed ceramics artist and industry leader Yesha Panchal has joined the staff of the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning as the new ceramics studio manager. Her “yeshaart22” Instagram account has more than 33.8K followers.
Ms. Panchal was born in Gujarat, India, and moved to the United States when she was 16. She graduated from Georgia State University in Atlanta in 2017 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in ceramics, and soon joined The Hudgens as an instructor. She works from her home studio in Suwanee, where she lives with her husband.
In describing her pottery, Panchal said, “My work calls attention to the beauty of nature that often goes unnoticed, particularly petals, stems, plants and other elements which continuously fuel my imagination. When surrounded by nature, I find the sense of belonging that I search for as an immigrant in a foreign land.”
Panchal is an organizer of Clay to Table, an online event held over the Labor Day weekend that showcases fine contemporary pottery with a goal to build and enhance the community between potters and pottery lovers.
Computer Museum in Roswell plans exhibits about chips
Get ready for an evening like no other as the Computer Museum of America of Roswell presents a Museum After Hours event for tech enthusiasts. Mark your calendar for Thursday, October 26 from 5:30-9 p.m. , as the museum opens its doors to unveil a groundbreaking new exhibit, Chips: Powering the Modern World.
Prepare to be captivated by the artful configuration of over 150 chips, elegantly displayed to showcase the remarkable advancements in the electronics industry from 1940 to 2020. This exhibit seamlessly weaves together the worlds of art and technology, exploring the dynamic intersection between the two. Immerse yourself in the beauty of these carefully arranged chips and gain a deeper understanding of the incredible innovations that have shaped our modern world.
In addition, Michelle Winters, a classical violinist turned pop and rock performer, will be gracing the event with her musical talents. Michelle’s eclectic repertoire ranges from Led Zeppelin to Lady Gaga, ensuring a lively and unforgettable atmosphere.
The museum is located at 5000 Commerce Parkway in Roswell, adjacent to the Aurora Cineplex.
PCOM students teach others in Medical Spanish Course
Words matter. Especially if you’re a healthcare provider trying to communicate with a patient who doesn’t speak English.
Abraham Melara, a first year student at the Suwanee campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and a native of Honduras, remembers traveling to the states as a youngster with his mother who was being treated for breast cancer.
“As a child, I acted as an interpreter because her physicians did not speak our language. It’s very important for me as a medical student to give future physicians the tools to communicate. People who are vulnerable due to a language barrier need the connection.”
Melara, along with Darwin Mendez, another first year medical student whose parents are from Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, are leading a medical Spanish course under the sponsorship of the Latino Student Medical Association (LSMA).
Mendez says: “When my parents first came to this country, they struggled to learn English. I feel that the tables are reversed as I’m now in medical school where I’m able to give back and teach classmates the Spanish language.”
He noted that more than one million Spanish speakers call Georgia home. “To equip everyone to go out into the community and speak with Hispanic patients is really powerful,” he says.
Close to 100 first and second year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students spent their lunch break recently learning medical Spanish. The hour-long class is the first in a series to be offered to DO students.
Maria Reyes, a second year DO student and the vice president of LSMA, says the classes are patterned after classes taught last year. Reyes, a native Ecuadorian, explained that the course, which provides conversational Spanish lessons, creates not only cultural competency, but also a connection with patients.
“Learning the language lets your patients know that you care about them,” she said.
Daniela Gutierrez, feels that it’s fitting to offer the first class during Hispanic Heritage Month.
The first lesson included the importance of greeting the patient and introducing oneself to the patient and all family members present, the terms for parts of the body, symptoms and possible diagnoses, and letting the patient know that you will call an interpreter if there is a misunderstanding.
Melara and Mendez took turns pronouncing words and phrases for the class and then divided the students into groups where “patients” presented their symptoms and the students practiced conversing with them.
These lessons are especially important as medical students volunteer in the Gwinnett community, where approximately 35,000 families speak Spanish at home, according to Gwinnett County’s Citizen Language Collaboration. In addition, students are for clinical rotations across the state that occur in their third and fourth years of medical school.
Two students at GACS are national merit semifinalists
Sarikonda
Liu
Two students at Greater Atlanta Christian School have been named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists for 2024. They are Kevin Liu, the son of Rosie Li and Shuo Liu of Suwanee . and Akhil Sarikonda, the son of Ravi Sarikonda and Sushma Wupendram of Norcross. Semifinalists are chosen from 1.3 million high school students who took the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test during their junior year. These semifinalists are competing for 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million, to be announced in the spring of 2024.
GwinnettForum is adding new element: critic’s corner
GwinnettForum is adding a new feature: a critic’s corner,which began in the October 13 edition. We have arranged with a local writer to attend cultural events, and give her opinion of them.
She is Jane Wroton, who lives in Duluth. She was born in Raleigh, N.C. is a graduate of Appalachian State University,. She is retired and previously was a teacher for 30 years in DeKalb County. She is married to Michelle Fraix. She met her husband on a field trip to France in 1993, and they were married when he moved to Georgia in 1997. He is a French teacher and tour guide in Atlanta. They enjoy spending time on the Georgia coast.
The review will be concise. It will consist of about 150 words, so that it will be well-read by subscribers. We hope to run as many reviews that she can attend. Her email is janegwroton@yahoo.com.
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