Dragon Boat team repeats first place

New to the team was Dr. Alyson Paul, vice president of Student Engagement and Success.

"I was invited to participate on the Dragon Boat team for UNG along with other faculty, staff and students. Knowing very little about dragon boat racing or Asian culture, this opportunity was way outside my comfort zone and a good reminder of how our international students and others feel coming to UNG," Paul said. "It was a wonderful day getting to compete with our UNG team of both experienced and inexperienced rowers. In addition to getting to know new colleagues at UNG, I also loved visiting numerous booths of the sponsors and vendors focused on Asian culture."

Paul's teammates included Aysia Bittinger, Dr. Ran Chen, Brandon Clark-, Anna Cronan, Dr. Nancy Dalman, Jaden Clark-Davidson, Dr. Adam Davis, Rueben Dickson, Vincent Furtado, Dr. Sheri Hardee, Yonggang Ke, Pin Wei Lan, Neal Lin, Dr. Jeanelle Morgan, Long Qin, Tianyu Qin, and Sheila Schulte.

The win exemplified the hard work and persistence of each paddler on the boat and the ability to work together as one cohesive team, Lin said.

"There were also other students, friends and family members coming out to the event and supporting us, which we all greatly appreciated. This event is a great opportunity for students, staff and faculty to build relationships between different departments. It's a great cultural event, promoting Asian culture and giving students an opportunity to have first-hand experience," Lin added.

The Dragon Boat team was sponsored by Dr. Christopher Jespersen, dean of the College of Arts and Letters.

The event is touted as Georgia's biggest Hong Kong cultural event of the year.