Georgia State University to Host Two-Day Daffodil Festival

Perimeter College at Georgia State University will host its annual Daffodil Festival & Symposium on March 9-10, 2024. The event will take place at the college’s Newton Campus, located at 239 Cedar Lane in Covington, Georgia. This year’s theme, “Healthcare: Access & Opportunities,” aims to explore career options in the healthcare sector while addressing challenges related to patient access.

Lindsey Petrini, CEO of Piedmont Newton, will deliver the keynote address on March 9 at 10 a.m. Organizers have invited various professionals from the healthcare field, including representatives from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, to discuss career opportunities and current issues affecting healthcare access.

Schedule and Activities

The symposium will feature presentations from faculty and staff at GSU’s Perimeter College. On March 10, attendees can look forward to an overview of the college’s Dental Hygiene program at 10 a.m., followed by discussions on healthcare policy and non-traditional treatments at 11:30 a.m.

Event co-chair Stephanie Langston, who is also a principal lecturer of Spanish at Perimeter College, explained that the festival aims to highlight career paths in a high-demand field. “Our goal is to highlight potential career options in our community in a high-demand field while being mindful of factors affecting patient access to healthcare,” Langston stated.

The festival is rooted in the history of the campus, which was established on 100 acres of land donated in 2007. Hosanna Fletcher, lecturer of sociology and co-chair of the event, noted the historical significance of the Daffodil Festival. “Each year, we celebrate the Daffodil Festival & Symposium in honor of the daffodils believed to be planted by slaves more than a century ago when the property was a plantation,” she remarked. “The flowers, over the years, have continued to multiply and bloom, symbolizing the growth and resilience of the community.”

Community Engagement and Activities

This year’s festival has been expanded to include various activities designed for students, faculty, staff, and community participants. In addition to the scholarship recognition for the Daffodil Festival & Symposium Scholarship recipient, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in activities such as sound baths, yoga sessions, herbal tea-making, and daffodil Lego creation workshops.

The Daffodil Festival & Symposium is free and open to the public. All presentations will take place in the college’s 2N auditorium and atrium, providing a welcoming environment for community engagement and learning.