Hello, Georgia Southern University, and welcome to the Faces of Armstrong! Today’s selected person is Marvette Wilkerson!

Marvette, the general manager for Starbucks at the GSU Armstrong campus, was born and raised in a small town known as Thomaston, Georgia. Growing up entering her college years, Marvette attended Armstrong University in 2011, working towards her Bachelor’s in health science, focusing on sports management. Immediately after in 2015, Marvette began working towards her master’s in sports medicine and completed it two years later. Around the time she finished her master’s, Armstrong had merged with Georgia Southern University. Now, Marvette has a son and is the General Manager for Starbucks on campus with a loving heart willing to volunteer wherever she can to impact students’ lives.

Inkwell Staff: Outside of managing Starbucks, what other hobbies do you have to pass the time?

Mrs.Wilkerson.: To pass the time, I love to shop, and I like to write things down in my journal. Which consists of my meditation, but I feel like we don’t have many hobbies these days with social media. Especially TikTok, Instagram, and many other social media platforms. Back in the day before that, I grew up in the country, being outside, climbing trees and being on top of houses. That’s what we did. As far as service, I am now competing in dancing with Savannah stars.
The event is with Brightside Advocacy Savannah Casa. They are Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Foster Care. So I have been tasked to raise $10,000 for the kids. Our show is on May, May 13. So that’s what I’m focused on right now. However, I feel like I’m a part of many different organizations. I love serving the community. I love volunteering as in anything where I can get out and help people. I am also a Thankful Missionary Baptist Church member, where I serve in two ministries. I am a published author, with my thesis published on PubMed in 2021. I am also part of the D&I hiring workforce Committee at Georgia Southern.

Inkwell.: “What’s your favorite part about the Armstrong campus?”

Mrs.Wilkerson.: “My favorite part of campus is Starbucks. I see so many different people, different faces, and different personalities. You get new people coming into work, and people come in and shoot videos. It’s just an open, welcoming environment. People are happy there, and that’s what I like to see. I spend most of my time there.
My second favorite part about the campus is the gym. It allows students to mentally release from all the stress and problems they may be going through. I am huge on mental health, and having that hobby or activity to release me mentally is needed. I tell my kids every day, “You never know what people are going through. Please be gentle”.
I started going to therapy maybe a year now, and it’s been very eye-opening and rewarding. And I think our generation needs it. I wish therapy were more affordable. I see a lot of depression. I feel a lot of anxiety, and students don’t know they can get help/or talk to someone. And it’s so sad to hear that people are going through difficult situations and do not have outlets to reach out to when going through it alone.

Inkwell Staff: Is there anything you would like to add or advice to the audience?

Mrs.Wilkerson: Yes, my advice to others is to be gentle to others and yourself. Choose your friends wisely and hang out with like-minded people, and do not be afraid to go after your goals.

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