A Georgia Tech Family Tradition: Running Pi Mile
By: Sharita Hanley | Categories: Alumni Interest
Sheridan first stepped onto campus as a hopeful management major from Roswell, Georgia, armed with a HOPE Scholarship and the encouragement of her parents. “They told me they’d pay for room and board if I stayed in-state,” Sheridan says. “Tech was prestigious and close to home, so I went for it.”
Her journey began in Harrison Hall. “Moving in with a stranger made me realize, ‘This is real. I’m growing up,’” Sheridan says. “It was a turning point.” As a student, she joined Alpha Gamma Delta, ate at Brittain Dining Hall, and worked as a French translator during the 1996 Olympics. “I was hired to translate for guests from Quebec. I got to go to some of the events and remember the Aquatic Center being built. It was electric.”
After she married her husband, Adam, Mgt 99, MBA 18, they started a family and have nine children. Sheridan spends most of her time supporting the family, and her degree comes in handy every day. “My dad jokes that my management degree prepared me to manage a household of nine kids.”
This year, the Sheridans returned to Tech for the Pi Mile 5K Road Race, a tradition for their family. Four of her children ran, including her two youngest, Mollie, age 8, and Asher, age 6. Both placed first in their divisions.
“I thought I’d have to coach them along since they’d never run that far, but I was behind them the whole time. They were so proud,” Sheridan says.
She hadn’t originally planned to run since two of her older sons were at the World Robotics Championships, but then, Isaac, her fourth child, was accepted to Georgia Tech. That changed everything.
“This was my chance to run around the campus and pray over it. Pray for Isaac’s time there, for the faculty, students, and community. I wanted to be physically and spiritually present.”
As Sheridan ran, she passed buildings full of memories. “So much has changed on West Campus. I passed the Alpha Gamma House and remembered helping renovate it before the Olympics. Students are still here, cooking together, still staying up late and studying, still living life in these buildings.”
When Sheridan was a student, she never imagined that one of her children would attend Tech. “It’s surreal and special to watch him start his journey on the same bricks where ours began.”
For the Sheridans, Pi Mile isn’t just a race. “Every time we run this race, I feel like we’re not just remembering where we’ve been. We’re making room for the next set of footsteps to begin.”
