Taryn Hooks still remembers the feelings she had as a little girl walking up to meet a cheerleader or dancer in uniform. She was filled with awe and inspiration when her gaze was met by the glamorous performer.
“I thought they were the coolest people ever,” says Hooks; it was even better if she met a performer who looked like her.
Now it’s Hooks’s turn to dazzle young aspiring dancers, and she relishes every moment.
“I love being an ambassador for the University of Georgia,” she says. “I don’t represent just Taryn. I’m a Georgette. I’m also an ambassador for the University of Georgia and the African American community.”
A Georgette’s Journey
Hooks has been dancing since she was 3 years old and competing since she was 5. When it was time to choose a college, she hoped that she’d be able to continue performing.
And Hooks can tell you the moment she knew she wanted to dance as a Georgia Bulldog.
She was on a campus tour with her mother and watching the faces of students at the Tate Student Center.
“They all looked happy,” she recalls. “My mom and I talked to a couple of people, and everyone just overwhelmingly loved Georgia and said they would never choose another place.”
Hooks wasn’t sure if she’d make the highly competitive Georgettes, but she nailed her audition.
“It happened, and I was so excited. I wish I could relive that day multiple times.”
Embracing the Pageantry
After enrolling at UGA in fall 2024, Hooks had a whirlwind year, beginning with her first game as a Georgette.
“I just remember my heart was racing so fast, and I mean, I think my teammates could look at me and tell that I was nervous,” she recalls. Ultimately, her more experienced teammates calmed her nerves with reassuring smiles. “That’s when I felt like I was truly part of a sisterhood.”
As a student, Hooks studies public relations and marketing. She thinks that how people present themselves matters, and she wants to work with clients to build their brands.
“I want to help people with creative interests and have all these creative ideas convert them into something that they can be compensated for,” she says.
She also participated in the Miss UGA Pageant, her first pageant experience. The part she was most nervous about was the pageant’s interview portion.
“Interviews make my heart race,” she says. “They’ve always scared me.”
She practiced over the phone with her mom every night for weeks.
Did it pay off?
“Yeah, the interview was amazing,” she says. “I felt so confident and proud of myself after that. And it’s made a lot of talking easier for me.”
Hooks finished 3rd runner-up.
“I love being an ambassador for the University of Georgia. I don’t represent just Taryn. I’m a Georgette.”
A Dream Come True
Being a Georgette has gotten easier too. When she began last season, she set aside three hours before a game to work on makeup and hair. Getting that signature Georgette pouf is no easy feat. Now Hooks can complete that pre-game routine in 20 minutes.
She has also shaken off those jitters from her first home game. That’s not to say that taking the field in uniform isn’t a thrill.
In some ways, she still feels like that little girl looking up to a dancer.
“Everything just feels like I’m a little kid,” she says. Only this time, the excitement isn’t about an aspiration but actually experiencing the dream.
