Ailey Gustafson
Title:
Arch Society member
Major:
International Affairs, Political Science, and Religion
Year:
Class of 2026
Hometown:
Marietta, GA
If you’ve been to a Georgia football game in the last few decades, then you’ve seen them: The dapper fans sporting black blazers in the student section.
If you’ve seen them on one of the opening weeks of football season—say a noon game when the sun and Georgia humidity are their most intense—then perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “Why are there people wearing suits in 90-degree weather at a football game?”
That’s what Ailey Gustafson was asking herself at her first-ever Bulldogs game. A freshman at the time, she also noticed how much fun they were having.
She recalls turning to a friend and, half-joking, saying, “That’s going to be me one day.”
At the time, she had no idea who those students in blazers were or why they were dressed that way. But that glib statement to a friend has come true.
The Arch Society is a 33-year-old student organization whose members serve as official hosts and ambassadors for the University of Georgia.
They’re clad in their signature uniforms at UGA’s biggest events, including special receptions, building dedications, and lectures. On such occasions, they’re not waving pompoms and screaming as they are on gameday, but welcoming guests, handing out brochures, or escorting speakers. They also give tours to the university’s high-profile visitors.
It allows me to have all these opportunities to just serve and interact and intentionally connect with so many people as an official representative of UGA.
Ailey Gustafson
Arch Society
“It allows me to have all these opportunities to just serve and interact and intentionally connect with so many people as an official representative of UGA,” she says. “That’s humbling in itself, but being able to be that representation and form connections with people is such an honor.”
Gustafson learned about the Arch Society when she ran for Student Government Association on a ticket with William Redding, a society member. Though her ticket didn’t win the race, she began meeting students from the organization and quickly realized that these were her people.
“It has been like having another family,” she says.
Beyond the people she met, the Arch Society spoke to her because Gustafson has a heart for serving others. Her three majors (international affairs, political science, and religion) are all tied to her drive to better understand people or the goal of becoming an international human rights attorney. To that end, she spent the summer learning Hindi in Jaipur, India, on a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. State Department.
Human rights came into particular focus for Gustafson in high school when she lost her hearing after sustaining a concussion while playing sports. As she began learning how to use a hearing aid and read lips, she found herself having to advocate for accessibility at her school.
“It just opened my eyes,” she says. “I knew there were accessibility issues. I knew there were human rights violations happening even in my own high school, but you never really understand them until you experience it.”
Gustafson was inducted into the Arch Society last spring, getting to put on the blazer for the first time. It was a special moment for her.
Now with football season underway, she gets to show off that blazer on gamedays.
She’s not too worried about those scorching September games because she has learned a few tricks from veterans of the program.
One is that the inside pockets of the blazers have big pockets. Big enough to hold portable fans that blow throughout the game. The other is simple hydration.
“We bring lots of water.”
