Halle Bynum
Title:
Athletic Tutor
Major:
Accounting
Year:
Class of 2025
Hometown:
Fitzgerald, GA
Student-athletes at the University of Georgia have an entire team to keep them in peak condition. On the track, in the pool, and on the field, they have coaches, physical therapists, and coordinators. But once it’s time for class, Halle Bynum has their backs.
If there’s anyone you want to help with your academics, it’s Bynum, a PROPEL Rural Scholar and student entrepreneur with her own fundraising platform. Bynum came to UGA as a biology major with a minor in business, but she enjoyed an accounting class so much that she switched to an accounting major almost immediately.
Now, Bynum helps other students develop a similar love of learning. A former high school tutor, she has now tutored student-athletes in business law, organic chemistry, and world geography, helping them prepare for exams and improve their study skills. Her schedule fluctuates based on the different course load for the athletes and the time of year (and gets especially busy right before exam season).
“When I’m able to help our athletes get the grades they want or prepare them for a test the week of a huge away game, it makes me more appreciative of how hard they work for our school,” says Bynum. “I enjoy going to our sporting events more knowing that the students on the field are committed to not only athletics but also academics.”
Bynum has always been a Bulldogs fan, in part because of her father, who studied agronomy at UGA before starting a sod farm.
I enjoy going to our sporting events more knowing that the students on the field are committed to not only athletics but also academics.
Halle Bynum
Athletic Tutor
“I didn’t even apply to any other college,” says Bynum. “UGA is a land-grant university, and so they put a lot of focus into sending people back to the communities to share what they’ve learned. And that’s exactly what I want to do.”
Bynum grew up on a farm in Fitzgerald, a small town in South Georgia. She describes it as “small town magic” and wants to take what she’s learned at the university back to help her hometown.
“My grandpa came to Fitzgerald and raised my dad there. My mom was born there, and I grew up there. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and we all help each other,” she says.
Bynum loves the small-town lifestyle but isn’t keen on a future in farming. She chose an accounting major because she wants to open and manage a dental practice one day when she returns to Fitzgerald. She’s currently a dental assistant at Hall Dental in Athens and a volunteer dental assistant at Mercy Health Center, a free health care clinic for uninsured patients.
While some people might choose to become dentists for financial reasons or the chance to use a miniature drill, Bynum’s love of dentistry stems from the long-lasting relationships doctors can form with patients.
“With dentistry, you’re able to see people two or three times a year for their entire life,” says Bynum. “Children grow up with you, and people tell you their stories. That’s what I want.”
Building connections has always been an important part of Bynum’s life. The relationships she’s built in both Athens and Fitzgerald have set the foundation for her future. She is grateful for the many friends and colleagues who have helped her throughout her journey and looks forward to the day when she is in a place to help other students like her.
“A lot of people have been exceptional mentors and friends to me, and I want to give back in the same way,” Bynum says. “That’s why I do so many activities where mentorship is a big part of it and why I hope to continue in the future.”
