Sidney Butler
Title:
Spirit Squad / Cheer Team
Major:
Biology, Psychology
Year:
Class of 2024
Favorite spot on campus:
Tate Center
Out of the 40,000+ students on UGA’s campus, only 20 athletes were chosen for the all-girl cheerleading team. Sidney Butler is one of these select few, and she wears her uniform with pride.
Sidney started as a UGA cheerleader during her sophomore year (while also juggling a heavy course load), but she began her athletic journey in high school, starting with gymnastics and switching to cheer when she was 13.
“Gymnastics is a very different environment because even if someone is on your team, they’re still your competition,” she says. “Now, my favorite part about Spirit Squad is that I get to be on a team with people where we’re all working together.”
Though this is Sidney’s last year on the team, she won’t have time to rest. She plans to attend medical school after she graduates from UGA and specialize in pediatrics. After volunteering at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital, Sidney was able to shadow several different medical professionals and learn more about patient care, from treatment to transportation.
Though she observed many different patients and medical staff across the hospital, she felt most engaged when working with pediatrics and the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. The experience solidified Sidney’s determination to work with children.
“It was such a great opportunity to talk to the nurses and doctors and learn about what I needed to do to prepare for my future,” she says.
“Game days are only as fun as the team that you’re on,” she says, “and having a team like this makes everything feel amazing.”
Sidney Butler
Spirit Squad / Cheer Team
Sidney currently works at UGA’s ECHO (Enhancing Connections and Health in Organizations) lab, a research team focused on employee health and well-being. She assists with coding and data entry and helps graduate students with their research projects. Sidney uses these opportunities to explore new and diverse fields of research. It also provides a sneak peek into her future career.
When she’s not in the lab or on the field, Sidney volunteers with the National Pan-Hellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine, an organization composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities.
Even with this jam-packed schedule, Sidney is in the stadium virtually every weekend. She also travels to games regularly and practices sometimes twice in one day. She has also been on the Dean’s List twice and has maintained above the 3.30 grade point average needed for her Zell Scholarship.
When managing her time became difficult, Sidney turned to UGA’s counseling services and found a therapist to help her develop a plan that worked for her. She strongly advocates UGA’s mental health resources and a healthy work-life-cheer balance.
Despite the intense work Sidney puts into her life at UGA, it’s easy to tell how much fun she’s having, especially on game day.
“Game days are only as fun as the team that you’re on,” she says, “and having a team like this makes everything feel amazing.”
