News and Culture Archives

A love letter to Dragon Con

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September 2, 2026

Dragon Con attendees inside the Marriott Marquis

When I stepped through the revolving doors of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta for my first Dragon Con in 2014, I had no idea what I was in for. The multigenre nerd convention, which sprawls across five downtown hotels over Labor Day weekend and regularly draws more than 70,000 visitors, can be overwhelming for newcomers—even if you live and breathe fandom like I do.

I found myself packed like a sardine among throngs of cosplayers as we traversed hotel skybridges on our way to celebrity panels and fan discussions. The floor got stickier and stickier as the day went on. But after hours of exploring, I was hooked.

Dragon Con celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. In 1987, single-genre conventions devoted to comic books or games were already popular—but the Atlanta-based sci-fi aficionados who launched Dragon Con envisioned an event that would welcome multiple fandoms. The gambit worked: Today, Dragon Con is the largest multigenre pop culture convention in the world, offering programming on everything from anime and high fantasy to robotics—not to mention a roster of celebrity guests, an art show, and a costumed parade that draws 70,000-plus spectators to Peachtree Street.

Over the years, my husband and I have built little Dragon Con traditions: sipping mai tais at Trader Vic’s; playing the game Taiko no Tatsujin at the Japanese arcade; catching the always-impressive Late-Night Puppet Slam hosted by comedy duo Bob and Carl.

performers at the Late-Night Puppet Slam — Performers at the Late-Night Puppet Slam

A cosplayer honors the bygone Marriott Marquis carpet

Dragon Con always has compelling programming. I’ve loved seeing actors George Takei (of Star Trek fame) and Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) speak onstage, for instance. But, truthfully, what sets this convention apart is its quirky community, fueled by inside jokes, creativity, and a shared adoration for the annual gathering.

For example, after the Con’s flagship hotel, the Marriott Marquis, ripped out its old flooring during a renovation in 2016, a group of parade marchers dubbed the “Cult of Marriott Carpet” sported outfits printed with the bygone carpet’s instantly recognizable geometric pattern. The motif has since become a defining symbol of the convention: Hang around long enough, and you’re sure to find cosplay creations such as Marriott Carpet Stormtroopers and Marriott Carpet Deadpool. These “cults,” including another centered around a vandalized cardboard-cutout FedEx ad, may be goofy, but they tie the community together.

The incredible cosplay on display also serves as a recap of the year’s biggest pop culture phenomena. In 2015, Game of Thrones costumes dominated; in 2019, it was the Scoops Ahoy uniform from Stranger Things. The workmanship of some cosplayers is impressive: I’ve posed for photos with professional-looking mascots and stood in awe of realistic Mandalorian armor. I’ve chuckled at obscure relics from my childhood—who else remembers Blanky from The Brave Little Toaster? And I’ve cosplayed a handful of times myself: I’m no pro, but I still loved hearing folks shout, “Sailor Moon!” as I walked the halls.

My husband and I have attended Dragon Con faithfully for 13 years, and our experience has evolved as we’ve grown older and wiser. These days, late-night dance parties have been replaced by sipping drinks over nerdy lo-fi music in the Cartoon Bebop Lounge. We’re now thinking about how to introduce our young son to the madness; we plan to at least bring him to the parade soon, so he can wave at superheroes and Pokémon. But no matter how our traditions change, walking through those revolving doors will always feel like coming home.

This article appears in our September 2026 issue.

Georgia State University is teaching nursing students to cook

From the Magazine

Joe Reisigl

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September 2, 2026

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Georgia State University is teaching nursing students to cook

Graduate student Miranda Parham in GSU’s culinary medicine kitchen

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”: It’s a 150-year-old maxim nodding to the link between food and health. At Georgia State University’s Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, nursing students take that knowledge one step further—into the kitchen, where they dice avocados and chop onions as part of a fast-growing, hands-on approach to conveying the critical link between diet and disease.

The university’s Health Meets Food curriculum is part of an effort to address the alarming health impacts of America’s eating habits. Poor diet contributes to chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiac disease, that combined kill more than 1 million Americans each year. The issue is well-known, but it hasn’t been a priority in medical training. A 2022 study found medical students received an average of 1.2 hours of nutrition education per year.

“If you’ve personally cooked healthy food, then you would be more likely to be able to advocate for your patients’ nutritional needs,” says Dr. Jessica Ann Marcus, a professor of nursing at Georgia State University.

The federal government is working to better integrate nutrition into medical education. Earlier this year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that 73 of the nation’s roughly 160 medical schools would increase their nutrition education to 40 hours a year. Georgia State University’s in-kitchen program, which launched in 2020, was several years ahead of the curve.

The class partners with the Nutrition Department’s culinary medicine program, teaching students how to apply general nutrition principles to assist their unique patients. It covers topics such as cooking on a budget or following dietary restrictions tailored to a specific diagnosis. For a diabetic patient who needs to limit carbohydrates, for instance, students may learn how to modify a recipe for macaroni and cheese by swapping regular pasta for whole-grain pasta and adding veggies to the sauce. Later, students take what they’ve learned in class and design an alternative recipe for a favorite meal to improve their own nutrition.

“If you can find some personal value in it, then you can tell your patients, This is doable for you,” Marcus says. “These small changes will make a big impact in your healthcare.”

This article appears in our September 2026 issue.

Cure Childhood Cancer is changing the fight with precision medicine

From the Magazine

Joe Reisigl

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September 1, 2026

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Maeve Ross (middle), three years old and thriving, with her parents — Maeve Ross, three years old and thriving, with her parents

Maeve Ross was 13 months old when her mother, Nicole, brought her to the doctor to have her distended belly checked. After blood work and an X-ray, they were on their way home when a nurse called with instructions to immediately head to the hospital. A few days later, Maeve started chemotherapy for neuroblastoma—a tumor that forms in nerve tissue—and life for the Ross family changed forever.

For decades, childhood cancer has existed in a frustrating paradox. Cancer remains the leading disease-related cause of death for children in the United States, yet pediatric cancers receive about 5 percent of federal research funding, in part due to the low rates of childhood cancer relative to adult cases. While survival rates have improved dramatically for some diagnoses, many childhood cancers still lack effective treatments, leaving families facing unimaginable uncertainty.

One Atlanta organization has spent the past 50 years working to change that reality. Founded in 1975, Cure Childhood Cancer funds pediatric cancer research and provides financial support for the families of children fighting cancer. Today, Cure’s major focus is precision medicine—a cutting-edge approach that uses patients’ genetic profiles to identify the most effective therapies for their diagnosis. In 2017, the nonprofit launched a precision medicine initiative at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and has since funneled more than $16 million into developing this approach.

“How can we directly target the cancerous cell and not hurt some of the normal healthy cells as well?” says Dr. Douglas Graham, a pediatric oncologist and chief of the Aflac center. “That’s part of the idea behind precision medicine.”

These advances were key to Maeve’s treatment: The Aflac medical team analyzed Maeve’s cells, identifying a rare mutation that made her tumors more resistant to chemotherapy. In response, the team developed a specially tailored therapy to kill the cancer with a mix of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, halting the growth of tumors in her abdomen and leg.

Now three years old, Maeve is thriving: She attends half-day preschool and in June took a trip with her family to Disneyland, courtesy of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

“Every day we worried about her future,” Nicole says. “But to see everything turn around in just three months because of precision medicine—it absolutely amazes me, the power of this research.”

This article appears in our September 2026 issue.

Former NBA courtside reporter Kristen Ledlow launches kids clothing brand

From the Magazine

Joe Reisigl

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August 30, 2026

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two kids model the Positionless clothing next to Kristen Ledlow — Kristen Ledlow’s brand, Positionless, rolled out its football collection this fall

After Kristen Ledlow had her first child in 2021, her colleague at TNT, basketball great Dwyane Wade, asked how she felt about returning to work as an NBA sideline reporter. She said, “It’s hard to explain that everything has changed, but I’m sitting in the same seat.” His response? “Don’t worry about it. You’re positionless.” It was a reference to a basketball term denoting someone so versatile, they’re not defined by just one role on the court.

That conversation with Wade got Ledlow thinking about what might be next for her professionally. Two years later, the Johns Creek resident founded Positionless, a durable leisurewear brand for children that recently launched a football-themed line. The company was born of Ledlow’s own experience: She found it hard to source clothes she loved for her son—especially ultrasoft sweat sets he didn’t ruin quickly. “Shopping for little boys was bleak for the most part,” she says. “What I wanted didn’t exist.”

Positionless features all gender-neutral items—sweatpants, shorts, T-shirts, and socks—made in a Los Angeles workshop with ethically sourced, hand-dyed, organic, recycled cotton and hemp. “I cared more than anything about knowing, from start to finish, where the fabric came from,” Ledlow says. “I know that every person who has touched it here in the U.S. is being paid a fair, livable wage.”

It was also important for the first-time designer to crack the code on how to make each product, designed for ages 2 to 10, so that it stayed in good enough shape to be passed from sibling to sibling. Sweatpants (starting at $90 online), for example, have fitted cuffs to help the oversized pieces stay in place, long drawstrings to accommodate growth, and large, kid-friendly pockets that won’t rip if they’re stuffed with a favorite toy.

In late 2023, while she was pregnant with her second son, Ledlow announced she would step away from broadcasting to focus on motherhood. But the NBA remains in her life: Positionless now creates logoed merchandise for the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic, sold exclusively in the teams’ arenas. This fall, the brand introduced a football collection with shirts that say “kicker” and “quarterback” in its signature vintage style. Ledlow hopes to partner with teams, such as the Atlanta Falcons, on future collections.

For Ledlow, it’s a dream come true, in part because her oldest son has passed his Positionless sweats down to his little brother. “I wanted the very best stuff hanging in my sons’ closets to have their mom’s name on it,” she says.

This article appears in our September 2026 issue.

Marietta native won $50K in Shaq’s Dunkman World Championship

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Tony Rehagen

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August 26, 2026

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Marietta native won $50K in Shaq’s Dunkman World Championship

Marietta native and professional dunker Jordan Southerland took home a prize of $50,000 and the title of Dunk of the Night at the World Championship in Atlanta on August 25.

Jordan Southerland didn’t win the Dunkman World Championship on Tuesday in Atlanta; that title and the $500,000 prize went to 21-year-old Cam Hazzard. But Southerland did set the bar when it came to the Dunk of the Night — literally.

The former all-state high-jumper from Marietta High School dazzled the hometown crowd at Overtime Elite Arena at Atlantic Station by clearing a six-foot track-and-field high jump bar while throwing one down — his body practically horizontal — and landing on the crash mat with bragging rights and $50,000.

“That was a dunk I always wanted to put on the main stage,” says Southerland. “It’s an ode to my late (MHS) track coach, James ‘Friday’ Richards.”

Jordan Southerland competing in the Dunkman World Championship August 25.

Southerland credits Coach Richards with giving his young athleticism direction in track and field after Southerland was cut from the basketball team. The professional dunker says Richards’ training led directly to Southerland’s distinctive one-foot launch technique, which has brought him much success in the fledgling Dunkman league. Once Southerland saw another dunker, Jonathan Clark, do the high-jump dunk, Southerland knew he wanted to add it to his slam arsenal.

In the eight-man, single-elimination competition, Southerland made it to the semifinals before losing to China’s Dengxing Chen. But many who watched event, either in person or on TNT, will remember Southerland’s made-for-TikTok highlight long after they forget that result. That includes Southerland’s sizeable family cheering section in attendance that night — his fiancée, daughter, brothers, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and most importantly, his dad and the mother who inspired him.

“I will cherish the memories made forever,” he says. “It was an amazing night and an amazing experience.”

An Atlanta day out with ‘Love Is Blind’ star Lauren Speed-Hamilton

From the Magazine

Joe Reisigl

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August 21, 2026

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An Atlanta day out with ‘Love Is Blind’ star Lauren Speed-Hamilton

Lauren Speed-Hamilton out for lunch at Rumi’s Kitchen in Colony Square

Lauren Speed-Hamilton first captured hearts on the inaugural season of Netflix’s Love Is Blind, during which she met and married Cameron Hamilton in 2018. Lauren and Cameron now live in Smyrna with their almost one-year-old son, Ezra, and two pups. Since her time on the show, the entrepreneur and media personality has also founded the Eddie-Mae Robbie Foundation, which focuses on mental wellness for underserved communities. The organization’s first event, called Creative Reset, brought women together in Atlanta for a conversation with a mental health expert.

“Love Is Blind changed my life in ways I never could have imagined,” Speed-Hamilton says. “It gave me my husband, my family, and opened doors professionally. But I’ve always wanted to use those doors for something bigger.” Here, she shares a day in her life in Atlanta.

But first: gym
“After waking up and feeding and cuddling Ezra, my first stop is the gym. I work out with my personal trainer Tisch Tosch at Finao X. I’m in full-on postnatal mode, trying to feel good and get my energy back. I’m not going to say ‘get my body back’ because things change, and it is what it is. It’s all beautiful.”

Office time
“After I shower and change, I head to my office and do my therapy appointment, which is great—I recommend everyone do therapy. I then check in with my operations manager, Tiffany, and take Zoom calls for the day. Right now, I’m focused on my foundation and working on future events where people can feel seen. I’m also producing and creating new shows. Before Love Is Blind, I had my own media company, so that work feels like coming home to the creative side of myself.”

Midday refresh
“For lunch, I head to Rumi’s Kitchen in Midtown at Colony Square and meet up with my girls if I can. They’re my midday whoosah moment. We get a little gab and enjoy hummus with lamb merguez. This time with my friends keeps me grounded, especially after doing Zoom calls and getting the whole work rigamarole going on. It’s like a check-in: a pause to eat, enjoy, and laugh, because there’s a lot going on in the world.”

Walk it out
“After lunch, I love to take a walk at Piedmont Park. I stroll, sit, look at the water and the ducks, and people-watch. It takes me about 45 minutes to walk the loop. It’s a good moment to have: one, to burn some calories, and two, because it’s a good decompression as I round off my day and head back to my family.”

Family outing
“On Tuesdays, I meet up with Cam and the baby at Smyrna Food Truck Tuesdays at Taylor-Brawner Park (through September) because that’s our time to reconnect as a family. Cam and I have always tried to keep the foundation of our relationship like it was on Love Is Blind: friendship, communication, and choosing each other every day. Sharing our love story with millions of people was unique because people feel connected to our journey, but we’ve learned how important it is to protect the parts of our life that are just ours.”

This article appears in our August 2026 issue.

Marietta native to compete in Shaq’s Dunkman World Championship

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Tony Rehagen

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August 21, 2026

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Marietta native to compete in Shaq’s first-ever Dunkman World Championship — Jordan Southerland is a Marietta native and competitor in the upcoming Dunkman World Championship being held at Atlantic Station’s Overtime Elite Arena.

Jordan Southerland learned how to fly from his mother.

He was born and raised in Marietta, but his mother comes from Chicago. She’s a Bulls fan, and she named her son after Michael Jordan. In the early 1990s, she owned a VHS of “Michael Jordan: Come Fly With Me,” MJ’s classic sports documentary, and Southerland vividly remembers the first time he saw the superstar’s iconic dunk from the free-throw line. Southerland was two years old.

“You usually don’t remember stuff from when you’re two,” he says. “And I was just in awe.”

From his first jam on the plastic Fisher Price basketball hoop to hardwoods of Cobb County’s Ron Anderson Recreation Center to the adjustable rim his dad installed in their Marietta driveway, Southerland has soared to heights of professional dunking. And on Tuesday, August 25, he’ll come home to Atlanta, to Overtime Elite Arena at Atlantic Station, to compete in the Dunkman World Championship.

Founded by Atlanta-based, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal last April, Dunkman is the first professional league dedicated solely to the sport of competitive dunking. More than just a competition, the league holds a full two-month season of group-stage events in which athletes perform self-designed dunks and are judged by a five-person panel on execution, difficulty, originality, power, and vertical ability.

Southerland is known throughout the league as the “1 Foot God” due to his unique approach to launching himself from one foot. His signature dunks are the Reverse 360 Windmill and the Inverter. He earned his spot in the Championship at the Group Stage D event on August 11 with an alley-oop to himself off the shot clock and an inverted between-the-legs reverse dunk.

“I’m an artist first,” says Southerland. “My first love before basketball was art. Every tattoo I’ve had, I’ve drawn out myself. I paint. I look at dunking as an extension of my art. Because when I would watch Michael Jordan in slow motion, it would be the same as looking at a gymnast or ballet dancer or figure skater. I want people to see my dunks and say, ‘What did he just do?’”

Even though the 6-foot-3 Southerland could dunk on a regulation rim by age 14, he, like his hero Jordan, was cut from his high school basketball team. So he instead channeled his athleticism into track and field, where he became an all-state high jumper at Marietta High School. This is where he learned to generate power and explosiveness lifting off on just one foot.

Then his mom was suddenly diagnosed with breast cancer.

“If she was going to leave this Earth, I wanted to make her proud by doing something I love to do,” he says.

Southerland started watching videos and hitting the gym. He found a dunk competition in Indiana and packed up his 2004 Honda Civic for the trip. He’s been a professional dunker ever since.

But for years, all that was available to dunkers like Southerland were one-off competitions. So, when he heard that O’Neal was starting Dunkman as a league with a defined pathway for athletes to compete at the highest level, official season standings, guaranteed contracts, and record-level prize money, he jumped at the chance.

Now Southerland will be competing in the first-ever Dunkman World Championship, a single-elimination, head-to-head tournament. Professional dunkers compete for the top prize of $500,000 as the world watches live on TNT, HBO Max, and TruTV. He’ll also be live in front of his hometown crowd in Atlanta. Hopefully, he says, the crowd will include his mother, who survived cancer. Whether his mother is there in person or watching on television, Southerland hopes he can fly for her.

As ‘Outer Banks’ airs its fifth and final season, Atlanta’s Caroline Arapoglou reflects

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August 20, 2026

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As Outer Banks Enters Its Final Season, Actor Caroline Arapoglou Reflects on the Atlanta Life She’s Built — Caroline Arapoglou plays Rose Cameron in episode 505 of ‘Outer Banks.’

Caroline Arapoglou has spent the last several weeks living out of a suitcase. As one of the leads in the Netflix hit Outer Banks, which premieres its fifth and final season August 20, the Atlanta actor has been traveling nonstop for photo shoots and press appearances. As much as she’s enjoyed celebrating the milestone, Arapoglou is looking forward to returning home to Atlanta.

“I’m excited to get back,” she says.

Outer Banks, which debuted in 2020, follows a group of teenage friends known as the Pogues as they chase buried treasure, unravel family secrets, and repeatedly find themselves in trouble in and around their hometown on the North Carolina coast. Arapoglou has worked on the show from the beginning: she plays Rose Cameron, the wife of the wealthy, ruthless Ward Cameron, and stepmother of Sarah, Rafe, and Wheezie.

Over five seasons, Rose has emerged as a cool and confident, but often morally questionable, presence in the Cameron family drama. Now, Arapoglou is reflecting on the end of the character she built for the last six years.

“I think we were all hyper aware that, to be on a show for five seasons, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she says. “I just felt really grateful.”

For the last decade Arapoglou has lived in Brookhaven, where she and her husband are raising their two young children. And while her lengthy list of TV credits includes Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, and Outer Banks, her career began in theater on Atlanta stages.

“Our theater community became home,” says Arapoglou. “That’s where I built so many of the friendships that I have now–I actually met my husband doing a play in Atlanta.”

That foundation has allowed her to pursue her career without sacrificing the life she’s created off-screen.

“It feels like this lucky combination of being able to build my career and my family [in Atlanta] and have them coexist in a really beautiful way,” she says.

Like many actors, Arapoglou once assumed Los Angeles would be part of her future. Instead, Georgia’s booming film industry gave her the opportunity to build a successful career without leaving the community she’d come to love. And as self-taped auditions became the norm, it became easier to travel for work while keeping Atlanta at the center of her life.

At the same time, while her own career has flourished, she’s watched Atlanta’s creative community grow alongside it.

“As the opportunities have grown in the city, I feel like our Atlanta talent has been there to really perform and deliver,” she says. “I keep seeing my friends show up in more projects and in bigger capacities. It’s been fun to see us all grow up and succeed together.”

When she’s not on set, Arapoglou says she gravitates towards her favorite elements of Atlanta: its art scene and its well-deserved reputation of being a city in the forest. She and her daughter enjoyed the recent Viktor&Rolf exhibition at the High Museum of Art, and she’s a regular at Chastain Park where she likes to walk the trails before meeting friends for coffee. It’s the combination of culture and green space, she says, that keeps the city feeling both vibrant and livable.

“We’re so lucky to have the Alliance and the High and all of this world-class art,” she says. “And then you can be on a hike or on a walk in 10 minutes. That’s one of my favorite things about the city.”

At the same time she’s been enjoying Atlanta with her young family, Arapoglous has spent six years on set for Outer Banks, watching as the show grew into a global hit. As the final season brings the story full circle, Arapoglou says viewers can expect high stakes even as long-running storylines draw to a close.

“We answer a lot of questions,” she says. “And I hope fans have as much fun watching it as we had making it.”

As she prepares to say goodbye to Rose, she’s holding on to the lessons she’s taken from her character. Playing someone so self-assured taught her that confidence isn’t always innate; it can be something you practice until it becomes real.

“Rose is more confident and maybe a little more bold than I can be,” Arapoglou says. “[This role] taught me that confidence can be an exercise: You have to put that on like armor. It taught me how to get out of my own way and just do it.”

With Outer Banks ending, a newborn at home, and her ongoing journey in the film industry, Arapoglou is entering a new chapter with her armor intact. And with whatever comes next, she knows where she’ll return when filming wraps.

“I ended up in Atlanta by chance, but staying and making it my home is completely by choice,” Arapoglou says. “The city has been so good to me.”

Where Atlanta’s pen lovers find their point: The Southeast Pen Collectors’ Club

From the Magazine

Tess Malone

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August 19, 2026

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Club member Emily Wong’s collection of fine pens, tucked in a tan suede zipper case — Club member Emily Wong’s collection of fine pens. The pen club has attracted younger members looking to trade the digital universe for something more hands-on

In the 2010s, Earl Small was perusing eBay when he found a green Esterbrook fountain pen—the same one he remembered his mother using to sign checks and write letters in the ’50s. After he bought it, his passion for pens spread faster than ink from a tipped bottle.

“I love learning about the history of pens and how they’re developed,” says Small, a retired accountant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who owns, he estimates, about 150 rare and luxury pens. At a pen trade show in 2013, Small learned of the Norcross-based Southeast Pen Collectors’ Club; he’s been a member ever since.

The pen club, which is going on 30 years old, meets monthly in an office building lent by a member. At their gatherings, the collectors show off their stylos, share nib knowledge, and help each other fix irritable instruments. Sometimes they even take field trips to nearby pen makers, such as the Carolina Pen Company in Aiken, South Carolina. The members—87 at current count—are as diverse as their pen collections, ranging from youthful Gen Zers craving something outside a screen to boomers who still use bona fide pens at work.

Emily Wong, a 30-something civil engineer in Atlanta, is one of the younger members. A lifelong journaler and stationery fan, Wong heard of the Southeast Pen Collectors’ Club at a pen show; she joined in 2025. While she has only 15 pens so far, she has cultivated a club reputation for being partial to finer nibs and Japanese pens.

“I really enjoy the tactile feeling of writing something on paper,” says Wong, who also uses her pens for a good cause: She writes mail to elderly Americans as a volunteer for the organization Letters Against Isolation.

Membership in the club costs $25 a year—about the price of a bottle of ink—and includes a monthly e-newsletter detailing meeting minutes and member profiles, penned (ahem) by longtime member and Dunwoody resident Rich Lapin.

A member since the late 1990s, Lapin’s stylophile commitment is reflected in his collection, an estimated 500 to 700 pens.

“To say ‘collection’ suggests discipline, which I don’t have, so I’m more of an accumulator,” jokes Lapin, a retired marketing professional who still works a few pen shows a year, including the Atlanta Pen Show.

Over the decades, he has honed an instinct for what makes a good pen: aesthetics, comfort in the hand, how well it writes. Cost can be deceiving, he adds: Pens ranging from $5 to thousands of dollars can all meet the mark. To him, it’s not really about the perfect pen, but about what it enables the writer to do.

“Writing with a fountain pen forces you to focus,” he says, “and allows you to engage your hand and your mind at the same time.”

This article appears in our August 2026 issue.

The debate program that’s sending underserved Atlanta students to Harvard

From the Magazine

Candice Dyer

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August 18, 2026

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The debate program that’s sending underserved Atlanta students to Harvard

Isaiah Stephens at Harvard’s summer debate program, wearing a red blazer and speaking into a mic — Isaiah Stephens at Harvard’s summer debate program in 2022. “We look for something different,” Veritas founder Brandon Fleming says of the students. “We look for grit.”

When Isaiah Stephens was nine, his father died of a heart attack. Stephens began to struggle, academically and emotionally, in an underresourced public school on Atlanta’s Southside.

“I wasn’t standing out academically,” Stephens says. “Just an ordinary kid under the weight of a very deep grief.”

His educators saw something different. When he was in eighth grade, a teacher recommended him for The Veritas Schools, an extracurricular academy in Dunwoody that gives students, largely from underserved communities, a rarefied classical education centered on the art of debate. After spending his Saturdays studying subjects such as rhetoric and philosophy, Stephens departed for a two-week summer debate intensive at Harvard University, the kind of expensive program usually accessible only to students from the most elite prep schools. There, Stephens dazzled judges by cogently arguing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s role in the Balkans—handily outperforming his well-heeled opponents.

“We drill our scholars just like Olympic athletes,” says Veritas Schools founder Brandon Fleming. “We teach them to outthink . . . and out-argue the competition.” This month, a new cohort of high-school debaters will begin training for their summer intensive at Harvard, where a Veritas team has won a competition nearly every year since the school launched in 2017. Veritas has since expanded to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and opened a middle-school program, Veritas Preparatory.

Fleming is best known for his acclaimed memoir, Miseducated, which chronicles his path from a turbulent and violent youth to his role as assistant coach of the Harvard Debate Council. “I was a dropout who was told I had learning deficiencies and was basically a castoff,” he says. In 2010, a chance viewing of The Great Debaters, the Denzel Washington–led debate-team drama, changed his life. “If you can debate,” he writes in his memoir, “you can walk into any space and persuade.”

Fleming ultimately became a philosophy and debate teacher with a knack for molding students into rhetorical rock stars. While teaching at Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, he caught the attention of Harvard University, which snapped him up to coach their undergraduate debate team. On his regular visits to the campus, Fleming noticed a serious lack of Black students: He established The Veritas Schools to prove that academic excellence is a matter of access and opportunity, not skin color.

The program, funded largely by corporate partners, trains about 60 to 80 students from the 8th through 12th grades each year, providing them with a full scholarship to either Harvard’s debate course or a study abroad program at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The middle-school program offers similar classical instruction and feeds into the debate program. “Our goal is to raise the next generation of problem solvers,” Fleming says. They are well on their way: According to Veritas, 80 percent of graduates head to top 20 colleges and universities, and 20 percent to Ivy League schools.

Stephens, a rising sophomore at Morehouse College, spent this summer working as a Veritas instructor. He hopes to attend Harvard Law School and eventually tackle thorny problems like mass incarceration and the death penalty.

“Veritas was simply transformational in every way,” Stephens says. “It pushed me to raise my standards in all of my endeavors, and that has made all the difference.”

This article appears in our August 2026 issue.

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