Meet Our Advisors
Chase Knudsen
Chase is a second-year Mechanical Engineering major from Buford, Georgia. In the long term, he wants to work for robotics companies like Boston Dynamics, building humanoid-like robots to do tasks that are harmful for humans to do. In the short term, Chase is currently training for many triathlons, including Ironmans, or even just playing sports like basketball or volleyball. If someone doesn't catch Chase swimming, biking, or running, he's probably at his favorite study spot at the white tables in CULC. Chase spent the past summer traveling to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Oregon, focusing on travel and building stronger relationships with family members.
Joining SEED changed Chase's life because it set him up for his future by teaching him important life skills that will affect his future family, job, friends, and community. Chase had very low self-esteem before joining SEED, but through difficult tasks and difficult conversations, he has been able to see himself for who he is and find his worth in the world. At the same time, he found friends who will stick by him and challenge him to do better. He is very excited to see the future SEEDlings grow and learn!
Evie Nolan
Evie is a second-year biochemistry major from College Station, Texas. She has hopes for a career that either works towards improving the environment or improving healthcare systems around the world. When she finds some time away from academics, you will probably find her somewhere outside, running, picnicking, hiking, camping, or simply walking around campus. In addition to SEED, she is heavily involved in Little Einsteins, an organization that strives to inspire kids around Atlanta to have the confidence to get involved in STEM. She spent the summer doing a study abroad in Lyon, France, where she gained an immense amount of independence and a heightened desire to travel all over the world.
Joining SEED was the best decision of Evie’s freshman year, and the growth that came from the experience will continue to shape her life. SEED is a special place where you learn a new approach to life, all while surrounded by a supportive, diverse community of peers. She cannot wait to embark on this new journey as advisor and is excited for a year of growth, support, and adventure!
Sarah Nuno Chavez
Sarah is a second-year chemical and biomolecular engineering major originally from Mexico City, Mexico. After moving to the United States at the age of ten, she eventually found home in Nederland, Texas. On campus, she is involved in AIChE, Little Einsteins, Community Innovation Projects, and, of course, SEED. When she isn't studying in the CULC or locking in on Crosland 7, she enjoys reading, crafting, searching for coffee shops with great matcha, or going to any concert she can find. She also loves traveling and hopes to see as much of the world as possible. After traveling to Italy this summer, she became fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci's curiosity, creativity, and inventions, which inspired her to continue approaching life with the same sense of wonder and exploration.
Sarah can confidently say that joining SEED was the best decision she made during her first year at Georgia Tech. It gave her lifelong friendships, challenged her to embrace growth over comfort, and taught her the importance of reflecting on both life's exciting moments and its difficult ones. Through SEED, she discovered that discomfort often leads to the most meaningful experiences, and that a supportive community makes those challenges worth taking. As an advisor, she hopes to foster a welcoming environment where every SEEDling feels encouraged to grow, build lasting friendships, and discover just how capable they are.
Ayush Chawla
Ayush is a second-year chemical engineering major from Suwanee, Georgia. In the future, he wants to own his own pharmaceutical company, providing specifically for underserved communities. But besides locking in for his future, he loves playing sports (basketball, soccer, and pickleball), hitting the gym, and, more recently, cooking. On campus, you can most likely find him distracting his friends in CULC or running the Pi Mile. Besides SEED, he plans to get involved with the Mill Makerspace and research in the fall. This past summer, Ayush traveled to 7 countries during his study abroad in Europe, where he came to deeply value experiencing different cultures and new environments. Through it all, Georgia Tech has become a place where he can push his boundaries and build a community that truly supports him.
SEED has been Ayush's favorite part of Tech. Before SEED, he struggled with change, but over this past year, he's come to embrace it as something that brings new experiences rather than something to avoid. More than that, Ayush is grateful for the community he's built through SEED, where many of his closest friendships have formed through this meaningful FLO. Even after SEED ends, he knows he'll have a vast alumni network to lean on, a community of intelligent, hardworking individuals he can always reach out to.
Bryce Jones
​Bryce is a third-year Industrial Engineering major from Woodstock, Georgia. When he's not buried in coursework, you'll usually find him outside planning the next hiking trip, hosting friends for game nights and long conversations, or off in his own world tinkering on a woodworking project. If you ask him what he wants to do after graduation, he'll confidently tell you he's still figuring it out.
Joining SEED was one of the best decisions Bryce made at Georgia Tech. It gave him a group of friends he knows he'll keep for life, pushed him to be more open and less guarded, and taught him that growth almost always lives just outside your comfort zone. He came into SEED expecting a fun club and left with a family — people who challenged him, supported him, and helped him see himself a little more clearly.
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As an advisor, Bryce wants to pay that forward. He's excited to help the next cohort feel like they belong from day one, to encourage them to lean into the uncomfortable moments instead of shrinking from them, and to make sure the year is full of the kind of laughter, honesty, and adventure that made his own SEED experience unforgettable.
Samantha Poliakon
Samantha Poliakon currently serves as a LEAD Coordinator within Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) at Georgia Tech, where she supports student leadership development through advising, program management, recruitment initiatives, marketing and communications, event coordination, and student engagement efforts.
In addition to her work with LEAD, Samantha serves as a Professional Academic Advisor for SEED, where she enjoys helping first-year students navigate their transition to college while encouraging them to challenge themselves, build meaningful connections, and pursue opportunities for growth.
Throughout her career in higher education, Samantha has been passionate about creating supportive environments where students can explore their interests, develop leadership skills, and discover their own unique paths to success. She believes leadership is not defined by a title, but by the willingness to learn, support others, and make a positive impact in the community.
Her advising philosophy is rooted in authenticity, connection, and empowerment. She strives to help students identify their strengths, build confidence in their abilities, and take ownership of their academic and personal journeys.
Outside of Georgia Tech, Samantha enjoys seeking out new experiences through travel, exploring different cultures, trying new foods, and channeling her creativity into new ideas, projects, and experiences. She also enjoys attending concerts and sporting events, spending time with her sassy cat, and making memories with friends and family.
She is honored to work alongside SEED students as they begin their Georgia Tech experience and believes some of the greatest growth happens when we embrace challenges, step outside our comfort zones, and remain open to learning from others.