Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546131
72 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2026 18-24 C H L O E PA U L K M E R C E R U N I V E R S I T Y Something that matters deeply to me is knowing how to care for the people around your table. That is the heart behind my company, Cake it with Chloe. What began as my own struggle with a gluten allergy led me to start baking gluten-free desserts and eventually fully transition to create premium gluten- free cake mixes. While my company is built around the belief that everyone deserves a piece of cake, what truly drives me is the belief to take care of those around my table. I believe we must know how to take good care of those around our table. While that idea inspired my business, it's also become the way I think about leadership. Every one of us has the opportunity to create spaces where people feel welcomed, valued, and included. Success isn't simply about what we build for ourselves, but about the opportunities we create for others and the communities we help strengthen along the way. Quiet leadership should never be C A R L O S G R I F F I N F O R T VA L L E Y S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y I am somebody who just wants to help in all aspects—seeing somebody in need, or being the light, being the voice of reasoning to stop somebody from making a mistake. Macon is the reason that I can be a true leader. I don't think, that if I was born anywhere else, I would be able to be as balanced and as grounded as I am today. I believe that the only time that others can honestly and truly put you inside that box is if you let them. But as long as you're not scared, [if you] know that there's more to life than what people are trying to feed you, then I believe you can really be able to take heed [of] what this world has to offer. I make sure I remain who I am, be myself in all aspects. Remember my humanity. Know that even though you can make it here or come from there, we all had to come from somewhere. A B B Y G L E AT O N W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y I am a daughter, a sister, a friend… and a teammate, one of my favorite titles. I'm an orientation leader, and the advice I always give in welcoming underestimated. The strongest leaders know when it's time to step forward and when it's time to listen, learn, and follow. Macon has shown me what servant leadership looks like in action. K A N A I YA C O R N E L I U S M I D D L E G E O R G I A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y People definitely say that [I am] the face of MGA. I deny it. I see myself as the enricher, the enforcer, the nurturer. I don't see the titles that I've been given as my identity. I see them as a representation of the work that I've put in, but that work was so easy to do because I was in a place where I was allowed to grow and I was supported at MGA. My character is so much more important to me, and I hope that I can continue to come into opportunities to build my character and shape myself. Just say yes and take the right next steps. Your confidence will grow, your character will grow—but always try to wake up every day and be a little bit better. Have good character. Build other people's trust. If you want to change something, figure out how and take some steps to change it. Abi Callins Chloe Paulk. Photo by Leah Yetter for Mercer University.