A professor, a Paralympian and a mentor: How Dr. Cassie Mitchell is shaping lives at Georgia Tech
By Donald Fountain
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ATLANTA (WUPA) — Dr. Cassie Mitchell is an associate professor at the Georgie Institute of Technology. She’s spent more than a decade mentoring future engineers. However, she feels they are more than students.
“I don’t have biological children of my own, so I do have more than 500 scientific children that have come through my lab,” Mitchell said.
In her lab, Mitchell encourages her students to find solutions for complex problems. Students like Xinyu Guo welcome the inspiration.
“Sometimes it’s so easy for you to want to give up, but Cassie always encourages us to never, never, never give up,” Guo said.
The phrase, “never, never, never give up,” is Mitchell’s motto. She adopted this motto to help her face personal life challenges.
Mitchell developed a neurological disease at 18 years old. She’s been paralyzed ever since.
“I had a decision. Do I kind of just sit and literally sit and feel sorry for myself, or am I going to keep going?” Mitchell said.
Ever since then, Mitchell has accomplished many major milestones, representing Team USA four times in the Paralympic Games.
“I can say never, never, never give up, but if I don’t show that in my actions, it doesn’t really ring true.”
Mitchell’s perseverance made an impact on one of her former students, Trey Quinn.
“Starting college at a school as rigorous as Georgia Tech while managing a complex physical disability and learning how to live independently with caretakers for the first time is an experience nothing truly prepares you for,” Quinn said.
Quinn enrolled at Georgia Tech in 2019, facing both academic pressure and the realities of living with a disability. Quinn said Mitchell’s guidance helped him push through.
“Her inspiration and encouragement helped me pull through some of my toughest moments freshman year,” Quinn said. “Cassie and I both share the same faith that we are uniquely made to do good work, and the rest of the details will work themselves out.”
Quinn credits Mitchell not only for academic success but also for shaping his leadership and resilience.
“Cassie’s gracious wisdom as our faculty adviser helped develop me as a student leader and learn how to gracefully turn challenging situations into positive growth,” Quinn said.
Mitchell said seeing students succeed is all that matters.
“Having them see their dreams come true really means more than my own personal accomplishments or my own personal dreams,” Mitchell said.
Their connection has evolved — from professor and student to something deeper.
“You start out as the student, and then friend, and now I almost see him as a peer,” Mitchell said.
Today, Quinn is a software engineer, building a career while mentoring others.
“I am now living my best life working as a software engineer in the financial technology industry while abundantly enjoying life in the big city,” Quinn said.
For Mitchell, stories like Quinn’s are exactly why she teaches.
“Actions do speak louder than words — just to hang true, and you’ll be blessed,” Mitchell said.
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