Charbel Aoun is one of the founders of the Georgia First Generation Foundation and currently serves as the organization's president and CEO. Since the founding of Georgia First, Charbel Aoun has pursued an ambitious vision for its success and is leading the charge into an unparalleled period of growth and achievement.
Georgia First developed a cohesive organizational structure that has fueled its emergence as an up-and-coming nonprofit foundation. This structure has led Georgia First to set records since its founding in 2016, growing a network of more than 120 students receiving over $250,000 in scholarship funds and volunteering over 125,000 hours towards community projects and volunteering efforts. In 2020, the organization received the GuideStar's Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition bestowed by GuideStar, a service of Candid, and nominated by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce in the Nonprofit category for several awards and recognitions.
As a first-generation college student from a Middle Eastern immigrant family, Charbel is personally and professionally driven to ensuring that all younger students achieve success in higher education. Trained as a psychologist, Charbel is a published author in the fields of digital literacy, data visualization, and organizational development, and change management. Charbel served as a reviewer for the Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence and served as an inaugural associate editor for the Journal of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity.
Throughout his career, Charbel received many accolades recognizing his accomplishments in healthcare and education. In 2016, Charbel represented Georgia State University as a fellow of the University of Virginia School of Medicine's Summer Medical and Dental Education Program. As one of 80 out of an application pool of 800 applicants, he learned from renowned doctors about 21st-century medicine and gained clinical experience and exposure to these practices. Additionally, he has been an invited speaker at different collegiate, political, and national conferences. He has received the Award of Excellence from the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists and awards from the College Board as part of the College Board Youth Advisory Council. More recently, he was recognized by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce as an Emerging Entrepreneur by the Small Business Awards and by Gwinnett Young Professionals as a finalist of Gwinnett's 35 Under 35.
Charbel has served in civic and professional organizations. He serves on the Board of the South Gwinnett High School Board of Advisors and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's President's Commission on Racial Justice: Transforming Campus Culture. He also serves as a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, where he is currently the President-Elect within the PCOM Georgia student chapter. Charbel is also a member of the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Charbel earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Georgia State University in 2018 as a Coca-Cola First Generation Scholar and awarded over $35,000 in scholarship funds. He currently attends PCOM Georgia where he earned Master of Science Degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Organizational Development & Leadership and is now a Doctor of Pharmacy degree candidate.
First-generation High School Graduate with Honors | May 2014 Mountain View High School
Bachelor's in Psychology & Public Policy | May 2018 Georgia State University
Masters in Biomedical Sciences | May 2020 PCOM Georgia
Masters in Organizational Development and Leadership | May 2021 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine