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Meet the Interviewer who wrote the Team Bios!
Tim Neja, Writer
Tim Neja is a 25 year old on the spectrum. He was diagnosed with autism when he was little but he never knew what autism was until he was 11. He graduated from Alan C. Pope High School in 2014 and has also graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College in 2017. He currently reviews movies online, and has an interest in working in the film industry (primarily acting or production assistance) with reviewing films.
Tim was interested in working at Rise because it has a friendly environment, and it was also an opportunity to get his name out there in the writing business. Plus, he enjoys getting to know even more people that are either on the spectrum or have other disabilities.
One of Tim’s goals is to become a film actor, but he needs to find acting lessons or a way to train. He has worked as a background actor in various movies and TV shows. He would also like to get his name out there as a movie reviewer, no matter if he ends up being a professional critic or just a reviewer with many supporters worldwide. He hopes to get film experience.
Tim loves to watch movies every day, and he walks both by himself and with his dog Astrid. He types movie reviews whenever he feels that it’s a movie worth reviewing. He occasionally enjoys drawing and even video games. Tim also reads every night as a way to help get him to sleep. Of course, he also likes to exercise as a way to stay healthy.
For the most part, Tim has always felt comfortable with his surroundings. He wants to try to get to know more people. The best thing that happened to him at Rise was actually before he started working there. When stoping by to speak with Nicole, he actually met a fan of his movie reviews. He is so grateful for his readers.
Tim loves the fact that coffee gets him up in the morning. It doesn’t get him awake all the way, but it does kick in during the long run. Tim’s favorite drink is a hard one, but he has plenty of favorites. One that he likes to drink is fresh water, and some juices too. His favorite Rise drink, though, is Boulder Blues Tea. Tim’s favorite movie of all time is the 1974 film The Godfather Part II, which won numerous Oscars including Best Picture at the 1975 Oscars. Fun fact, the 1972 film The Godfather won Best Picture at the 1973 Oscars. Tim doesn’t have a favorite song, but he does like plenty of music.
The Muse of RISE
Bekah DeWard, BaRISEta
Bekah is one of Nicole DeWard’s daughters, and is 18-years-old. Bekah works as a BaRISEta, and she also likes to hang out at RISE. She isn’t sure what kind of dreams that she wants to achieve in the future, but something great will happen. Bekah loves hot c
hocolate. An artistic young lady, she enjoys drawing on the chalkboard that’s in front of the coffee bar. There are many colorful drawings. She says that she doesn’t have any idea why, but she just likes to draw. Bekah says she feels comfortable with her surroundings, especially in a great environment like RISE. From what I’ve seen of her in the store, she seems shy at times but is always nice to people. Bekah thinks that the people at RISE are nice, both those that work there and also customers. Bekah’s favorite drink is hot chocolate, but she also really enjoys frozen hot chocolate. Bekah says that she loves Disney movies, but that her favorite was the 1989 film The Little Mermaid. It won two Oscars at the 62nd annual awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score.
Best Marketing Tool!
Jacob DeWard, BaRISEta
Jacob is one of Nicole DeWard’s son's and is on the autism spectrum. He goes to Alan C. Pope High School and is 16 years old.
Jacob loves to spin the sign for coffee shop to attract business. He has so many dreams to choose from that it’s hard for him to pick which one he wants to achieve the most. It’s better to have more dreams than none. Jacob doesn’t drink coffee, and he doesn’t really care for the smell. He likes to be on the computer, to play outside, and to be physically active. He also likes to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch.
Jacob feels comfortable with his surroundings. The best thing that happened to him was the opportunity to be interviewed on the news regarding working at RISE. He found being on TV to be really cool, especially since thousands of people saw his interview. Jacob’s favorite drink is soda, but more specifically, he loves root beer. His favorite movie is probably Ice Age: Collision Course, and he enjoys the Ice Age franchise in general. Jacob’s favorite song is “Good Time” by Owl City.
Our Youngest Employee
Jordan DeWard, Buddy
Jordan is one of the son's of Nicole DeWard. He is a rising sophomore at Pope high school and is currently 15-years-old.
Jordan wanted to work at RISE since the shop opened. At first, his mom didn’t want the entire family to be working there, but then COVID-19 hit and she realized that she needed his help. He’s proven to be a good asset at RISE. Jordan would like to get a driver’s license when he turns 16, and to be able to drive on the road by himself. He feels driving independently will be an important factor into his life. Jordan is not a coffee drinker like the rest of his family. He may not drink it, but he still loves the smell!
Jordan likes to play basketball, and he also likes to play video games with his friends. This is especially important during COVID since he can’t really hang out with them outside. He sometimes plays the PS4 at night online with friends. Jordan feels comfortable with his surroundings for most of the time, and he feels confident and capable in any environment.
Jordan is a positive thinker, and puts an optimistic spin on COVID. Without it, he may not have had the opportunity to work at RISE, but his parents needed his help and he “RISEs” (pun intended) to the occasion. Jordan’s favorite drink at RISE is the hot chocolate. Jordan’s favorite movie of all time is two-time Academy Award winner (Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing) Ford v Ferrari. He doesn’t have a favorite song, but he enjoys music. There was a song he liked by Train that his uncle sings that he particularly enjoys.
The D.O.E. director of everything!
April DeWard, Assistant Manager and Social Media Marketing
April DeWard is the oldest daughter of Nicole DeWard, the owner of RISE coffee & tea. She graduated from Pope High School and she attends online courses for West Georgia University studying Psychology. She is currently 20 years old.
April wanted to work at RISE because she is interested in helping people with disabilities, especially since two of her siblings have special needs. It’s always been a good blend of her interests. April wants to work in the psychology field and help families with members that have special needs, or are adopted or in foster care.
April is passionate about coffee, especially espresso. She is creative and likes to do some art (mostly painting), hiking, traveling, and trying new restaurants. April doesn’t always feel comfortable with her surroundings. She gets pretty bad social anxiety sometimes, but for most of the time, she handles it and functions well. The best thing that happened to April while working at RISE was getting to know all of the BaRISEtas and the customers.
April’s favorite drinks are iced vanilla latte with almond milk and Coke Zero. Her favorite movies are Finding Nemo and the Tom Hooper directed version of Les Misérables. Tom Hooper also directed the excellent The King’s Speech and the misfire Cats. April’s favorite song is “Way Maker” by Hillsong United.
Making people happy!
Meridith Miller, BaRISEta
Meridith is almost 19 years old. She was interested in working at RISE because she has a lot of experience with coffee, which she enjoys drinking with her mom after work outs. Meridith likes mixing different coffees to improve recipes. She has always loved making coffee, which makes RISE a perfect fit for her.
Meridith wants to move to California someday because there are lots of celebrities and great companies such as Gucci. She would like to be a gaming YouTuber. She speculates that more kids in the future will be less likely to go outside as electronics get even more interesting. She also occasionally plays video games with her four brothers.
Meridith enjoys making coffee because it makes people happy. She is confident and loves to make people laugh. She loves ginger peach tea. Meridith and her mom like the tea because it’s tasty and healthy.
Meridith especially enjoys Marvel movies and anime. She watches One Punch Man, and has much knowledge about the property and commented that its 93 volumes are the number one manga sold in Japan and America. Meridith likes music, she enjoys K-Pop as well as songs from the 2000s, the 90s, the 80s, the 60s, and more. She also likes to sing.
Fun, fun, fun!
Rachel Bramlett, BaRISEta
Rachel Bramlett is a BaRISEta at RISE. She went to Lassiter High School, and she is 26 years old.
Rachel likes to know everything and to learn more things. She would love to be an expert smoothie maker. In fact, her favorite drink is the peanut butter banana smoothie. She is super passionate about smoothies. Rachel thinks coffee is okay, but it’s not her favorite. She always feels comfortable with her surroundings, and she is enjoying learning to keep that confidence in difficult situations. Rachel enjoys talking to customers.
Rachel was excited to talk about movies. Her favorite movie is the 2020 Disney Channel movie Zombies 2. I thought it was the 1979 Italian horror film Zombi 2 directed by Lucio Fulci, but it was the one that revolved around humans and zombies in high school. We had a good laugh over my mistake. Rachel’s favorite song is “Fireworks” by Katy Perry.
