Meet the Interviewer who wrote the Team Bios!

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.

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. 

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. 

 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. 

 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. 

  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.

 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. 

Alison is a Team Lead at RISE and she works for the Georgia Department of Education.

She does teacher training.

Alison finds it fun to work in a leadership position and she enjoys meeting and helping people.

She finds the environment to be friendly, and it works well in addition to working for Cobb

County. Alison would like to travel extensively and see all of the United States. She would like

to go to Yellowstone Park, see the Redwood Trees, and visit others countries like Canada,

Australia, and New Zealand.

Allison loves the smell of coffee and how there are many ways to drink and

prepare coffee.

She likes to go camping and loves to read. Allison usually feels comfortable with her surroundings. She might be a little apprehensive when she goes first goes someplace new, but she soon gets comfortable.

Allison loves meeting new people at RISE and she enjoys talking to people. She’s very

much a people person. Her favorite drink is a decaf iced latte with coconut milk and

chocolate drops which she says tastes like a Mounds bar. Alison doesn’t have a favorite movie,

but she likes science fiction movies and adventure movies like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Star Trek. She does like fast-paced escapist movies. One of her favorite songs is “Pachelbel’s Canon” by Johann Pachelbel. Allison also likes The Beach Boys and The Beatles amongst others.

Collin Guth is a BaRISEta.

Collin was interested in wanting to work as a BaRISEta because of his enjoyment for the

drinks. Because the drinks are so good, it’s hard for him to decide which is his favorite but he really, really likes the Hot Chocolate! He does love to drink coffee though too.

Collin is interested in cars. He thinks they are cool!

Collin's favorite chore at RISE is sweeping. It is likely a productive and therapeutic

experience for him. He notes that he always feels comfortable at RISE.

His favorite movie is the 1961 Disney animated movie 101 Dalmatians. Colin says that he likes Justin Timberlake, and that his favorite song of all time is “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from the surprise box office success from 2016 called Trolls.

Darby Taylor is a BaRISEta at Rise. She graduated from Alan C. Pope High School, and

she is 21 years old.

Darby’s favorite place is RISE, and that’s pretty awesome to have the

opportunity to work at her favorite place. She wants to go to the beach in Florida. Darby

doesn’t drink coffee but she drinks hot chocolate. Darby loves hot chocolate with whipped

cream.  She plays soccer as a hobby outside of working at RISE. Darby feels

comfortable with her surroundings. She likes the place, and she enjoys getting smoothies with

peanut butter in them and hot chocolate.

Darby likes to drink water, a wonderful and healthy choice. Her favorite movie is the

2015 Pixar film Inside Out, and she also enjoys Spy Kids. She watches Netflix (though Spy Kids

4 is currently on Netflix unlike the first three). Darby’s favorite song is “Old Town Road” by Lil

Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

Gavin Lucas is a Buddy at RISE He goes to The King’s Academy, and is a rising junior in high school. He is 17 years old.

Gavin used to make coffee drinks with whipped cream whenever his family came over.

Even though he’s not a big coffee drinker, he still likes to make coffee and he also enjoys the

smell of it. Gavin would like to be involved in filmmaking when he graduates. He wants to

either be a director or an actor.

Outside of RISE, Gavin likes to read, hang out with friends, walk his dog, and edit videos.

Gavin’s comfort level depends on what kind of situation he is in. He does feel comfortable if he

is somewhere he’s familiar with, but he doesn’t feel comfortable at a strange place. Gavin likes

to see customers’s reactions at RISE, especially when they are surprised. He enjoys being

friendly to others.

Gavin’s favorite drink is Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. His favorite movie of all time is the

1993 sports flick The Sandlot, which is a big favorite. Gavin’s favorite song is “Waka Waka” by Shakira. He likes the beat and lyrics.

Karen Stephan is a Buddy at RISE and is also a nurse practitioner.

Karen loves coffee. She admires Nicole’s decision to hire individuals with disabilities to

work at RISE. Karen’s dreams involve moving north. When she retires, she wants to work in a

coffee shop, as well as run a bed and breakfast. Karen and her husband have already bought the

house, and are just waiting for their two daughters to graduate from college. Once the girls have

graduated, off they go! Karen feels that working at RISE is good training for when her dreams

come true.

Karen loves how coffee warms up her soul. She likes to bake and to watch chick flicks.

She specifically likes to bake desserts. Karen usually feels comfortable with her surroundings,

except for when she’s lost. Her favorite drink is iced coffee with coconut milk; the coconut milk gives it just enough sweetness. Karen’s favorite movie of all time is the Andy Tennant directed film Sweet

Home Alabama, which was released in 2002. She finds Reese Witherspoon to be a darling

actress, and loved that it was a happy movie. Karen’s favorite song is “God Only Knows” by

King and Country.

Jeremy Page is a BaRISEta at RISE, and is a 25-year-old man on the

spectrum. He went to River Ridge High School and Kings Academy. He has a high school

diploma. He is a friendly, good worker, and he knows how to dance.

Jeremy was told that RISE was a great place. He found it to be a safe

haven for people who have special needs, and a place where he can shine and to help other

people. This was such a great point of view because RISE is a highly inspirational place.

Jeremy and his big brother Jason have a big dream in which they own and run a video

game company. They want to call it “Thunder Moon Studios.” That was Jason’s idea, however both

Jason and Jeremy want to collaborate and build that company. He has always wanted to work

with his big brother, which is pretty awesome. He’s also really good at making stop-motion

animations. He and his brother have a YouTube channel named the Jeremy/Jason Page 

which has stop-motion videos and rap videos.

Jeremy drinks a lot of coffee in the mornings. He mentioned that it’s a good tool and it

peps him up thanks to the caffeine content. That’s fair because plenty of people love to have

caffeine in the mornings. He never drinks coffee at night; only in the morning and occasionally

in the afternoon. Jeremy enjoys coffee because it’s an energizer.

Jeremy is very thankful that he has a great family to support him. In addition to his other

hobbies, he plays video games, and he works out at his local fitness center. He admits he has his

fair share of flaws, and he struggles with OCD. He occasionally has trouble containing his

excitement about things like Nintendo. He has been a Nintendo fanboy since he was a small

child.

Jeremy doesn’t always feel comfortable with his surroundings; he tries to adjust the best

he can but feels he’s not very good at it. That’s very understandable, especially when the crowds

get really loud or big. The best thing that happened to Jeremy was that he has made some really

good friends. Jeremy really enjoys lemonade, and he drinks a lot of chocolate muscle milk.

Jeremy’s favorite movie of all time is the 1994 movie The Mask starring Jim Carrey. It’s

definitely one of the actor’s best films in his filmography. Jeremy’s family owns the 2020 movie

called Sonic the Hedgehog, which also features Jim Carrey. Jeremy wonders if there was going to be a sequel... I believe there will be! Jeremy thinks watching Sonic was a phenomenal experience.

Brayton Cole Hunter is a BaRISEta.  Aaron, his aid, works with him to have the best work experience!  Brayton went to Cherokee High School, and is 23-years-old. 

Brayton was interested in working as a BaRISEta because his mom told him that RISE was a really good place to work. He wants to go camping because he likes to camp every summer break. He goes to Camp Glisson, and he likes to be outside and to swim.

Brayton likes to drink coffee because he thinks that it tastes good. He prefers decaf coffee.

Brayton hangs out with a friend of his named Justin. They oftentimes go hiking or work

out. He is also very involved with his church. Brayton feels comfortable with his surroundings

wherever he is. Brayton likes talking to his supervisor, and he also really enjoys his 10 minute

break. Don’t we all? He likes to sweep, vacuum, and spin the RISE sign outside. Brayton is

working to get a new lamp for his room.

Brayton likes to drink Boulder Blue Tea, Fanta, and the green Coke flavor from the

World of Coke in Atlanta, GA. Brayton’s favorite movie is The Incredibles (2004), and he also

loves Monsters, Inc. (2001). They are both Pixar movies. Monsters, Inc. was nominated for

Best Animated Feature at the 74th Academy Awards, but it lost to Shrek. The Incredibles won

Best Animated Feature at the 77th Academy Awards. His favorite album rather than favorite

song is an album called “Kosmos” by William Mathews. It’s classified as Christian/Gospel

music.

Jaclyn Edelstein is a Buddy at RISE. She’s a junior in high school, and is 16 years old.

Jaclyn was interested in working as a Buddy because she loves working with kids

with special needs, and has always been interested in helping others, especially children. One of

her big goals is to become an occupational therapist because she feels that she can use her own

learning differences to help others to succeed. She hopes to go to either a private college or a

public college.

Jaclyn likes how coffee energizes her, especially in the morning. As far as hobbies,

Jaclyn has been figure skating since she was 3 years old. She also helps with special needs

hockey. Figure skating and working with individuals with disabilities are her two hobbies.

Jaclyn does not always feel comfortable with her surroundings, in fact, she is the least

comfortable if she doesn’t know enough people at an event or if she doesn’t know what she’s

doing. It feels like she’s not in control. When she first started at RISE, Jaclyn felt scared because

she didn’t know what to do or say yet. These days, she has much more confidence in what she’s

doing. Jaclyn enjoys her job because she sees a lot of examples of people appreciating those

with special needs.

Jaclyn’s favorite drink is frozen hot chocolate. Jaclyn’s favorite movie is the 1985

coming-of-age critical and commercial hit known as The Breakfast Club, with the legendary

song “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds. Her favorite song is “Come Together” by

The Beatles. Though she wasn’t a fan of the Aerosmith cover version. She doesn’t care much

for most of their music.

Lauren Leonard is a Team Lead at RISE.

Lauren wanted to work at RISE because she believes in what RISE is all about, and she

also loves to work with people that have so much to offer. She felt like it was good opportunity

to be apart of it. Lauren loves tea. She loves how RISE offers some specialty teas that aren’t

available anywhere else. She loves how tea brings people together. Lauren likes to snow ski,

paddle board, and she enjoys fitness classes, dancing, and playing the piano.

Lauren feels comfortable in certain surroundings, but not all. She likes surroundings that

are friendly, talkative, and welcoming. Her favorite drink is Ginger Peach Tea. Lauren’s favorite movie is Finding Nemo, and her favorite song is currently “Brand New Me” by Alicia Keys.

Emily Kay is a buddy at RISE. She goes to Lassiter High School and is

currently 16 years old.

Emily was interested in working at RISE because she loves the community. When Nicole

asked her if she wanted to work at RISE, Emily said “Absolutely!”. She wants to go to college

and major in something involving music, she especially likes classical music featuring violins

and cellos. Emily also enjoys the technical side of the study of music. Emily is more of a tea

person than a coffee person. She loves the different flavors and also how comforting it is. Emily

likes to play a lot of instruments and to read outside of work.

Emily always feels comfortable in her surroundings. Her favorite drink at RISE is Ginger

Peach Tea. The Imitation Game is Emily’s favorite movie. It was a compelling and inspirational

movie. She likes historical type movies and success stories. Emily couldn’t pick one favorite

song because she loves all music.

 Alison Coker is a Team Lead at RISE and she also works for the Georgia Department of Education.

She does teacher training.

Alison finds it fun to work in a leadership position because she enjoys meeting and helping people.

She finds the environment to be friendly, and it works well in addition to working for Cobb

County. 

Alison would like to travel extensively and see all of the United States. She would like

to go to Yellowstone Park, see the Redwood Trees, and visit others countries like Canada,

Australia, and New Zealand.

It's not suprising that she also loves coffee!  She loves the smell and how there are many ways to drink and prepare it.  She likes to go camping and loves to read. Alison usually feels comfortable with her surroundings. She might be a little apprehensive when she goes first goes someplace new, but she soon gets comfortable.

Alison loves meeting new people at RISE.  Her favoite drink is much a people person. Her favorite drink at Rise is a decaf iced latte with coconut milk and

chocolate drops, and she says it tastes like a Mounds bar. Allison doesn’t have a favorite movie,

but she likes science fiction movies and adventure movies. Examples of such movies are

Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Star Trek. She likes fast-paced escapist movies. One of her

favorite songs is “Pachelbel’s Canon” by Johann Pachelbel. Allison also likes The Beach Boys,

and The Beatles amongst others.