Hello there. I've put together a list of people you should know about and links you should read. This is definitely not exhaustive by any means, but a decent starting point.
If you have any questions, please reach out. I'd love to help in any way I can. Thanks!
People You Should Follow
Dan Mall
@danielmall
http://danielmall.com
Jina
@jina
http://jina.me
Brad Frost
@bradfrost
http://bradfrost.com
Allison House
@house
http://allison.house
Bill Kenney
@billskenney
http://focuslabllc.com
Meg Robichaud
@megdraws
http://meg.is
Dann Petty
@dannpetty
http://be.net/dannpetty
http://epicurrence.com
Tina Roth Eisenberg
@swissmiss
http://www.swiss-miss.com
Ben Cline
@yocline
http://beta.rallyinteractive.com
Ash Huang
@ashsmash
http://ashsmash.com
Ramit Sethi
@ramit
http://iwillteachyoutoberich.com
Rachel Smith
@rachsmithtweets
http://rachsmith.com
Geoff Teehan
@gt
https://about.me/gteehan
Mina Markham
@minamarkham
https://mina.codes
Ok, that's all the people I have time to type right now. There are many many more that I haven't listed and this barely scratches the surface.
You can find a lot more if you go see who I'm following on Twitter. Even that shouldn't be where you stop looking.
Get out there and find some heroes!
P.S. A version of the talk I gave at your class can be found here.
P.P.S. If you weren't in the UGA Graphic Design class I gave this talk to, that's ok. It will still be helpful for you too.
P.P.S. If you're interested in my "Systematic UX Design for the Responsive Web" online course. Get on the list here and I'll keep you updated!