229th Commencement Ceremony May 9, 2020 229TH COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY | 1 2 | VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY ALMA MATER ‘Mong the stately pines of Georgia Glorious to the view Stands our noble Alma Mater Basking ‘neath the blue. Alma Mater, thee we honor Praises never fail, For thy fame shall never perish, Red and Black — all hail! Alma Mater’s sons and daughters Ever will be true. Always to thy heart returning Dear old V.S.U. Alma Mater, thee we honor Praises never fail, For thy fame shall never perish, Red and Black — all hail! Words by Helen Allen Thomas (’21) and Evelyn Brown (’24) Music by Dr. John Huxford, Professor Emeritus of Music Arranged for brass quintet by Kenyon Wilson 229TH COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY | 3 THE GRADUATE SCHOOL CEREMONY SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2020 • 7:00PM valdosta.edu/commencement ORDER OF PROGRAM PRESIDING DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL University President WELCOME DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS MRS. ASHLIE M. PRAIN Student Government Association Senator PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES DR. ROBERT T. SMITH Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs CONFERRAL OF DEGREES DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INDUCTION ALMA MATER CLOSING REMARKS DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL 4 | VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY THE UNDERGRADUATE CEREMONY SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2020 • 7:00PM valdosta.edu/commencement ORDER OF PROGRAM PRESIDING DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL University President WELCOME DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Mr. JACOB R. BELL Student Government Association President Ms. AMEA J. THOMPSON Student Government Association Vice President PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE DR. ROBERT T. SMITH Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Harley Langdale, Jr. College of Business Administration Mr. THOMAS L. JESPERSEN College of the Arts Ms. RACHEL MCKENZIE MATHIS College of Nursing & Health Sciences Ms. LEAH SUZANNE AKINS College of Science & Mathematics Ms. MEHVISH KIRAN DURRANI College of Humanities & Social Sciences Ms. DANIELLE ELIZABETH COLLUM James L. & Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education & Human Services Ms. MADISON LYNN MCARTHUR RECOGNITION OF HONORS DR. ROBERT T. SMITH COMMISSIONING OF ROTC OFFICERS LIEUTENANT COLONEL ADAM T. LEE United States Air Force CONFERRAL OF DEGREES DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INDUCTION ALMA MATER CLOSING REMARKS DR. RICHARD A. CARVAJAL 229TH COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY | 5 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS Valdosta State University’s Spring 2020 Graduate Commencement and Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies feature high-powered student speakers. Each of these students boasts a record of academic achievement, service, leadership, and campus involvement. They are excited to have the privilege of inspiring a new class of creative, conscious, and caring Blazers ready to meet the needs of a changing global society. ASHLIE M. PRAIN coordinate Courageous Conversations About VSU’s Franz Boas Prize for Best Ethnographic Graduate Commencement Speaker Race: A Complex and Tangled History, a Writing; induction into Who’s Who Among popular on-campus speaker series. Students in American Universities and Ashlie Prain of Prain fully embraced VSU’s commitment to Colleges; the American Association of Valdosta, Georgia, act as a resource and innovative leader for University Women’s Sigma Alpha Chi Marga graduates from South Georgia and sought out ways to give Award; an Academic Excellence Award from Valdosta State back to the region. She dedicated her time VSU’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology, University with a and talent as assistant editor for the Southern and Criminal Justice; a Helping Hands Award Master of Public Anthropological Society newsletter, president from Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful; Administration. and board member for The Quality of Life and the President’s Award from the Literacy This marks her Association of Lowndes County/Valdosta, Volunteer Program of South Georgia. second degree director of the Youth Education of Animals from South Rights Summer Camp Series, a community “I’m looking forward to entering the public sector Georgia’s flagship volunteer with Keep Lowndes/Valdosta and serving communities where help is very much institution of Beautiful, assistant director of South Georgia needed as I prepare myself to begin a law degree higher education; she previously earned a Bachelor Against Animal Circuses, and a member of next year,” she said. “I will always follow my love of Science in Sociology and Anthropology in the South Georgia Permaculture Guild and and passion for helping and for serving.” December 2017. American Association of University Women. Prain is married to Mark Prain, “my husband, Prain said she is truly honored to have the Inspired by what she learned in the classroom partner, and No. 1 supporter.” privilege to speak at VSU’s first virtual graduate and experienced through her service work, commencement ceremony. Prain conducted more than half a dozen thought-provoking research projects. She “In such trying times, I am grateful for the presented “Three and a Tie-Off: Mayan JacOB R. BELL opportunity to celebrate this class,” she shared. Birthing and the Rise of C-Sections in Undergraduate Commencement Speaker “The virtual commencement is a mindful Southern Belize,” “The White Fight for way to come together and share this major Animals: A Look into Ethnocentrism Jacob Bell of accomplishment we have all worked so hard to and Hypocrisy in the American Animal Baxley, Georgia, achieve. This is a class of resilience, perseverance, Rights Movement,” “Educated to Kill: An graduates with and compassion. We are strong, and we will blaze Ethnography of Southern Rural Hunters,” a Bachelor on, together, in this moment as we are being called and “The Reconstruction of Animality: of Business to action. I hope to inspire my fellow classmates A Cross Cultural Examination” at annual Administration in with words of encouragement and inspiration.” meetings of the Southern Anthropological Economics and an Society. She presented “Sexist Spotlights: Honors College As a student at VSU, Prain was a member of Challenging Sexism in the Male Dominated Certificate. the Student Government Association, where Music Industry” at an annual meeting of the she served as a graduate student senator and Georgia Sociological Society; “Diversity Not Bell said that chairwoman of the Graduate Student Success Dress Code: Confronting Discriminatory Dress he is honored Committee; the Anthropology Club, where Codes in South Georgia Bars” at an annual to have the opportunity to deliver the she served as president; the Sociology Club, W.E.B. DuBois Symposium at Clark Atlanta address at VSU’s first virtual undergraduate where she served as president; the Graduate University; and “Emotional Constraints of commencement ceremony, as “there is nothing Student Association; Alpha Kappa Delta: the Southern Rural Hunter” at an annual more special than the opportunity to speak to The International Sociology Honor Society; Undergraduate Research Symposium at VSU. my friends, classmates, and fellow graduates.” Students Against Violating the Environment; the International Honor Society in Philosophy; Prain’s passion for academic, service, and “These times are undoubtedly different, and the International Honor Society in research excellence resulted in her earning but they do not cheapen or lessen the Sociology. She presented at and helped to Undergraduate Paper of the Year honors transformational power of higher education,” from the Southern Anthropological Society; he said. “The way we celebrate may be different 6 | VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY this spring, but our accomplishments retain done it without my team. And most unfailingly, she is incredibly grateful for everyone’s support. their incredibly special meaning for each of us I could never have done it without the support “If there are any words of encouragement I and our families, both now and in the future. of Amea Thompson, student body vice president can offer my fellow spring graduates,” she While our time on campus has been shortened, and fellow undergraduate commencement added, “it’s a quote by Paulo Friere, which there is no doubt that we have left our mark speaker, has given me. Amea really did a fantastic states, ‘Education does not change the world. on our university. I look forward to joining job leading efforts to improve the Student Education changes the people who will change my fellow graduates and our families as we Government Association, like leading the the world.’ I believe we have been faced with celebrate our accomplishments three special implementation of our new First-Year Senator more change in our world in the past few times this year.” Program and growing our membership by months than we could ever have imagined. 40 percent. The SGA has also seen updates But still, I have immeasurable hope for our As a student at VSU, Bell served two academic to all its governing documents, rewritten to future, knowing that our graduates will go terms as student body president and one as a ensure our organization represents our fiercely out prepared to make it better by rising to this Student Government Association senator. diverse student body in a way that is balanced unprecedented occasion.” and effective. She has served on a variety of “In my time leading the Student Government committees and boards within the university in As a student at VSU, Thompson served two Association, I have taken keen interest in her time and has made a heck of a difference.” academic terms as student body vice president efforts to improve academic policy