Stephanie Stanley Named VSU College of the Arts Top Graduate

VALDOSTA — Stephanie Morgan Stanley of Vidalia, Georgia, is the recipient of the Spring 2019 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the College of the Arts at Valdosta State University.

The President’s Award for Academic Excellence is presented to the graduating student with the highest grade point average in each of VSU’s six colleges — Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, College of the Arts, James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and College of Science and Mathematics.

VSU will celebrate its 227^th commencement on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11.

Stanley will serve as the official banner carrier for the College of the Arts during the undergraduate commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, on the VSU Front Lawn. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre, emphasis in performance and management.

“To be named the top graduate of my college is truly an honor,” she said. “It feels great to have the hard work that I’ve done for four years be recognized, and I hope it will inspire others to work hard and keep dreaming as well. I’m immensely proud of this achievement and would like to thank all my family, friends, and teachers for helping me achieve this award.”

As a student at VSU, Stanley was an active member of the Rho Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, serving as secretary from 2017 to 2018 and president from 2018 to 2019; VSU Miracle, serving as operations chairwoman from 2016 to 2017, internal director of affairs from 2017 to 2018, and overall director from 2018 to 2019; the Honors Student Association, serving as recruitment chairwoman from 2016 to 2017 and public relations chairwoman from 2017 to 2018; the VSU Theatre and Dance Box Office, serving as treasurer from 2015 to 2017 and manager from 2017 to 2019; and The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. 

Stanley’s commitment to academic, service, and creative excellence resulted in her earning a spot on the Dean’s List every semester and being named a Reade Scholar all four years. She also earned the Golden Circle Scholarship during her sophomore, junior, and senior years; the 2016-2017 Hugh C. Bailey Family Scholarship; and other organizational awards, including the Inspiration of the Honors Student Association and the Spirit of the Honors Student Association.

“After graduation I am working with the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company in Vermont until September as an audience services intern,” she said. “Then starting in early September I am working with the Florida Repertory Theatre until June 2020 as a front of house intern. For my overall career I would love to be able to explore different places in the United States, going to various theatres with management and acting jobs, and eventually settling in a place I love to work.”

She is the daughter of Melodie and Bobby Stanley.