Amber Eagen Named VSU College of Nursing and Health Sciences Top Graduate

VALDOSTA — Amber Faith Eagen of Tallahassee, Florida, is the recipient of the Fall 2019 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences 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 228^th commencement on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14.

Eagen will serve as the official banner carrier for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences during the undergraduate commencement ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, on the VSU Front Lawn. She will graduate magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

“There are no words to express how honored and humbled I am to be the recipient of this prestigious award,” she said. “This has been the most challenging yet rewarding journey of my life. I could not have made it this far without ongoing love and support from my amazing parents, family, friends, and God. I am also extremely grateful for the dedicated team of professors that have given me the knowledge and resources needed to complete this rigorous program. I’ve gotten to know and care for each of my classmates, and I know these amazing individuals are about to impact the profession of nursing in the most incredible ways. We have worked extremely hard for this moment, and it is with overwhelming joy that I will carry the College of Nursing and Health Sciences banner proudly as I lead my fellow classmates into the start of the rest of our lives.”

As a student at VSU, Eagen was a member of Sigma, formerly known as Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; Golden Key International Honour Society; The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi; and Sigma Alpha Chi Honor Society. She was also nominated for membership in The Society for Collegiate Leadership and Achievement, Sigma Alpha Pi: The National Society of Leadership and Success, and Alpha Lambda Delta: The National Honor Society for First-Year Success.   

Eagen conducted research on Florida adolescent female contraceptive use, HIV and AIDS, the benefits of HPV vaccination, risk management in hospital settings, and the effects of technology on emergency department wait times and patient outcomes. She served as a peer tutor and as a member of the Valdosta Association of Nursing Students, an organization that allowed her the opportunity to volunteer alongside the Lowndes County Health Department to provide free HIV testing on campus, work alongside Hungry at Home to pack meals for students to take home over the weekends, and lead tours for prospective students at open houses. She served her community as a volunteer at Dewey Dash Color Fun Run benefiting Hospice of South Georgia and Relay for Life benefiting the American Cancer Society.

Eagen’s commitment to academic, service, and research excellence resulted in her earning the 2018 and 2019 Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Scholarship.

Eagen plans to move to Milledgeville, Georgia, where she has accepted a position as an emergency department nurse at Navicent Health. She hopes to eventually continue her education and pursue a master’s degree focused in emergency care, but first she wants to master her bedside nursing skills. She is the daughter of Scott and Michelle Eagen.