VSU Honors Juan Vargas with Outstanding Student in Business Award

Juan Vargas, an international student from Bogota, Colombia, is the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Student in Business Award at Valdosta State University. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business during VSU’s 233rd Commencement on May 7. He anticipates completing a second degree, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, in August. He is pictured with Dr. Karin Roalnd, dean of the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration; Dr. Robert Smith, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs; and Dr. Richard Carvajal, president of VSU.  Juan Vargas is pictured with Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, president of VSU; his grandmother, Celmira Vargas; and his parents, Juan De Jesus Vargas and Claudia Patricia Gallo Gonzalez.

VALDOSTA — Juan Vargas, an international student from Bogota, Colombia, is the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Student in Business Award at Valdosta State University.

The Outstanding Student in Business Award is presented to a Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration student with a record of academic excellence and distinguished service inside and outside the classroom.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration,” he said. “I have worked tirelessly during my college career to grow personally, mentally, academically, and professionally. The amount of effort and time I have put into my college career has taken me greater places and has given me new opportunities. However, working that much for your dreams is not always easy. I had to sacrifice so many nights, friends, parties, and other social events to get to the place I am now. Therefore, this recognition pays for all the sacrifice I have made.”

Vargas graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business during VSU’s 233^rd Commencement on May 7. He anticipates completing a second degree, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, in August.

Vargas hopes to work in Paris, France, for a year and attend HEC Paris to pursue additional education in the field of business.

As a student at VSU, Vargas served as the secretary for the Model United Nations Club and a member of the American Marketing Association, the Spanish Club, and the French Club. He worked as a Peer Alliance Learning facilitator and a Spanish tutor at the Academic Support Center, where he was recognized as a student-centered worker.

Vargas placed second and won $4,000 in the 2021 Business Plan Competition hosted by the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration and J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship. He participated in the 2022 Blazer Pitch Competition and placed second, winning $500. In March he participated in the TiE University Pitch competition. In April he competed in the J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship Seed Fund Challenge, where he earned $3,000. He plans to use his winnings to start his own business.

Vargas participated in the National Model United Nations at Washington, D.C, in Fall 2021 and the National Model United Nations New York City this spring. His group received an Outstanding Delegation Award and a Distinguished Delegation Award.

Vargas’s commitment to academic and service excellence resulted in him earning repeated Dean’s list honors and the VSU and Follet Bookstore Fund Scholarship, as well as being nominated for VSU’s Annie Powe Hopper Award.

His supportive family includes father Juan De Jesus Vargas, mother Claudia Patricia Gallo Gonzalez, and grandmother Celmira Vargas.