Laura Anne Northup Earns VSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences Excellence Award

Laura Anne Northup of Mulberry, Florida, is the recipient of the Fall 2022 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Valdosta State University. She graduates summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in literature, language, and letters; a Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies; and an Honors College Certificate.

VALDOSTA — Laura Anne Northup of Mulberry, Florida, is the recipient of the Fall 2022 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Valdosta State University.

The President’s Award for Academic Excellence is presented to a high-performing graduating student 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.

Northup will be recognized during VSU’s 234^th Commencement at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, on the Front Lawn. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in literature, language, and letters; a Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies; and an Honors College Certificate.

“If you had told me when I arrived at VSU three and a half years ago that I would be where I am now, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she said. “I truly transformed in my time here thanks to the support of this institution’s amazing faculty and staff. More than anything, receiving this award makes me feel so validated. I know I’ve worked hard, but for the people I admire so much to commend my accomplishments hits home.”

Northup took full advantage of experiential learning opportunities available to students at VSU. She served as editor then managing editor of Omnino, the university’s Undergraduate Research Journal; editor of the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference Program and Abstract Book; a member of the Teagle Foundation’s Knowledge for Freedom Initiative at VSU, a grant-based program that invites underserved high school students to study humanity’s deepest questions about leading lives of purpose and civic responsibility; an Honors College student assistant; an Archives and Special Collections intern; and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

Northup shared her original research at a number of local, state, and national conferences. She presented “Worlds Within Worlds” at the 2022 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference; “The Consequences of Education: Liminality and Othering in the Life of Zitkala-Sa” at the 2022 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, the 2021 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference, and the 2022 VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium; “Combining Community Outreach and Research to Build Classroom Libraries” at the 2022 Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference and the 2022 VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium; “Experiential Learning at Valdosta State University” at the 2021 National Collegiate Honors Conference; and “Angelo’s Fall from Heaven in Shakespeare’s ‘Measure for Measure’” at the 2021 VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Her work on “The Consequences of Education: Liminality and Othering in the Life of Zitkala-Sa” was published in VSU’s Omnino. It also earned the Best Paper Award at the 2022 VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Northup was an active member of several student organizations, including the Honors Student Association, where she served as class representative then president; the Student Government Association, where she served as director of academic affairs; and Student Judicial Council.

Northup’s commitment to academic, research, service, and leadership excellence resulted in her being named an Honors Scholar and a Jennett Scholar, as well as earning repeated Dean’s List honors and the Department of English’s Martha Wiseman McKey Award.

After graduation Northup plans to continue her education and pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in English with a focus on rhetoric and composition.

“I plan on continuing my work and dedicating my life to higher education as a professor, with the hopes of becoming a department head, dean, or even provost far down the line,” she said. “I want to make a difference in the lives of students, like the faculty at VSU have done for me.”

Her supportive family includes mom Denise Northup, dad Phillip Northup Jr., sisters Lydia and Trisha Northup, boyfriend Cordell Moats, aunt Phyllis Rayford, uncle Doug Rayford, cat Westley, and dogs Ellie, Winston, and Scarlett.