Emily Culpepper is the recipient of the Spring 2022 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Emily Elizabeth Culpepper of Lake Park is the recipient of the Spring 2022 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services 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, university officials said in a statement.

Culpepper is the daughter of Ben and Jennifer Culpepper of Lake Park and has a brother, Joel. Her grandparents are Faye Culpepper of Lake Park and Randall and Judy Croy of Moultrie.

Culpepper was recognized during VSU’s 233rd Commencement May 7. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science in education in middle grades education, with concentrations in language arts and mathematics.

“Valdosta State University has been a place of growth for me,” she said. “I have made new friends, learned new things, and most of all, grown in my faith in God. My classes and field experiences have been challenging but the knowledge that I gained has been worth the effort. 

“Without the Lord, I would not have made it to this moment, for He has given me the strength and the ability I needed to succeed in each new class and experience. My parents and family have encouraged me, lifted me in prayer and inspired me to press on. My friends – especially my roommate – classmates and professors at VSU have been instrumental in my growth as a person and an educator. I also appreciate the faculty, particularly my mentor teacher, and students at Lowndes Middle School for their encouragement and for helping me become a professional educator.

“I will forever be thankful for everyone who has supported me through college and for the ways I have grown during my college years.”

As a student at VSU, Culpepper was inducted into Alpha Chi: National College Honor Society and Kappa Delta Pi: International Honor Society in Education. She was also a member of the Valdosta Sullivan Scholars Program’s Professional Learning Committee. 

Beyond her required field experiences, she volunteered as a teacher’s assistant in area middle schools. She is an active member of Landmark Calvary Holiness Church of Valdosta, where she sings and plays piano and violin, and she teaches children’s church at a summer camp.

Culpepper’s commitment to academic, leadership and service excellence resulted in her being named a Zell Miller Scholar, an Honors Scholar and a Sullivan Scholar and earning repeated Dean’s List honors, the Antonio and Edna Criscuolo Endowment Scholarship, the Georgia Power Foundation Student Recruitment and Retention Fund Scholarship and the 2022 College of Education and Human Services Highest Academic Achievement Award. 

When she graduated from Echols County High School, she earned the Otter Creek / Alapaha Lodge Scholarship.

“After graduation, I plan to teach at a school in South Georgia,” she said. “Ultimately, my goal is to work in a rural, high-needs school, instilling in students a love of learning, particularly a love for reading.”