Georgia Southern University Spanish and French major Emily Pressler has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant for the 2019-2020 academic year. Pressler's placement will be in Galicia, Spain, and she will assist primarily in English classes for students who speak Spanish, Galician and English.

Georgia Southern University's Model United Nations delegation has been selected as an Outstanding Delegation at the annual National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. This is the ninth consecutive year that Georgia Southern has been recognized as an Outstanding Delegation and the 11th time in 12 years that it has been accorded this distinction.

Two members of the Georgia Southern University Office of Leadership and Community Engagement staff, Urkovia Andrews, Dr.P.H., assistant director for service-learning, and Jordan Wilburn, coordinator for community engagement, were recognized at the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority's (DSDA) annual meeting and Brick Awards. Wilburn was acknowledged for providing the DSDA with Georgia Southern student volunteers who connect, serve and lead. Andrews was recognized for partnering with the DSDA with the Georgia Southern BUILD Program and Step Into Statesboro tours. She has also helped with the Downtown Dog Park, written grants and served on the Blue Mile Committee. Destin Doe, a senior computer science major and community liaison for the DSDA, was also recognized with an Excellence in Service award.

Georgia Southern theatre majors Mary Flott (senior) and Joey Hukin (sophomore) traveled to the nation's capital the week of April 16th to attend the National Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Both women were a part of the theatre program's award-winning fall production of "Emilie: The Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight" by Lauren Gunderson.

Caroline Steed has been selected as this year's recipient of the Annie F. Oliver Award for Volunteer of the Year. This award, given annually by the Savannah Speech and Hearing Center, recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in and a strong commitment to volunteering for the betterment of the Savannah Speech and Hearing Center community. Steed, from Savannah, graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences from Armstrong State University. Upon graduation, Steed returned to Georgia Southern University to obtain a post-baccalaureate certificate in communication sciences and disorders on the University's Armstrong Campus. "I was extremely honored to receive this award," stated Steed. "Volunteering for this organization has truly been a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel very fortunate to be given the opportunity to be able to work with the diverse populations that Savannah Speech and Hearing Center serves." Steed has been volunteering with the Savannah Speech and Hearing Center since January 2018 and has clocked more than 188 hours of volunteer experience working in a variety of areas including hearing screenings at local schools, the Stroke Group, Sound Start and fundraising events. "I have had the chance to learn from some of the most skilled, caring and compassionate people I have ever had the pleasure of coming into contact with. Volunteering and giving back to the community I was born and raised in gives you an incomparable sense of worth," said Steed. Steed was honored at a Volunteer Reception held in February. After graduation in May, Steed plans to continue her education and obtain a master's degree in communication sciences and pursue a career in speech-language pathology.

Georgia Southern University recently recognized approximately 3,300 students for excellence in academics on the Fall 2018 Dean's List. To be eligible for the Dean's List, a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.

Georgia Southern civil engineering graduate student Mariah Peart has been selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as one of 10 New Faces Of Civil Engineering for 2019 - Professional Edition. Engineering professor Gustavo Maldonado, Ph.D., said it's the first time a Georgia Southern student has received this recognition.

Georgia Southern University nursing students Jayda Anderson, Kelli Shiver, Taylor Wallace received 2018 Abbie Lorene DeLoach Memorial Nursing/Kappa Delta Scholarships during the second annual Abbie DeLoach Foundation Scholarship Luncheon held in April. A total of nine students were awarded scholarships totaling more than $175,000 in memory of Abbie DeLoach, one of five Georgia Southern nursing students tragically killed in a car accident in April 2015. "Criteria exemplifying Abbie's compassion, commitment to the community and competitive spirit are utilized each year when selecting recipients," reads a statement from the Abbie DeLoach Foundation. Abbie DeLoach Foundation officers include her father and president, Jimmy DeLoach, her sister and vice president Anna DeLoach and her uncle and Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach, who serves as treasurer.

Georgia Southern University special education majors Kylie Brady and Rebecca Hinrichs are passionate about helping students with disabilities, as well as the studied benefits of appropriate classroom management. Their passions led to a presentation at Harvard University's annual National Collegiate Research Conference, the largest student-run research conference in the country, in January.

On April 17, 2017, S. Dawn Odom completed the requirements to now claim the designation Certified Master Athletic Administrator. She has joined an elite group of other athletic administrators from across the country that has attained the CMAA designation in the field of athletic administrators. The NIAAA is the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Georgia Southern University, Masters of Educational Leadership

Ceramic work by Georgia Southern student MacKenzie Williard recently was accepted into a group exhibition at Local Project in Long Island City, New York. ANIMILIA was curated by Julian Calderon. It includes work from more than 60 artists. The show is on view from March 2 - March 18. Willard is a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts student concentrating in 3D Studio Art.

The executive members of Georgia Southern's Interfraternity Council (IFC) recently attended the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference (SEIFC), held to provide IFC executive members from all over the U.S. with resources to enhance and improve their councils. Georgia Southern's Fraternity and Sorority Life was recognized in the top tier of Greeks nationwide for having an all Greek GPA that is higher than the all campus average GPA.

The 25th annual Georgia Southern Fall 2016 Commencement Ceremony represented a momentous day as approximately 1,700 of Georgia's best and brightest undergraduate and graduate students received degrees from the University's eight colleges. Approximately 400 graduate degrees were conferred, while around 1,300 undergraduate students received degrees.

Henriette Sabroe Ebbesen, was a winner in Life Framer's monthly photography competition "Still Life." The work from her series "Kaleidoscope Still Life" received an honorable mention in the competition judged by internationally celebrated photographer Lorenzo Vitturi. Additionally, Ebbesen's portfolio is currently featured on the Photo Vogue Italia website. "Water Lilies," a photocollage from her series "Feminine Development," was selected Photo Vogue Italia's Pic of the Day on January 2. Ebbesen currently is studying medicine at University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She attended Georgia Southern University through the Georgia Rotary Student Program and studied art from 2015-2016. Here she found her passion for fine art photography. Her work has been featured in exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe.

School of Nursing Post-Master of Science in Nursing Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student, Michele Lorraine Barutio Stephens, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society.

Georgia Southern alumna and English Language Fellow, Deborah Rodriguez Garcia ('10, '12), recently spent three weeks traveling and fighting against illiteracy. Rodriguez Garcia began in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, at the 2016 Reading Association of South Africa conference. The theme of this international conference was Literacy Connectivity. Researchers, non-governmental organizations and educators from around the globe delivered workshops and presentations on practices to promote literac

Nursing students from Georgia Southern's School of Nursing spent two weeks over the summer in Costa Rica participating in a yearly study abroad trip. Led by Marian Tabi, Ph.D., professor in the School of Nursing, students learned about the culture of Costa Rica through lectures, host families, site visits and service learning activities.

Georgia Southern University has chosen its 2016 Southern's Orientation, Advisement, and Registration (SOAR) Team. SOAR Leaders help orient new students and their families to Georgia Southern during the summer SOAR sessions. Out of 122 students who applied for the coveted SOAR Leader position, 25 were selected based on their leadership potential, work ethic and ability to represent the University.