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 University senior Jessica Riley Martinez was recently awarded the 2019 Jordan Smith Undergraduate Fellowship and will represent Georgia Southern at the 38th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience (FYE) in February.

Georgia Southern University senior child and family development major Julissa Ortiz is building her resume as she prepares to begin her career. Being named student of the year by the Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children (GAEYC) will certainly help.

Georgia Southern University student Elizabeth Hartley will have the opportunity to be a voice for nursing students around the state after being named a legislative director for the Georgia Association of Nursing Students (GANS).

Seven Georgia Southern students have been selected to lead the University's student media operations in the 2018-2019 school year. Matthew Enfinger will be editor-in-chief of The George-Anne, Statesboro edition. He will direct news coverage for the weekly student newspaper and its website, www.thegeorgeanne.com. He is a rising senior from Hephzibah, Georgia, majoring in writing and linguistics. Dan Hayes will be editor-in-chief of The George-Anne, Inkwell edition. He will oversee the weekly newspaper serving the Armstrong and Liberty campuses and its website, www.theinkwellonline.com. He is a senior from Savannah, Georgia, majoring in English/professional communications. Rebecca Hooper will serve as creative editor-in-chief, in charge of design and photography for The George-Anne and all other printed products on the Statesboro Campus. She is a rising junior from Pooler, Georgia, majoring in marketing. Kenyatta Brown will serve for the second consecutive year as business manager, in charge of advertising and sponsorship sales for the Statesboro Campus. She is a senior from Augusta, Georgia, majoring in middle grades education. Haley Clark will serve for the third consecutive year as public relations and marketing manager, in charge of reader services, events and staff recruiting on the Statesboro Campus. She is a senior from Bloomingdale, Georgia, majoring in marketing. Blakeley Bartee will be editor-in-chief of Reflector magazine, the Our House guide for new students and a website, www.gsureflector.com. She is a rising senior from Columbus, Georgia, majoring in writing and linguistics. Brandon Wright will be editor-in-chief of The Circle, an online news service emphasizing video on multiple platforms, including www.thecirclegsu.com. He is a rising senior from Macon, Georgia, majoring in multimedia film and production.

Students and staff members from Georgia Southern University's Intramural Sports programs and Campus Recreation and Intramurals (CRI) received national recognition in early January during the 2018 NIRSA National Flag Football Championships held in Pensacola, Florida. Montrell Cade, a graduate assistant for the Intramural Sports program, was named an All-American Official for the NIRSA flag football tournament. Cade officiated the open league semi-final game and was the line judge for the flag football men's championship game. His performance and consistency in those games helped him garner the honor.

The First-Year Experience (FYE) program at Georgia Southern announced Brandon Lee as the winner of its annual FYE Peer Leader of the Year award in recognition of his excellence in mentoring first-year students.

Students in the School of Human Ecology's Adventure Education class took the trip of a lifetime Oct. 21-23 when they hiked through the Great Smoky Mountains.