South Georgia State College (SGSC) students Charles Pridgen of Broxton, Susana Rojas Mandujano of Douglas, Courtney Falvo of Waycross, and Kolby Kicklighter of Blackshear were named to the All-Georgia Academic Team, a program sponsored by two-year college presidents, the national honor society for two-year colleges Phi Theta Kappa, and community college state associations. Pridgen and Rojas Mandujano attend the Douglas Campus, and Falvo and Kicklighter attend classes at the Waycross Campus. They recently attended a recognition luncheon in Atlanta at the Sloppy Floyd Building Empire Room.
SGSC President Dr. Virginia Carson comments, “I commend these students on their academic achievements and this special honor from Phi Theta Kappa. They’ve worked hard to achieve their success, and they all represent SGSC well. I look forward to hearing about their future academic and professional successes, too.”
Colleges may nominate students from all of their campuses to the All-USA Academic Team. Students from Georgia nominated to the national team make up the All-Georgia Academic Team. Nominations are based on outstanding academic performance and service to the college and community. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is a valued partner of the All-Georgia Academic Team.
Pridgen and Rojas Mandujano are members of Phi Theta Kappa’s Kappa Sigma chapter in Douglas, and Falvo and Kicklighter are members of the Alpha Rho Omega chapter in Waycross. All have attended Phi Theta Kappa regional conferences and have led their chapters to earn the 5-Star Recognition, the highest level in the chapter development program.
The keynote speaker for the luncheon was State Representative Ms. Keisha Waites. Waites is a woman who lends her talent and time to eradicating poverty and providing culturally enriching opportunities to disadvantaged youth. She is a champion of anti-bullying legislation and authored and sponsored comprehensive legislation addressing bullying. Her efforts received the support and endorsement of a plethora of national anti-bullying organizations.
A native of Atlanta, Rep. Waites chose to remain in Georgia and continue her education at Georgia Southern University where she excelled as a political science major. Waites also attended Atlanta Metropolitan State College and Georgia Perimeter College. She holds degrees in both criminal justice and political science.
Rep. Waites is a proud alumna of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government: Executive Program; University of Georgia – Carl Vinson Institute: Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators and Georgia Legislative Leadership; and Georgia State University – Andrew Young School of Policy Studies: Legislative Health Policy Certification Program.
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1,300 chapters on two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than 2.5 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 135,000 students inducted annually.
– Submitted by Amy Hancock, SGSC External Affairs Coordinator