Danielle Spivey Named Top College of Humanities and Social Sciences Graduate at VSU

Danielle Elaine Spivey of Valdosta, Georgia, is the recipient of the Fall 2020 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 Spanish and a Minor in Mass Media on Dec. 14.

VALDOSTA — Danielle Elaine Spivey of Valdosta, Georgia, is the recipient of the Fall 2020 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 the graduating student with the highest grade point average 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.

Spivey will be recognized during VSU’s 230^th Commencement at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 14, at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Minor in Mass Media.

“I am so incredibly thankful and blessed to be named the top graduate of my college,” she said. “This is such a high honor, and I believe it accurately reflects the wealth of knowledge that I have gained through my education at Valdosta State. Through the abundance of amazing professors and opportunities to do research, not only has my proficiency in Spanish increased greatly, but I have also learned many professional skills that will be useful in my career. I am so thankful to God for giving me all of the opportunities I have had thus far, and I am also very thankful for the family and friends that have supported me throughout the years.”

As a student at VSU, Spivey was a member of the Spanish Club, where she served as president from 2018 to 2019; Alpha Chi National College Honor Society, where she served as president from 2019 through graduation; the Arabic Club; Sigma Delta Pi: National Hispanic Honor Society; and Sigma Alpha Pi: The National Society of Leadership and Success.

Spivey was selected six times to present original research at VSU’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium — “Archetypical Representations of Hispanic Families” (2018 oral presentation), “The Perseverance of Colloquialisms and the Culture of Minorities in Spanish Literature” (2019 oral presentation), “The Mistreated Steak, a Mirror for Women in Rosario Castellanos’ ‘Lección de Cocina’ (1972)” (2019 poster presentation), “An Analysis of the Spread and Related Works of the Black Legend of the Spanish Colonies” (2020 poster presentation), “How Verb Usage Combines to Create the Story, ‘Deshoras’ 1982” (2020 oral presentation), and “Representations of Diversity in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’” (2020 oral presentation).

Spivey’s commitment to academic, leadership, and research excellence resulted in her being named a Zell Miller Scholar and earning the 2020 Georgia Legislative Academic Recognition Day Award, repeated Dean’s List honors, and the 2019 Georgia Collegiate Honors Council Best Paper in the Humanities Award for her analysis titled “The Connection of Language and Culture: Making Spanish Courses Impactful.”

Spivey plans to spend some time after graduation working in a job where she can practice her Spanish and continue to improve her speaking, listening, and reading fluency before continuing her education. Her goal is to eventually earn a Doctor of Philosophy in Spanish and become a college professor.

Spivey is the daughter of James Spivey IV and Tara Spivey and the sister of James Spivey V.

On the Web:

https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/advancement/event-services/commencement/