VSU Honors Erik Kacprzyk With USG Academic Recognition Day Award

VALDOSTA — Erik S. Kacprzyk, of Valdosta, Georgia, is the recipient of the 2021 University System of Georgia Academic Recognition Day Award at Valdosta State University.

“I’m not really one for attention, but I am thankful for having my hard work recognized and for all my professors and instructors who helped me along the way,” he said.

The University System of Georgia Academic Recognition Day Award is presented to a student who has a perfect 4.0 grade point average, represents the USG’s and VSU’s best qualities, strives for excellence, and has the ability to share knowledge in various areas of expertise.

Kacprzyk will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Minor in Religious Studies during VSU’s 231^st Commencement at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. He is the son of Bryon and Kira Kacprzyk.

After graduation Kacprzyk plans to continue his education at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations in South Orange, New Jersey. He hopes to someday “work in the foreign policy or international affairs arena, whether that be in the public sector or for a non-governmental organization or private sector organization.”

As a student at VSU, Kacprzyk was an active member of the award-winning Model United Nations team and president of the Alpha Beta Mu chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha: The National Political Science Honor Society. He presented “Conditions for Support for Right-Wing Populism in Europe” at the Atlanta Symposium for Political Science, “Financing of Terrorism” at the Georgia Political Science Association, and “Populism in Europe” at VSU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium. He served the community as a staff member at the Willis L. Miller Library.    

Kacprzyk’s commitment to academic, leadership, service, and research excellence resulted in him being named a Georgia HOPE Scholar and earning repeated Dean’s List honors, the Barbara Pearlman Sosnik Scholarship, the Griffin LLC Scholarship, and the Pi Sigma Alpha Best Paper Award. He was also nominated for the Department of Political Science’s prestigious William M. Morrow Award.