Susannah Harvell Named VSU College of Nursing and Health Sciences Top Graduate

VALDOSTA — Susannah R. Harvell of Pavo, Georgia, is the recipient of the Spring 2018 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the College of Nursing and Health 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 five colleges — College of Nursing and Health Sciences, College of the Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration, and James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services.

VSU will celebrate its 225^th commencement on Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5.

Harvell will serve as the official banner carrier for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences during the undergraduate commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, on the VSU Front Lawn. She will graduate magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training.

“I did not expect to receive this award, but I am truly honored to be the recipient,” she said. “These past four years have not been easy, but perseverance and determination, with help from family and friends, kept me going. I am excited to lead my fellow graduates into this next chapter of our lives. Congratulations to the Class of 2018.”

As a student at VSU, Harvell was a member of the Athletic Training Student Association during the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters. She was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta: National Honor Society for First-Year Students and was presented the Spring 2017 Clinical Excellence Award from the School of Health Sciences.

After graduation, Harvell hopes to work for the Hughston Clinic in Valdosta, with plans to eventually return to school to pursue a career as a physician’s assistant. She is the daughter of Corky and Dawn Harvell.