Julia Rafferty Earns College of Business Administration Excellence Award at VSU

Julia Rafferty

VALDOSTA — Julia Rafferty of Gwinnett, Georgia, is the recipient of the Spring 2024 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration at Valdosta State University.

The President’s Award for Academic Excellence is presented to a high-performing graduating student in each of VSU’s six colleges — 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, College of Science and Mathematics, and Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration.

Rafferty will be recognized during VSU’s 237^th Commencement at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, on the Main Campus Front Lawn. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, a Minor in Entrepreneurship, and an Honors College Certificate.

“I am honored and thankful to receive this recognition,” she shared. “My experience at Valdosta State University has been rewarding, especially with my time in both the College of Business Administration and the Honors College. The Honors College supported me and helped me grow into the scholar that I am today by pushing me to go beyond just my classes by participating in research, global experiences, and experiential learning. The business school has supported me and helped me grow as a professional in the accounting industry. I am thankful for all my professors who believed in me and set me up for success. I loved my time at Valdosta State University, and I know that I am set up to be successful after I graduate.”

As a student at VSU, Rafferty served as president of Beta Gamma Sigma: The International Business Honor Society and treasurer of both Beta Alpha Psi: The International Honor Organization for Financial Information Students and Professionals and the Honors Student Association. She presented research on the rising cost of health care in America at VSU’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium; she was asked to share her expertise on fundraising and service activities at the Beta Alpha Psi meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina; and she discussed mentorship at the honor organization’s meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rafferty’s commitment to academic and leadership excellence resulted in her earning repeated Dean’s List recognitions, the Bank of America Scholarship, the John and Gertrude Odum Scholarship, and the Georgia Society of CPAs Scholarship. She was a Zell Miller Scholar.

After graduation Rafferty plans to return to VSU to pursue a Master of Accountancy in Accounting while working as a graduate assistant in the Office of Internal Audit, pass the certified public accounting licensure exam, and then work in public accounting.

Her supportive family includes mom Kimberly Rafferty, dad John Rafferty, and sister Mary Rafferty.