Lindsey Strickland Earns College of Education and Human Services Excellence Award at VSU

Lindsey Le Strickland

VALDOSTA — Lindsey Le Strickland of Homerville, Georgia, is the recipient of the Spring 2024 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services 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 — Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, College of the Arts, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, and James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services.

Strickland 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 Science in Education in Middle Grades Education Mathematics and Science.

“It is truly a blessing to be receiving such a high honor,” she shared. “Upon reflecting on my years at VSU, I have had a wonderful experience. I have enjoyed my time here, and I have had a multitude of experiences and opportunities that I would not have had elsewhere. I could not be more thankful of everyone who has had a hand in my journey, from my caring and supportive faculty and staff to my classmates, lifelong friends, and family to, most importantly, God. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for the major role that the Lord has played in my life. I would be nothing without Him, and I thank God for the provisions He has given to me.”

As a student at VSU, Strickland was an active member of Baptist Collegiate Ministries, where she served on the Freshman Leadership Team and as the Outreach Team leader. She was invited to speak at the 2023 Educators Rising National Conference and to serve her fellow Blazer future educators as a member of the Professional Learning Committee and Academic Committee of the Valdosta Sullivan Scholars Program.

Strickland gave back to her Blazer Nation community as a volunteer at VSU’s STEAM Center for Applied Creativity and Innovation, the Boys & Girls Club of Valdosta, and Open House events with VSU’s Dewar College of Education and Human Services.  

Strickland’s commitment to academic, leadership, and service excellence resulted in her earning repeated Dean’s List recognitions and the VSU Department of Teacher Education’s Outstanding Student Teacher in Middle Grades Education Award. She was a Sullivan Scholar and a Zell Miller Scholar.   

After graduation, Strickland plans to teach mathematics at Hahira Middle School, where she hopes to instill a love of learning in her students. She wants to further her education in the near future, “so that I can learn more ways to help my students be successful not only in the classroom but also in life, wherever it may take them.” 

Her supportive family includes parents Lenora and Raymond Strickland, sister Stephanie Smith, and brother-in-law Arthur Smith.