National Scholarship Student Success

Kassie Arps, Junior, Mass Communications

Paige Blakemore, Junior, Mass Communications

Tommy Creekmore, Junior, English

Kassie, Paige, and Tommy were awarded Phi Kappa Study Abroad Scholarships, which they used to participate in GCSU’s Intercultural Leadership Program at the European Parliament. Click here to learn more about their experiences.

Ama Kpoyizoun, GCSU '26

Matthew Malena, GCSU '27

Junior nursing major Ama Kpoyizoun and sophomore management major Matthew Malena were two students of 500 from across the country to land a spot in the U.S. Department of States’s Critical Language Scholarship. Both students participated in the CLS Spark program for learning Mandarin Chinese from an institution based in Beijing, China. 
 

Nadya Gutierrez is the first GCSU student to be named a Quad Fellow. The Quad Fellowship is an initiative of the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. Announced by the Quad partners on September 24, 2021, this first-of-its-kind scholarship program is designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists As an undergraduate, Nadya was awarded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship where she received a financial reward and internship to work with NOAA. During this internship, she studied marsh crab community composition. Upon graduation from GCSU, she worked at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab for a year where she studied costal ecology in seagrass and salt marsh ecosystems. She is now obtaining her PhD in Earth and Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill based out of the Institute of Marine Sciences. Her dissertation is focused around landscape ecology of seagrass meadows, specifically regarding how water flows through fragmented seagrass meadows.

Axel is a first-generation college student majoring in history with a minor in political science. . She began volunteering with Communications Workers of America (CWA) in 2016, joined as a member herself in 2021, and became a CWA NextGen Lead Activist for Public Sector Workers in 2023. She has also served as both treasurer and vice president of her university’s student government association, and was recently elected president. She has also served as a delegate to the 2022 Georgia Democratic Convention, an ex-officio member of the Henry County Democratic Committee, chairwoman of the Young Democrats of Georgia Labor Caucus, and is finishing her second term as president of GCSU Young Democrats.

Anagha Ramakrishnan, Mass Communication, received a Fulbright Scholarship to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Greece in the 2023-2024 academic year. As an ETA, Ramakrishnan will be teaching English and American culture to students at Athens College.

Cameron Alee, GCSU '22, Criminal Justice, English Teaching Assistantship in South Korea

Kelsie Doran, GCSU '23, MFA -Creative Writing Candidate, English Teaching Assistantship in Norway

Julian Lopez Hanson, GCSU '20, Management, Maastricht University Award, Netherlands

Anagha Vivek Ramakrishnan, GCSU '22, Mass Communications, English Teaching Assistantship in Greece

Colin Hall, Political Science, was the first Truman Scholar selected from GCSU. Colin has been an active leader in several local, state, and national office campaigns. He has served in multiple elected positions within the Jones County Republican Party, including second vice chair, college outreach director, and teen representative. He also serves as vice president of the College Republicans at GCSU. Colin aspires to a life of public service as an elected official with the ultimate goal of being elected governor of Georgia. 

Axel Hawkins, History , has distinguished herself as a leader on campus and in the greater Milledgeville community. As a freshman, Axel served as the Chair of the Student Emergency Fund on the Student Government Association, and in her sophomore year, she was elected treasurer. She is currently working to create an organization for first-generation college students that will serve both as a support system for current students and a way to help create more first-generation students by hosting college application workshops in area high schools. Off campus, Axel has canvassed for political candidates and served as a full-time community organizer for Working America, addressing Georgia’s housing shortage and inequality. After graduation, Axel plans to pursue an MPA degree and to start a career in the public sector, focusing on rural economic development and prosperity.

Anne Elise Beals, Psychology, was selected as a finalist for the Truman Scholarship. Anne Elise has been an active leader on campus, working with the Women's Center and LGBTQ+ Programs.

Jenna Byrd, Mass Communications, was the first GCSU student to be named a fellow for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Program for Young Professionals. She will join a cohort of 75 other young graduates of all majors and disciplines from around the United States for a yearlong learning and working adventure in Germany.

Wesley DeMontigny, Biology, was selected as GCSU's first Goldwater Scholarship Recipient. Wesley has conducted undergraduate research on environmental microbiology and intends to pursue a PhD in Microbiology. He hopes to ultimately teach at the university level and research how microbiology can be used for environmental remediation.

Vivian Cassaniti, Philosophy and Political Science, was selected as a 2022 Newman Civic Fellow. Vivian Cassaniti has worked to improve the civic health in her community, empowering college-age students to identify their civic and political interests and to express their views constructively in public circles. She hopes to attend law school and has a particular interest in civil rights and immigration law.

Annabel Erb, GCSU '22, Early Childhood Education, English Teaching Assistantship to South Korea, Finalist

Anagha Ramakrishnan, GCSU '22, Mass Communication, English Teaching Assistantship to Greece, Semi-Finalist

Maya Whipple, GCSU '22, Art, English Teaching Assistantship to Argentina, Semi-Finalist

Savannah Taylor, World Languages and Cultures and Economics, was selected as a Newman Civic Fellow. Savannah has served as the Gardening Club president since August of 2019. In this role, she has overseen efforts to grow and improve our West Campus Gardens, which have culminated in a partnership between West Campus Gardens and Campus Kitchens that utilizes West Campus Gardens grown produce in packages that Campus Kitchens provides to members of the Milledgeville community who are suffering from food insecurity. Savannah also led the Gardening Club in partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Milledgeville to build their own raised bed garden. In her role as a Sustainability Council voting member and as an intern for the Office of Sustainability, Savannah wrote a PepsiCo Zero Impact Waste grant that successfully secured funding that allowed Georgia College to be able to provide electric vehicle charging stations on campus.

Nadya Gutierrez, environmental science, was awarded a 2020 Hollings Scholarship from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association, making her the first recipient from GCSU. Nadya has conducted undergraduate research on invertebrates, and she has also served as an SI with the Learning Center.

Juniper Guthrie, GCSU '21, History and Liberal Studies, Thailand English Teaching Assistantship, Alternate

Maegan Stephens, GCSU '20, Spain, World Languages and Cultures and Liberal Studies, English Teaching Assistantship, Semi-Finalist

Catherine Boyd, GCSU '21, Physics

Molly Bullington, GCSU '22, Biology

Cain Gantt, Physics and Math, was awarded a DAAD Scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service to pursue a master's degree at the University of Hamburg.

Madison Graham, Music, received a Fulbright Scholarship to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in the Czech Republic in the 2020-2021 academic year. As an ETA, Graham will be teaching English and American culture to Czech students.

Amara Tennessee, Public Health and World Languages and Cultures, received a Fulbright Scholarship to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Colombia in the 2020-2021 academic year. As an ETA, Tennessee will be teaching English and American culture to Colombian students.

• Jasia Clark, GCSU '20, Special Education, English Teaching Assistantship to the Czech Republic
• Makhalath Fahiym, GCSU '19,  English, English Teaching Assistantship to South Korea
• James Fortwengler, GCSU '20, Chemistry, Study Grant for the University College Dublin in Ireland
• Madison Graham , GCSU '20, Music, English Teaching Assistantship to the Czech Republic, Finalist
• Julian Lopez-Hanson, GCSU '20, Management, English Teaching Assistantship to Cyprus
• Megan Sandal, GCSU '20, Sociology and Psychology, English Teaching Assistantship to Malaysia
• Laura Swarner, GCSU '20, English and Theater, English Teaching Assistantship to Bulgaria, Alternate
• Amara Tennessee, GCSU '20, Public Health and World Languages and Cultures, English Teaching Assistantship to Colombia, Finalist
• Jennifer Watkins, GCSU '20, MFA Creative Writing Candidate, Arts Grant for Italy

Kelly Bousquette, Psychology and Sociology, was selected as a 2021 Newman Civic Fellow. Kelly has worked to connect her campus community to the greater Milledgeville community through the organization she founded, Georgia College Students for Change, which enables GCSU student to assist with projects related to the Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority (CSHLRA).

Kendyl Lewis, Economics and Psychology, was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Truman Scholarship. Kendyl has been committed to fighting food insecurity in her community by founding GCSU's chapter of Swipe Out Hunger and also serving as a Zero Hunger Intern with the Congressional Hunger Center.

Ruby Zimmerman, Political Science and Rhetoric, was selected to be a 2019 Newman Civic Fellow. Ruby was selected on the basis of her work with the American Democracy Project.  

David Williams, Economics, received a Boren Scholarship to study Swahili as part of the Boren African Flagship Language Institute (AFLI). Williams will complete an intensive summer course in Swahili at the University of Florida, followed by a year of study in Tanzania.

Marissa Mayfield, Biology, was awarded a 2019 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Mayfield, an environmental science major, conducted research on environmental remediation and rehabilitation  under Dr. Sam Mutiti, an associate professor in the Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences.

• Perri Olton, GCSU '19, Political Science, English Teaching Assistantship to Ukraine
• Matthew Sampson, GCSU '19,  French, English Teaching Assistantship to South Korea

Kevin Morris, History and Economics, is GCSU's first student to be awarded the Marshall Scholarship. Kevin, a 2017 graduate with a dual degree in Economics and History, intends to pursue graduate degrees at the London School of Economics and the University of Edinburgh.

Jonathan Mangrum, Political Science, recieved a Boren Scholarship to study Urdu as part of the Boren South-Asian Flagship Language Institute (SAFLI). Mangrum will complete an intensive summer course in Urdu at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, followed by a year of study in Lucknow, India. He is GCSU's first student to be awarded a Boren Scholarship.

Janileyah Thompson, Mass Communication received a Fulbright Scholarship to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in South Korea in the 2018-2019 academic year. As an ETA, Thompson will be teaching English and American culture to South Korean students.

• Sofia Papa, GCSU '16, Spanish, English Teaching Assistantship to Spain
• Darcie Scales, GCSU '18, History and Geography, English Teaching Assistantship to Hungary
• Janileyah Thompson, GCSU '17, Mass Communications English Teaching Assistantship to  South Korea, Finalist

Julia Steele, Environmental Science, was selected to be a 2018 Newman Civic Fellow. Julia was selected on the basis of her work with Campus Kitchens and the GCSU Sustainability Office.  

Laura Pappas, Public Health, was selected to be a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow. Laura was selected on the basis of her work with Kudzu and HouServe.  

Kelly Van Roy, who graduated in 2016 with a degree in marketing and liberal studies, was selected to serve as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) with the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. As an ALT, Van Roy will teach English in Japan in the 2017-2018 school year. 

Kevin Morris, History and Economics, received a Fulbright Scholarship to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Macedonia in the 2017-2018 academic year. As an ETA, Morris will be teaching English and American culture to Macedonian students.  While at GCSU, Morris completed internships with the U.S. Department of Commerce in Croatia as well as with the U.S. State Department in Macedonia.

Audrey Waits, a 2017 graduate with an MS in Biology, received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct biology research in with faculty from the University of Oulu in Finland in the 2017-2018 school year. Waits’ research seeks to explore the relationship between temperature and pathogenic bacterial populations found in reindeer herds.  

• Samantha Clapp, GCSU '17, Mathematics, Study Grant for Budapest Semesters in Mathematics - Renyi Institute in Hungary, Alternate
• Anna Fontaine, GCSU '13, Theatre, Study Grant to United Kingdom
• Kevin Morris, GCSU '17, Economics and Political Science, English Teaching Assistantship to Macedonia, Finalist
• Audrey Waits, GCSU '17, M.S. in Biology, Study Grant for Finland, Finalist

Jonathan Mangrum, Political Science, was selected as a 2016 Newman Civic Fellow. Newman Civic Fellows are named through Campus Compact, a national coalition of 1,000 member colleges and universities supporting students who are committed to community and finding solutions for challenges facing communities nationwide. The fellowship recognizes undergraduate students who have demonstrated a solution-based approach to improving their communities. Jonathan was selected on the basis of his work with the American Democracy Project and also on his academic success. Jonathan was not only named a Newman Civic Fellow; through Campus Compact, he was also awarded a $13,000 scholarship to attend the Leadership and the American Presidency program for the spring semester at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Jonathan will spend that semester taking coursework and also participating in an internship in Washington D.C.

Kendall Brown, who graduated in 2016 with a degree in mathematics, was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship. The highly competitive program funds graduate programs in education for both recent graduates and career-changers who have strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Each fellow receives $30,000 to complete a unique masters program based on a year-long classroom experience. Fellows commit to teach in high need urban and rural Georgia schools over a three year period, during which they receive ongoing support and mentoring.

Dillon Johnstone was named a finalist in the 2016 Truman Scholarship competition. The Truman Scholarship supports the graduate education of outstanding young people who are committed to careers in public service. Johnstone was recognized on the basis of his involvement with ENGAGE and undergraduate research here at GCSU, as well as his service in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserve. 

GCSU alumna Anne Zimmerman was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2014, during her senior year at GCSU. Zimmerman, a biology major, conducted research at GCSU under Dr. Caralyn Zehnder, an associate professor in the Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences at GCSU and coordinator of the university’s environmental science program. Zehnder and Zimmerman conducted their research on plants and the way that they respond to their environment, focusing specifically on the kudzu bug. Zimmerman was selected as one of 2,000 fellowship recipients out of the more than 14,000 applications submitted to the fellowship program that year. Zimmerman is currently pursuing graduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and continues working in her field of research at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. 

GCSU alumna Lisa Baer received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Mongolia for the 2012-2013 academic year. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2011, Baer moved to China to teach English. This experience, paired with Baer’s undergraduate research experiences, inspired Baer to apply for the Fulbright Program. While in Mongolia on her Fulbright, Baer taught courses in American culture and English. Baer’s research focus concerns family and cross-cultural values, an interest she was able to pursue as she lived and worked among her Mongolian students. Facilitated by the US Embassy in Mongolia, Baer observed schools, museums, and disability centers in rural Mongolia. Baer is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of South Dakota.