Amanda Fields Parker of Hahira, Georgia, is the recipient of the Spring 2023 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, James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and College of Science and Mathematics.

Parker will be recognized during VSU’s 235^th Commencement at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, on the Main Campus Front Lawn. She will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Education in Communication Disorders.

“Being named a top graduate of my college is an unbelievable feeling,” she shared. “I am a non-traditional student, so my educational path is somewhat different from most of my classmates. There were so many times I doubted myself and wondered if going back to college was the right choice for me. There were many late nights of studying and sacrifices my family and I had to make for me to pursue a degree.

“I am a single mother of an 8-year-old son, and it wasn’t always easy for me to want to put in the work. My son was my motivation, though, and for him I wanted to be the best. This recognition shows that my blood, sweat, and many, many tears paid off, and my son can see that doing well gets rewarded. I’m truly honored to be given this award.”

As a student at VSU, Parker was a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, where she devoted quite a few experiential learning hours to community outreach and community service initiatives.

Parker’s commitment to academic, leadership, and service excellence resulted in her earning repeated Dean’s List recognitions and the Sallie Hutchinson Scholarship.

Parker plans to continue her education after graduation, pursue a Master of Education in Communication Disorders, also at VSU, and become a speech language pathologist. She wants to work in early intervention services, helping children from birth to age 3 with swallowing, language, and speech disorders.

Her supportive family includes son Zachary Parker and parents Marshall and Nancy Fields.