Jamie Erin Collins of Columbia, South Carolina, is the recipient of the Spring 2023 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the College of the Arts 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.

Collins 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 Fine Arts in Mass Media.

“Being named a top graduate of the College of the Arts is such a special honor,” she shared. “This is a great and prestigious award, which I feel privileged to be receiving. The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to come to VSU, meet wonderful professors, develop meaningful relationships with friends, and get a comprehensive education. The experience of the past four years at VSU has been integral to my development and will assist me in my future endeavors.

“Freshman year was exciting and a bit scary, but all the professors and staff at VSU were helpful, friendly, and always available to listen and be supportive. Then COVID hit, and even though the university faced changes with online classes halfway through the Spring 2020 semester, I felt that my VSU family was there for me. VSU will always have a special place in my heart! Go Blazers!!”

As a student at VSU, Collins was a member of the Society for Collegiate Journalists, the nation’s oldest honor society for student media leaders, and Lambda Pi Eta, a national communication association. She also worked with the South Georgia Film Festival and served others as a member of the Wesley Foundation, a campus ministry.

Collins earned her first video production accolades as a freshman at VSU. During her first semester she served as assistant director for “Payton’s Place,” which won the Fall 2019 Film and Video Society Student Showcase. The following semester she was asked to assist on another video project titled “Defiance.”

She used her talents to help a friend film and edit research for VSU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium Three-Minute Video Competition; the project won first place. Her “Footprints in Farming” documentary was featured in the 2022 South Georgia Film Festival. She was part of a team of students who created educational videos for the Grand Bay Wetland Education Center, and one of those videos won the Spring 2022 Film and Video Society Student Showcase.

When the global health crisis known as COVID-19 prevented live audiences from enjoying VSU Theatre and Dance productions, Collins volunteered to film “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” and “Guys and Dolls” for streaming to audiences at home. She has worked with the City of Valdosta’s City Focus project and helped coordinate streaming opportunities for the annual Greater Valdosta Community Christmas Parade.  She completed a summer internship with NASA at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where she had the opportunity to film and edit training videos for the employees and produce a hype video for the flight operations directorate. She earned the Dr. Larry Etling Scholarship during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Collins currently runs social media for Corbett Brothers Farms and Raisin’ Cane in Lowndes County. She is also working on a documentary about the Harley Langdale Jr. Foundation.

“Immediately after graduation, I have been given the wonderful opportunity to be the projections programmer at Peach State Summer Theatre here at VSU,” she said. “I am so looking forward to working with the talented and hard-working individuals who perform and produce shows at Peach State and provide fun and enjoyable entertainment for the Valdosta community. I am also sending out numerous applications to organizations to share the knowledge and training I have received from VSU. I would love to pursue a career in video production, videography, and/or editing in a media setting, but I am open to other opportunities as well.”

Her supportive family includes dad Bill Collins, mom Jill Collins, sister Casey Collins, grandmothers Grace Stewart and Vera Collins, and grandfathers C.C. Stewart (deceased) and the Rev. W.L. Collins (deceased). She said she would not be where she is today without the love and guidance of her family and friends.