Danielle Spivey has achieved the high honor of being the banner carrier for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the December 2020 commencement ceremony. This selection is made based upon Ms. Spivey’s GPA, which is the highest in the college. Ms. Spivey, who is majoring in Spanish and minoring in Mass Media, maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout her undergraduate college experience alongside taking active roles in both honors societies and student organizations alike.
A Valdosta native, Ms. Spivey’s interest in Spanish began during her high school career at Lowndes High School, but, interestingly, she had originally planned on studying French before being convinced by her father to make the transition to Spanish. In her words, “once I got into the class, I loved it and haven’t stopped studying it since.” On beginning her college career, Ms. Spivey, thanks to her 5 on the AP Spanish exam, was able to skip the introductory Spanish courses and cites this as a massive advantage in planning out her future schedule: “I am extremely grateful for this, because it gave me the opportunity to take a lot of Spanish classes at VSU that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.” During her second year, Ms. Spivey elected to begin a Mass Media minor as it was recommended by her advisor since it provides valuable preparation for her intended field of translation.
When asked what advice she had for students seeking to emulate her excellent academic achievements, Danielle explains “my advice for students to excel academically is to stay organized and communicate with your professors.” She then continued by addressing the student’s natural enemy: procrastination. Danielle notes “it is so easy for work to seem overwhelming and daunting. When you feel this way, you tend to procrastinate. Sit down and write out the steps of everything you have to do. Then divide those steps up in your planner or notebook.”
Outside of the classroom, Ms. Spivey experienced similar success. She is currently a member of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Society of Leadership and Success, Alpha Chi, and VSU’s Spanish Club, and, on top of this, she has served as president in both VSU’s Spanish Club (April 2018—October 2019) and Alphi Chi (acting). In February, she received the Georgia Legislative Academic Recognition Day Award, and, in March 2019, she was awarded the “Best Paper in the Humanities” from the Georgia Collegiate Honors Council. She has also participated in VSU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium each year of her undergraduate career. In fact, she prepared two oral presentations and one poster presentation for the Spring 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium. It is through these astounding achievements that Ms. Spivey’s true academic excellence is fully realized, and, assuredly, she has more than earned the right to represent both herself and the larger College of Humanities and Social Sciences at our December graduation ceremony.
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