Three students receive UGA's Presidential Award of Excellence

Three undergraduate students in the University of Georgia College of Education were recently honored with the UGA Presidential Award of Excellence for their outstanding academic achievements.

These individuals represent the top 1 percent of undergraduates at UGA who excel not only in academics, but also in their service to the community and in their leadership both on and off campus. The UGA Presidential Award of Excellence is awarded every year to undergraduate students in their final year of study.

Selected by their deans, a total of 38 students received the award and fulfilled UGA's mission "to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things" during their collegiate years.

The three College of Education students recognized by UGA are:

• Courtney Bailie: Courtney Bailie, a graduate in communication sciences and disorders major from Augusta, Georgia, plans to attend graduate school to become a speech-language pathologist and to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Bailie was selected because of her outstanding GPA and her commitment to the College of Education and her future profession.

• Morgan Cook: Morgan Cook, a graduate in exercise and sport science with a certificate in African studies from Sandersville, Georgia, hopes to one day be a physical therapist who encourages health and fitness. Cook was selected for the award because of her outstanding GPA.

• Emily Wangenheim: Emily Wangenheim, a graduate double majoring in Spanish and world language education from Alpharetta, Georgia, loves to travel. Her favorite travel moment was attending "El Encierro," or the "Running of the Bulls," in Pamplona, Spain during the summer of 2014. Wangenheim was selected because of her outstanding GPA and her commitment to the College of Education.

In addition to their strong academic achievements, each award recipient demonstrated strong extracurricular involvement and exemplified the best of UGA's student body.