Kudos: LLED alumni receive research honors; Congrats to College's 5 First Honor Graduates; 9 companies linked to College named to UGA’s 2025 Bulldog 100
Three LLED alumni receive prestigious research honors
At the 2024 Literacy Research Association’s annual research conference, two alumni from the Department of Language and Literacy Education received prestigious research awards, and one LLED alumna was selected for the highly competitive STAR Mentoring program.
- Jennifer Ervin (Ph.D. ’24) received the LRA Student Outstanding Research Award
- Stephanie Toliver (Ph.D. ’20) received the LRA Early Career Lifetime Achievement Award
- Tairan Qiu (Ph.D. ’23) was selected for the Scholars of Color Transitioning into Academic Research Institutions (STAR) Mentoring Program and is paired with mentor Cati V. de los Ríos at University of California, Berkeley
Congratulations to the College’s 5 First Honor Graduates for fall 2024
Five First Honor Graduates in the Mary Frances Early College of Education will be recognized at the University of Georgia’s fall 2024 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, Dec. 13.
To be a First Honor Graduate, a student must maintain a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average throughout their undergraduate studies, as well as in all college-level transfer work before or after enrolling at UGA. The College’s fall 2024 First Honor Graduates are:
- Lawson Berg (B.S.Ed. ’24), exercise and sport science
- Maia Catibog (B.S.Ed. ’24), elementary education
- Michelle Howard (B.S.Ed. ’24), sport management
- Anna Jennings (B.S.Ed. ’24), elementary education
- Gyuree Kim (B.S.Ed. ’24), elementary education
Read the full story on our website.
Nine companies linked to College named to UGA’s 2025 Bulldog 100
The University of Georgia’s 2025 Bulldog 100 list honors nine alumni from the Mary Frances Early College of Education.
This annual recognition, sponsored by the UGA Alumni Association, recognizes the fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. The winners were measured by their business’s compounded annual growth rate over a three- year period. This year’s fastest-growing businesses with ties to the College include:
- ASW Distillery, Atlanta, GA (Kelly Chasteen, B.S.Ed. ’00)
- Big Apple Services Inc., Conyers, GA (Josh Cagliani, M.Ed. ’10)
- Buckhead Beans, Atlanta, GA (Matthew Ades, M.Ed. ’96)
- Erica Davis Lowcountry, Savannah, GA (Erica Davis, B.S.Ed. ’99)
- Extra Special People, Watkinsville, GA (Laura Whitaker, B.S.Ed. ’07, M.Ed. ’10)
- FleetForce Truck Driving School, Bradenton, FL (Tra Williams, B.S.Ed. ’95)
- FTM Travel, Brentwood, TN (Christy Shadday, B.S.Ed. ’93)
- Good Dog Veterinary Care, Marietta, GA (Natalie Singletary, B.S.Ed. ’12)
- Savannah Drywall Supply, Pooler, GA (Amanda Montford, B.S.Ed. ’01)