VSU Honors Laura Avila Rozo With Outstanding Student in the Arts Award

VALDOSTA — Laura Vanessa Avila Rozo of Bogota, Colombia, is the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Student in the Arts Award at Valdosta State University.

“I am truly honored to be the recipient of the Outstanding Student in the Arts Award for the College of the Arts,” she said, “and I want to thank everyone for supporting me and my efforts to succeed.”

The Outstanding Student in the Arts Award is presented to a College of the Arts student with a record of academic excellence and distinguished service inside and outside the classroom.

Avila will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance during VSU’s 231^st Commencement at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7, at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.

Avila will continue her education in the fall at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and pursue a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in dance/movement therapy, combining her passion for dance with her desire to help others lead happier, healthier lives.

As a student at VSU, Avila was a member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and an intern at FamilyWorks, an on-campus therapy clinic operated by the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy.

Avila’s commitment to academic, creative, and service excellence resulted in her earning repeated Dean’s List honors, the Golden Circle Scholarship, and the Youmans Scholarship.

Avila said she is tremendously thankful for the love and support she has received from her family, including mom Martha Rozo, dad Jimmy Avila, brother Sergio Avila, and boyfriend Oscar Vergara.