Lauren Corley Shares Research at VSU Colloquium

Lauren Corley

VALDOSTA — Lauren A. Corley of Cairo, Georgia, recently presented “Making an Effort: Evaluating USA Gymnastics’ Corporate Social Responsibility Following Negligence and Scandal” during Valdosta State University’s 2021 Prosper Tsikata Graduate Colloquium.

“My research was about USA Gymnastics’ efforts in corporate social responsibility following the Larry Nassar child abuse scandal,” she explained. “I found that, aside from the creation of Safe Sport, an initiative created to make access to anti-child and sex abuse resources more easily accessible and available, USA Gymnastics has not done much in the realm of corporate social responsibility. I suggest that USA Gymnastics should promote women's rights and empowerment organizations, allocate more funding for Safe Sport, and donate to non-profit organizations that combat sexual abuse.”

Corley conducted this research under the guidance of Dr. Brian Sowa, an assistant professor in VSU’s Department of Communication Arts.

Corley earned a Master of Arts in Communication from VSU in May and previously earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2019. She dreams of working as a social media marketer for The Walt Disney Company or leading the student affairs team at a college or university.

As a student at VSU, Corley served as a graduate assistant in charge of marketing and wellness outreach with Campus Recreation. She was recognized in March as the Division of Student Affairs Graduate Assistant of the Month and was nominated for 2020-2021 Graduate Assistant of the Year. She also served as president of Wishmakers on Campus and as the marketing director for Relay for Life, Out of the Darkness, and Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon. She presented “Pizzagate: Explaining the Belief in Conspiracy Theories” at the university’s 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium Three-Minute Video Research Competition.  

Corley’s supportive family includes mom Beverly Corley; dad Shawn Corley; brothers Cecil and Phillip Land; grandparents Joyce and David Corley and Nancy Wellborn; and cats Bella and Rory.

The Prosper Tsikata Graduate Colloquium features academic presentations by graduate communication majors from VSU’s Department of Communication Arts. The annual event is named in memory of Dr. Prosper Yao Tsikata, a beloved assistant professor from Ghana who died in 2018. He was an educator strongly committed to student success, and he was well liked by his students, who frequently described him as a role model.