Jamie Collins Recognized During Academic Honors Program at VSU

Jamie Erin Collins of Columbia, South Carolina, is the recipient of the 2022-2023 College of the Arts Outstanding Student Award at Valdosta State University. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mass Media during VSU’s 235th Commencement on May 6 and plans to spend her summer working as the projections programmer for Peach State Summer Theatre, the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia. She is pictured with (from left to right) Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, president of vSU; Michael Schmidt, interim dean of the College of the Arts; and Dr. Richard Smith, provost and vice prsident for academic years.

VALDOSTA — Jamie Erin Collins of Columbia, South Carolina, is the recipient of the 2022-2023 College of the Arts Outstanding Student Award at Valdosta State University.

Collins was recognized during VSU’s annual Academic Honors Program on April 27.

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

“Finishing my college career on a high note has been great,” she said. “I thank the Lord for allowing me the opportunity to attend VSU and for all the impactful experiences and lessons that I have learned here.”

Collins graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mass Media during VSU’s 235^th Commencement on May 6.

As a student at VSU, Collins was a member of the Society for Collegiate Journalists, the nation’s oldest honor society for student media leaders, and Lambda Pi Eta, a national communication association. She also worked with the South Georgia Film Festival and served others as a member of the Wesley Foundation, a campus ministry.

Collins earned her first video production accolades as a freshman at VSU. During her first semester she served as assistant director for “Payton’s Place,” which won the Fall 2019 Film and Video Society Student Showcase. The following semester she was asked to assist on another video project titled “Defiance.”

She used her talents to help a friend film and edit research for VSU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium Three-Minute Video Competition; the project won first place. Her “Footprints in Farming” documentary was featured in the 2022 South Georgia Film Festival. She was part of a team of students who created educational videos for the Grand Bay Wetland Education Center, and one of those videos won the Spring 2022 Film and Video Society Student Showcase. Her research, “Women Overcoming Gender Norms in ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’” earned second place for Best Poster in the College of the Arts during VSU’s 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium.  

When the global health crisis known as COVID-19 prevented live audiences from enjoying VSU Theatre and Dance productions, Collins volunteered to film “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” and “Guys and Dolls” for streaming to audiences at home. She has worked with the City of Valdosta’s City Focus project and helped coordinate streaming opportunities for the annual Greater Valdosta Community Christmas Parade.  She completed a summer internship with NASA at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where she had the opportunity to film and edit training videos for the employees and produce a hype video for the flight operations directorate. She earned the Dr. Larry Etling Scholarship during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Collins currently runs social media for Corbett Brothers Farms and Raisin’ Cane in Lowndes County. She is also working on a documentary about the Harley Langdale Jr. Foundation.

Collins plans to spend her summer working as the projections programmer for Peach State Summer Theatre, the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia. Afterwards she hopes to pursue a career in video production, videography, and/or editing in a media setting.

Her supportive family includes dad Bill Collins, mom Jill Collins, sister Casey Collins, grandmothers Grace Stewart and Vera Collins, and grandfathers C.C. Stewart (deceased) and the Rev. W.L. Collins (deceased). She said she would not be where she is today without the love and guidance of her family and friends.