Excellence Recognized: Flowers Earns UWG’s Top Academic Title Share this page
As someone homeschooled her entire primary and secondary education years, Megan Flowers didn’t quite know what to expect when she enrolled at the University of West Georgia. Never having been in a brick-and-mortar setting, a lifetime of quiet, self-guided learning transitioned into a whirlwind of lecture halls, new voices and the thrilling excitement of campus life.
Flowers not only adapted – she thrived. So much so that she was recently named UWG’s Academic Recognition Day Scholar, an honor earned by one student who maintained a 4.0 grade point average.
“I graduated with a weighted GPA that was over 4.0 in high school, so I simply continued my strive for excellency at UWG as well,” Flowers said, referring to a GPA that considers the difficulty of courses when calculating an overall average. “The strategies I relied on included maintaining solid relationships with my professors, diligently working on projects and dedicating time to my courses outside of class.”
The Academic Recognition Day program is designed to select a single undergraduate student per institution within the University System of Georgia who has maintained a 4.0 grade point average and honor their successes. Applicants are nominated through their respective universities and follow an interview process.
An art major who graduated in UWG’s recent Spring Commencement, Flowers came to the university with a head for numbers. But she asked herself: was that something she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing? As long as she could remember, she’d always had a passion for art. As a little girl, she created a self-illustrated book of more than 100 pages in which she drew different dog breeds. She confidently switched her major from physics to art with a concentration in photography.
“My academic learning was supportive of my artistic growth because of the intense work ethic I’ve worked to cultivate and due to the values my family instilled within me,” Flowers recalled. “Because of that work ethic, I spent many hours working on art pieces and processes to reach the best versions I could.”
Clint Samples, professor and interim dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, said he wasn’t surprised when he saw Flowers’ latest recognition.
“Megan was a phenomenal student who had a strong work ethic and drive to succeed,” he observed. “She was an Honors student and always gave 110% on every project. Whenever I gave an assignment, I could count on her to complete it early, and I knew it was going to be outstanding. She exemplifies the kind of exceptional students we have at UWG.”
Since graduating with her BFA in May, Flowers is continuing to offer her charcoal pet portrait services while preparing to open a photography business capturing those furry friends in addition to families and seniors.
“My interpersonal experiences at UWG were doubtlessly the largest part of my growth as both a person and an artist,” she concluded. “Ultimately, because of my time at the University of West Georgia, I have become a more well-rounded person who’s more prepared to face the world.”