Zachary Native Receives

University Medal at LSU

By Melani Johnson

 

Beth Higginbotham of Zachary received one of 53 University Medals awarded by Louisiana State University at commencement ceremonies this spring.   She achieved a perfect 4.0 and was one of eight in the College of Education to get the prestigious award.  

 

“I was extremely excited when I found out I was going to be honored with a University Medal,” she said. “It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.”

 

Higginbotham was very active in many extra-curricular activities. She played the piccolo   in the Tiger Band and was part of Tigers For Donating Life, an organ donation awareness group. Also, Higginbotham was a member of the Golden Key National Organization and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

 

Newlyweds Beth and Daniel Hembree in front of Mike the Tiger's cage celebrating her graduation the day before their wedding.

Higginbotham also took part in the Elementary Holmes Program at LSU. The Holmes Program is offered by the LSU Department of Educational Theory, Policy and Practice which is a division of the College of Education. Following receipt of her undergraduate degree in education she will do a fifth year of post graduate   work..

 

“After completing the Holmes Program in May of 2011, I hope to begin teaching upper level elementary grades, but I’m not extremely set on that yet.” After a couple of years of work as a classroom teacher, Higginbotham plans to go back to school to become certified to teach special education.

 

The future teacher graduated from Zachary High with a 4.55 GPA on a 4.0 scale. “My boyfriend at the time, Daniel Hembree, and I were Valedictorians of our 2006 graduating class. Actually, he is my husband now! We got married May 22, 2010, the day after graduation.”

 

Daniel Hembree is majoring in chemical engineering and he will graduate in December.    “After school, we really want to venture out for awhile. Maybe even live in different countries,” she said.   “We feel this would be the perfect time in our lives to do something like that.”

 

Advice for high school students from the new Ms. Hembree: “For any incoming college freshman or undergraduate student, I say make sure to set academic standards for yourself from the start. I received a University Medal, not because I was smarter than anyone else, but because from the beginning I had the mind set of getting only A’s.”