TIFTON—Joshua Allen Wilkinson from Haddock received the prestigious George P. Donaldson award at the recent virtual spring commencement ceremony at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The award goes to the top associate degree student graduating this semester.
Majoring in agriculture with a concentration in animal science, Wilkinson maintained a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. He is the son of Teresa and Scott Wilkinson.
Heavily involved in extracurricular activities on the ABAC campus, Wilkinson served as outreach chairman for the Baptist Collegiate Ministries, sentinel for ABAC FFA, political director for the ABAC Republicans, and speaker/chairman for the ABAC Inter-Club Council. Wilkinson also worked as a community assistant at the ABAC Lakeside housing complex this year.
Wilkinson has also been quite active at Northside Baptist Church, where he helped with preschoolers on Wednesday nights during his freshman year at ABAC and then taught a class of middle school boys during his sophomore year. He was also involved in the college student Bible Study at Northside.
“ABAC has taught me what it means to have a true community that is not only living together but working together,” Wilkinson said in his personal statement on the Donaldson Award application form. “ABAC is a wonderful place in which generally people are extremely welcoming and caring.
“I cannot stress enough how much I have learned at ABAC, not only in the classroom but across the campus. There is no doubt that ABAC has prepared me for my future life.”
Wilkinson will continue his ABAC education in the fall term when he pursues his bachelor’s degree. ABAC offers 12 different bachelor’s degree programs.
Broadcast over the internet, the virtual commencement ceremony featured remarks from ABAC President David Bridges, the calling of each of the 432 graduates’ names by Director of Public Relations Emeritus Michael Chason, and the announcement of the Donaldson recipient by ABAC Alumni Director Lynda Fisher.
Along with the other 25 colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia, ABAC did not have a regular on-campus spring commencement ceremony this year because of the pandemic.
Summer term classes begin online at ABAC on May 26.
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