Spring Commencement scheduled for Friday at East Georgia State College

East Georgia State College (EGSC) will hold its Spring Commencement Ceremony Friday, May 3, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. The ceremony will be held in the gymnasium on the EGSC Swainsboro campus. Family and friends of the graduates and community members are all invited to attend the event. The speaker for the ceremony will be EGSC Professor Johnna Eaton, and Marlie Motes, a Spring graduate, will deliver the Reflection.

Marlie Motes is the 18-year-old daughter of Travis and Mandy Motes of Portal, Georgia. She graduated from Portal High School in 2023 as the Valedictorian of her graduating class. Motes is graduating from EGSC with a degree in liberal arts. After graduation, she hopes to get accepted into the Dental Hygiene Program at Augusta University.

Professor Johnna Eaton is a Swainsboro native and an honor graduate of Swainsboro High School. She attended Georgia Southern University, majoring in Kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science. Johnna earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgia Southern University making her a “Double Eagle.”

Johnna is currently serving as professor of wellness at East Georgia State College. She began her career at the college as an intern while finishing graduate school at Georgia Southern University. She was hired in 2003 as the Physical Education Complex Coordinator and Fitness Director. Johnna developed the Community Fitness Program through EGSC’s Continuing Education Department and has been involved in many aspects of campus development including the challenge course, the original disc golf course, and the cross-country courses.

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In 2007, she began teaching part-time to meet the need of the institution, and within a year, she had converted to full time faculty. Johnna has progressed through the faculty ranks and taught health, aerobics, outdoor recreation, weight training, student success, wellness, first aid, fitness walking, and health promotion within the recreation and kinesiology pathways.

Johnna has served on Faculty Senate and is now a member of the Academic Policy and Curriculum Committee. She has been involved in the college’s Student Learning Communities Quality Enhancement Plan and has piloted new Student Learning Community concepts through the evolution of the plan. She is the current faculty advisor for the Lady Bobcat Basketball Team who made EGSC history this year claiming the title of state champions.

The job title Johnna is most proud of is Mom. She and husband Justin Eaton are the parents of three amazing children, Khloe, Elin, and Ellis. In her time away from work, Johnna enjoys DIY projects, yardwork, cooking, and spending time with her family whether that is at the baseball field, by a backyard bonfire, or tailgating at a Georgia Southern football game.

East Georgia State College invites the community and family and friends of the graduates to celebrate Friday, May 3. For more information visit, www.ega.edu or the college’s social media pages.