BATON ROUGE – The LSU Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes (CCACSA) recognizes student-athletes for their scholastic and community achievements each month. Student-athletes are chosen based on their commitment to academic success and for their devotion to volunteerism and service to the community.
Here are the February 2023 CCACSA’s staff Student-Athletes of the Month:
Name: Ji’eem Bullock
Classification: Junior
Major: Coastal Environmental Science
Sport: Men’s Track & Field
Reason for nomination: In my year working with Ji’eem, I have seen him make great strides academically. His major is not typical for student-athletes but it is an area he loves and is passionate about. I commend Ji’eem for having a successful Fall 2022 semester despite a difficult class schedule. He utilized all the resources in the academic center even tutoring on Sundays. Ji’eem often met with professors to put himself in the best position to be successful. Besides all of the work he did in the classroom, Ji’eem was very active and involved in Tiger Life and BSAAC.
Nominated by: Xavier Shannon, Assistant Director
Name: Will Campbell
Classification: Sophomore
Major: Sport Administration
Sport: Football
Hometown: Leland, N.C.
Reason for nomination: William Campbell has proven to be a leader in the classroom. He consistently does the right thing and is willing to work hard to be successful in academics. William uses any challenges as motivation to improve as a student. He stands up for the people that he cares about and puts others first. After his first year at LSU, he has set himself up for continued academic achievements.
Nominated by: Football Academic Team
Name: Brooks Curry
Classification: Senior
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies
Sport: Men’s Swimming & Diving
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Reason for nomination: Brooks entered Fall 2022 with an intention to complete his degree requirements in Spring 2023 and to embark on his professional career. To accomplish this, he has taken on a heavy course load and committed to putting in the work academically, athletically, and socially. He does a great job of communicating with his professors and the academic staff and has been a fine example of a team leader and Student-Athlete. It has been a pleasure to see his growth and development over the course of his career at LSU.
Nominated by: Jason Shaw, Director of Academic Affairs
Name: Jolee Liles
Classification: Senior
Major: Marketing – Professional Sales
Sport: Women’s Swimming & Diving
Reason for nomination: Jolee has shown herself to be an extremely intelligent and motivated individual. She has done an outstanding job of balancing the hectic schedule and demands of being a full-time student while also participating as a Student-Athlete. I have witnessed Jolee taking time out of her schedule to assist and mentor her teammates and peers. In Fall 2022, we had many freshmen student-athletes who joined the roster and Jolee made it a point to assist many of them as they worked to acclimate to LSU and Baton Rouge. This was not something that was asked of her, but rather something she took it upon herself to do which I think really speaks to Jolee’s personality and character. We are excited for her upcoming May 2023 graduation and her future endeavors!
Nominated by: Jason Shaw, Director of Academic Affairs
Names: GiVanni Peterson
Classification: Sophomore
Majors: Mechanical Engineering
Sport: Football
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Co.
Reason for nomination: GiVanni has done a tremendous job throughout the fall semester, which is reflected by his near-perfect grades. When it comes to academics, GiVanni is very proactive, he communicates well, and he works extremely hard to ensure that he is excelling in a difficult major. GiVanni truly puts the student in student-athlete and we are very proud of the academic habits that he has established!
Nominated by: Football Academic Team
Names: Morgan Smalls
Classification: Junior
Majors: Biological Sciences
Sport: Women’s Track & Field
Hometown: Morrisville, N.C.
Reason for nomination: Being a Biological Science major is not easy but the hard work and dedication that Morgan Smalls put in, set her up for a successful Fall semester. No matter how high or low the grades were in Fall 2022, Morgan understood what needed to be done for her to have success. I respect the amount of preparation given to her coursework which truly showed how much she cares about her education.
Nominated by: Xavier Shannon, Assistant Director
Accountability – Commitment – Success – Integrity – Diversity – Teamwork – Service – Education
It is through living the values of the Total Team Commitment 2017-2022, particularly education, academic success, and service to the community that six student-athletes are recognized as Cox Communications Academic Center Student-Athlete of the month. These values are fundamental to the growth and development of our student-athletes as they enter to learn, then leave to serve.
The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is a 54,000 square-foot facility composed of teams for academic affairs, student affairs and information technology, who annually serve more than 500 student-athletes. The purpose of the CCACSA is to provide an all-inclusive, student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation, through graduation, and life beyond.