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Three LaGrange College graduates were honored for their achievements at the college’s 2024 alumni awards luncheon on Oct. 25.

Emily Arnold ’17, M’18 received the Outstanding Young Alumni award and Dr. Michael Thomas ’05 and Rachel Samples Jones ’08 received the Shackelford Alumni Achievement awards.

Started in 2014, the Outstanding Young Alumni award recognizes individuals who graduated from LaGrange College within the past ten years and who have distinguished themselves in their career and/or community and brought honor to their alma mater.

Established in 1990, the Shackelford Alumni Achievement award is given to individuals who have distinguished themselves professionally and brought honor to the college. The award is named for Walter Malcolm Shackelford, a former professor of education (1958-1972) and academic dean of the college (1972-1982).

Arnold is the dean of students at Gulf Breeze High School in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Previously, she served as a third and fifth grade teacher at Oriole Beach Elementary School. 

In her current position, Arnold has overseen the implementation of a positive behavior incentive program that highlights positive actions by students as awarded by teachers. She also serves as a mentor to students in high-risk groups.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from LaGrange College and an educational specialist degree in educational leadership from Arkansas State University.

At LaGrange College, Arnold participated in volleyball, softball, LIFT (Leaders Inspired For Tomorrow), Phi Mu and Presidential Ambassadors. Academic honors she received in 2017 include the Dr. Waights G. Henry Jr. Leadership Award, the Walter Malcolm Shackelford Award for Excellence in Education and the Eagle Leadership Award.

Dr. Thomas is a lecturer at the University of Georgia. Previously, he worked at LaGrange College as a director of family financial planning and the director of admissions.

In addition to teaching, he has also co-created financial planning programs for youth (Money Dawgs) and adults (Discovering Money Solutions) and co-hosted a GABBY (Georgia Association of Broadcasters) award-winning podcast on NPR, “Nothing Funny About Money,” which received the best financial consumer content award through AFCPE – a national financial literacy organization.

Dr. Thomas has served as a keynote speaker, authored a book entitled “Black Financial Culture” and created resources aimed at improving financial wellness on a national level. 

He received a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from LaGrange College and a master’s degree in family financial planning and a doctorate in financial planning, housing and consumer economics from the University of Georgia.

He and his wife, Ashlee, have two children.

Jones is a national security analyst for the Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, South Carolina. Previously, she worked as a public affairs specialist for the Macauley-Brown Inc. 67th Cyber Wing in San Antonio, Texas, and an intelligence specialist for the U.S. Air Force.

Jones’ current position involves conducting research and development in the fields of cybersecurity, operational technology, cyber-physical systems and space science.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from LaGrange College, a bachelor’s degree in computer networking and security from the University of Maryland Global Campus, a master’s degree in space management from International Space University and a master’s degree in intelligence studies from American Military University. Jones is pursuing a doctorate in aerospace sciences from the University of North Dakota.

In her volunteer roles, she has served as an education ambassador for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station and worked as an analog astronaut on two separate occasions. Jones’ missions included a two-week stint at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah and a 24-hour underwater experiment at the Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida.