Elon University / Today at Elon / Corey Waters G’23 receives Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Award for Academic Achievement

Corey Waters G’23 is a graduate candidate in the Master of Education program and was awarded the Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Award for Academic Achievement on April 22 at the annual Phillips-Perry Awards. This award recognizes a Black student who has excelled in their academic excellence and possesses the highest class grade-point-average (GPA).

Waters completed Elon’s add-on teacher licensure program for Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) students and then decided to enter the full M.Ed. program in the summer of 2021. Academically, Waters demonstrates the caliber of excellence he has achieved in all of his coursework.

He will complete his Elon M.Ed. in May. For his capstone project, he chose to produce a professional development podcast series focused on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies and how they impact the learning performance of all students. This podcast series includes a total of seven sessions with some of Waters’ high school colleagues and support personnel in his school, as well as some experts which have contributed a wealth of knowledge in the SEL community.

Waters also observed the impact of employing SEL competencies within his ninth grade world history classroom, specifically for helping students cope during a global pandemic. His goal is to support students’ academic achievement and overall social and emotional health. Upon review of research, Waters understands how SEL is an integral part of education and human development.

In her nomination, Mary Knight-McKenna, professor and director of the Master of Education program, wrote, “Corey cares deeply for each student that he teaches. All of his professors attest to his character and strong work ethic. He is an inspirational leader among his peers both in and outside of the classroom. Fortuitously for the M.Ed. Program, Corey has documented several of his graduate experiences on his social media. His joy for learning and his unrelenting positive attitude are well appreciated. He invests back into Elon, an institution which he has come to love and hold dear to his heart. Recently, Corey was an Elon Day Champion, whereby he successfully raised funds to meet a goal he set, in order to donate to the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, thereby providing financial support to current and future students.”

As Waters notes, this award was established by two individuals who “paved the way for past and present African American students, to be able to learn and thrive ‘Under the Oaks’ of our prestigious Elon University.” Waters is doing the same, which is our very good fortune.