Lara Blake of Surfside Beach is the 2010 recipient of the James Branham History Award, which recognizes the top graduate of Coastal Carolina University's history program.

Blake earned a bachelor’s degree in history from CCU in 2009, graduating with a 4.0 grade point average. During her collegiate career, she worked as an intern at the Horry County Museum and mentored a student at Lakewood Elementary School. Blake plans to become a high school social studies teacher and will begin the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at CCU in June.

As recipient of the Branham award, Blake received a certificate, a medallion and a $500 check. The presentation was made at the annual induction ceremony for Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. To be considered for the Branham award, students must demonstrate academic excellence, a record of service and a scholarly agenda outside the regular curricular requirements.

The award is named for the late James A. Branham, who served on CCU's history faculty from 1963 to 1991 and was a longtime chair of the Department of History. He died in 2009.