Amanda Rawls of Longs, S.C., has received Coastal Carolina University's President's Award for Academic Achievement. The award was presented to her during Coastal Carolina University's December Commencement ceremony, held Dec. 15 at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The award is given to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average.

Rawls earned a 3.925 grade point average for all her collegiate work and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in English.

A graduate of North Myrtle Beach High School, Rawls has been on the President's List three times and the Dean's List four times. She has been a member of the English honor society and served as president of the organization. Rawls has also worked in Coastal's Writing Center since fall 1998. She will begin work on a master's degree in English next fall and plans to teach English.

More than 300 graduates were recognized at the ceremony. Varavut Limpasuvan, assistant professor of chemistry and physics at Coastal, gave the commencement address. Limpasuvan was named Coastal's 2000-2001 Distinguished Teacher of the Year. The annual honor is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching.