Senior Collin Crousillac and junior Lily Wolverton were recently named winners of the 2024 Exceptional Educator Awards from the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education’s Special Education Programs.

Crousillac, from Plaquemine, is the son of Lucas and Laurie Crousillac. He was named the 2024 recipient of the Accomplished Resident in Exceptional Education Award. This is the second year in a row in which Crousillac has been honored, as he was named the junior award winner in 2023. Collin has accepted a special education teaching position in the West Baton Rouge Parish Schools and will be pursuing a master’s degree at LSU, beginning in the fall semester. He said he was drawn to the dual degree program because he knew that in his future classrooms that he would be teaching students with diverse learning needs and that he wanted to be effective at differentiating instruction. He indicated that he stuck with the degree because of the relationships he forged in it. “DUALC is more than just a program. It is a family,” he said. “I could not have made it through without the support of both my peers and the amazing faculty.”

Wolverton is from Philadelphia, PA, and the daughter of Will and Lisa Wolverton. She was named the 2024 recipient of the Outstanding First Year Exceptional Education Student Award. She will be a senior resident in the 2024-2025 school year, assigned to a West Baton Rouge Parish school. Her love of teaching all students, including students with disabilities, was spawned by a “best” friendship with a child with Down Syndrome. “I’ve stayed in [the dual degree program] because I just have a passion for teaching and want to be as qualified as possible to teach all students.”

This is the ninth year that dual degree students have received these awards. The dual degree certification program allows students to earn grades 1-5 teaching certifications in elementary education and mild-moderate disabilities/special education. Its 100th graduate will cross the stage in the May 2024 graduation celebration.

About CHSE
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12. The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute, the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan.
Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education website.

About the LSU Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education (SOE)
A school of the College of Human Sciences & Education, the SOE offers undergraduate programs for students who want to pursue a career as a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teacher or acquire dual certification in both traditional elementary and special education classrooms. In addition, SOE offers 3 graduate certificates, 17 master’s degree program areas, 9 EdS certificate programs, and 2 PhD degrees in 11 areas of focus. SOE’s focus is not only on preparing highly qualified teachers but
also in preparing educational leaders, curriculum studies scholars, educational technology experts, applied researchers, higher education professionals, school counselors, and clinical mental health counselors. SOE specializes scholarly expertise regarding pressing educational and wellness issues across the entire lifespan.
Visit the LSU Lutrill and Pearl Payne School of Education.