Drs. Don and Jennie Rakestraw of Statesboro, Ga., announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Foster Rakestraw of Statesboro, to Phillip Andrew Hays, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Harold Hays Jr.
    The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. R.A. Rakestraw and Mrs. H.W. Finlayson. She is a 2002 graduate of Statesboro High School and graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Georgia Southern University in 2005. Foster graduated with an MA in American Studies from the University of Alabama in 2008 and is currently working on her M. Div. at Samford University.
    The groom-elect is the grandson of Mr. Thomas Harold Hays Sr. and Ms. Nita Pippins. He is a 1995 graduate of Briarwood Christian Academy and graduated with a BA in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2009.
    The couple has planned to wed on May 15, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. in Oneonta, Ala.