Sharion Aycock
Judge Sharion Aycock
Hard work and a push from a Mississippi State professor led this alumna from Tremont, Mississippi, to make Mississippi history. Sharion Aycock was confirmed by a unanimous Senate in 2007 to be the first female Article III judge in Mississippi. Later, in 2014, she again made history by ascending as the first female Chief District Judge in the state.
Aycock graduated from Mississippi State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. She continued her education at Mississippi College School of Law, obtaining a Juris Doctor degree in 1980.
She started her law career in private practice, working in this capacity from 1980 to 2003. Aycock was elected to serve as a Circuit Court Judge on the First Judicial District of Mississippi in 2003. In March 2007, she was nominated by President George W. Bush for an open judicial position with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Aycock credits the faculty at MSU for her career success. “Dr. Billy J. Eatherly is the reason I went to law school. I don't know what I said or did during class that made him think I would be a good lawyer, but I’m so glad he directed me down that path. I loved law school and would have never pursued it if it wasn't for him,” said Aycock.
Through her involvement with campus activities, interactions with her department, and making new friends in Hawthorne Hall, Aycock compares her time at MSU as being in “paradise.”
One memory that stands out to Aycock is when she met her roommate for the first time. She recalls her first thoughts about her: “She was a petite and beautiful girl from Jackson, Mississippi. She was on the fashion board and very pampered. There I was this 5’11 country girl paired up with a city girl. It ended up being the perfect match.”
She continued on to explain that this friendship ended up impacting her career in ways she never thought possible. “Her father was the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Director, and I never realized it. One day he sent a representative to my practice to inform me that I was authorized to perform FHA loans in my area. I did most of the FHA loans in my community for over 22 years. My chance roommate assignment at Mississippi State had continuous long-term benefits that I could not have anticipated.”
Other fond memories as a student involve sporting events, especially football and basketball. She still visits campus to attend games where she is able to partake in some of her favorite traditions including tailgating, ringing her cowbell and MSU’s iconic cheers.
If Aycock could give current and future MSU students any advice, it would be, “Work hard and be as kind to the janitor as you are to the CEO and you will be successful.”
Aycock credits her family as her greatest success and in her spare time enjoys spending time with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. She is also an active member within her community and is very passionate about the growth and development of her hometown.