Meredith is a senior from Franklin, TN. She is majoring in biological sciences and plans to graduate May 2023.

Between spending her time as an undergraduate research assistant, participating in choir and theater, working toward a degree, serving in multiple student organizations and even creating her own, Makayla Smith is using her valuable time and effort to make a change in the lives of those at home and abroad.

Gabbi is a senior from Brandon, MS. She is majoring in communications with a concentration in print and digital journalism and is working toward a minor in pre-law and plans to graduate May 2023.

Starkville native Kenneth Alexander Swan grew up with one of the nation’s most prominent meteorology programs in his backyard, but it was the TV show “Storm Chasers” that sparked his interest in the field, landing him at MSU.

“July 4th is a day to be happy, thankful and free,” said Rohan Fisher, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and graduate of Mississippi State’s Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corp Detachment 425. “Take a moment to remember the men and women who defend our freedoms.”

For Mississippi State clinical psychology Ph.D. student Karen Kelley, experiences in her time as an undergraduate showed her that a career in psychology would “be a meaningful, enriching and impactful” endeavor.

“The opportunity to serve my country, be a leader in the United States Army, and be a small part of protecting the United States of America motivates me to always push myself to stay ready for whatever the future may hold,” said Colby L. Marlow. His fraternal twin Haley “Cade” Marlow echoed the same sentiment—“A motto I recall often is ‘pain is temporary, pride is forever.’ This phrase motivates me to be persistent and work hard in all that I do.”

During an online search last year, Yuliya Gluhova learned about Mississippi State’s anthropology program and its availability of scholarships for international and transfer students. After two years attending community college in New York, she decided to move south to enroll at MSU. Though she misses her native Turkmenistan, Gluhova said she is grateful to have found a welcoming and supportive home-away-from-home in Mississippi.

“I think once the storyteller in you is awakened, there’s no putting it to bed,” said senior communication major Vernell L. “Lee” Allen. Allen entered his first film into the Black Film Festival of Atlanta, and it was one of only a few contest entries selected for streaming on Roku.

Ashley Weaver, 49, isn’t new to Mississippi State. In fact, she first enrolled as a transfer student in the fall of 1992. In 1995, the fifth-year senior was burned out on her studies, about to get married and ready to head west for a new adventure.

Mississippi State senior chemistry and psychology major Zoe N. Fokakis was in Germany conducting bioinorganic chemistry research for a five-month internship when COVID-19 first made its appearance. Working in the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy at Ludwig Maximilian University, Fokakis said when the pandemic began in early March, she wasn’t anticipating returning to the U.S.

Tupelo native Vesilla C. Dao said she wanted to attend a university where she would be challenged academically while feeling safe in her surroundings.