MSU announces 22 students as newest Presidential Scholars

Twenty-two new Presidential Scholars are pictured with MSU President Mark Keenum on the steps outside Lee Hall — Pictured with MSU President Mark E. Keenum (front center) are the university’s newest Presidential Scholars, left to right, front row, Kyndle Lee of Memphis Tennessee; Constance Wade of Vancleave; Khaoula Kamal of Tupelo; Lucy Mellen of Hattiesburg; and Lily Langstaff of Southaven; second row, Erin Quinn of Oxford; Hannah Daniels of Starkville; Reagan Hendricks of Hoover, Alabama; Annea Scales of New Albany; Kelsei Harris of Coffeeville; and Muneebah Umar of Starkville; third row, Lauren Noe of Brandon; Sydney Denton of West Monroe, Louisiana; Haylee Morman of Richmond, Kentucky; Hayden Cherry of Halls, Tennessee; Dominic Chavez of Brownsville, Texas; fourth row, Richard Whigham of Kosciusko; Vitor Da Silva of Ridgeland; Joshua Phillips of Birmingham, Alabama; John Givens of Knoxville, Tennessee; Joshua Whitehead of Franklin, Tennessee; and Julian Dedeaux of Gulfport. (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Twenty-two students are ��ɫ��Ƶ’s newest class of Presidential Scholars in the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College.

Students from Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas are being recognized with the university’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships, which over four years cover the current cost of university tuition, fees, books, and room and board, as well as research and study-abroad expenses.

To qualify, applicants must have a minimum 30 ACT/1330 SAT score, as well as have graduated with a minimum core or overall 3.75 high school GPA (based on a 4.0 scale). Recipients are expected to maintain an overall 3.4 GPA while in their respective academic majors.

Presidential Scholars have opportunities to interact with members of the land-grant institution’s extensive research faculty and be part of the honors college’s summer-study program at Oxford University in England, among other enhanced learning experiences.

Five students take a selfie photo with their new cowbells, which MSU President Mark Keenum gave to the new class of Presidential Scholars — Presidential Scholars taking a photo after MSU President Mark E. Keenum presented them with commemorative cowbells are, from left, Lucy Mellen of Hattiesburg, Muneebah Umar of Starkville, Lily Langstaff of Southaven, Khaoula Kamal of Tupelo, and Hayden Cherry of Halls, Texas. The students are among 22 awarded the university’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships this year, which include the cost of university tuition, fees, books, and room and board, as well as research and study-abroad expenses. (Photo by Megan Bean)

“We are a community of scholars who value the pursuit of knowledge, but what makes our scholarship program special is the emphasis we place on effecting positive social change through research and social engagement,” said MSU Presidential Scholars Mentor Donald M. Shaffer Jr., an associate professor of English and director of the African American Studies program. “We don’t just hope that our Presidential Scholars will change the world; we expect it.”

This year’s Presidential Scholars class includes (by hometown):

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama—Joshua W. Phillips, a political science and economics major and Spain Park High School graduate receiving a G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Presidential Endowed Scholarship

BRANDON—Lauren Noe, a biochemistry/pre-medicine major and Jackson Preparatory School graduate receiving a Jim and Julia Rouse Presidential Endowed Scholarship

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Dominic X. Chavez, a biochemistry/pre-medicine major and Homer Hanna High School graduate receiving an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholarship

COFFEEVILLE—Kelsei L. Harris, an accounting major and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science graduate receiving a San Shuttleworth Adkerson Presidential Endowed Scholarship

FRANKLIN, Tennessee—Joshua C. Whitehead, a finance and accounting double major and Franklin High School graduate receiving an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholarship

GULFPORT—Julian M. Dedeaux, a marketing/international business and foreign language/Spanish double major and Gulfport High School graduate receiving an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholarship

HALLS, Tennessee—Hayden Cherry, an agricultural education, leadership and communication major and Halls High School graduate receiving a Luke and Ruth Davis Presidential Endowed Scholarship

HATTIESBURG—Lucy Mellen, an environmental economics and sustainability major and Sacred Heart High School graduate receiving a Bobby P. and Barbara M. Martin Presidential Endowed Scholarship

HOOVER, Alabama—Reagan S. Hendricks, a biomedical engineering major and Hoover High School graduate receiving a Sanders Family Presidential Endowed Scholarship

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee—John P. Givens, a biomedical engineering major and Bearden High School graduate receiving a Mike and Nan Sanders Presidential Endowed Scholarship

KOSCIUSKO—Richard A. Whigham, a chemical engineering major and Kosciusko Senior High School graduate receiving a Lila and Hunter Henry Presidential Endowed Scholarship

MEMPHIS, Tennessee—Kyndle D. Lee, a political science and history major and White Station High School graduate receiving a Luke and Ruth Davis Presidential Endowed Scholarship

NEW ALBANY—Annea M. Scales, a geoscience/professional meteorology major and New Albany High School graduate receiving a Dean and Turner Wingo Presidential Endowed Scholarship

OXFORD—Erin G. Quinn, an English major and home school graduate receiving an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholarship

RICHMOND, Kentucky—Haylee G. Morman, an English major and Buckhorn High School graduate receiving a Charles and Pat Lee Presidential Endowed Scholarship

RIDGELAND—Vitor Da Silva, a chemical engineering/biomolecular engineering and political science major and Saint Andrews Episcopal School graduate receiving an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholarship

SOUTHAVEN—Lily B. Langstaff, a wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture/wildlife veterinary medicine major and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science graduate receiving a Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholarship

STARKVILLE—Hannah R. Daniels, a business administration/international business and foreign language/Spanish major and Starkville High School graduate receiving a Mickey and Babs Holliman Presidential Endowed Scholarship, and Muneebah Umar, a biological sciences/pre-medicine major and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science graduate receiving an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholarship

TUPELO—Khaoula Kamal, a biomedical engineering major and Tupelo High School graduate receiving an Alan Nunnelee Presidential Endowed Scholarship

VANCLEAVE—Constance E. Wade, a biochemistry/pre-medicine major and Gulfport High School graduate receiving a Charles and Pat Lee Presidential Endowed Scholarship

WEST MONROE, Louisiana—Sydney K. Denton, an accounting and finance double major and Ouachita Christian School graduate receiving a Charles and Pat Lee Presidential Endowed Scholarship

Over the years, a number of scholars have received additional recognitions as national Goldwater, Marshall, Mitchell, Rhodes, Truman and Udall scholars, and many have been selected for a variety of professional internships. Students receive mentorship from the honors college’s Office of Prestigious External Scholarships.

Learn more about the Shackouls Honors College and its Office of Prestigious External Scholarships at .

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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