A jpg picture-perfect version of this picture is available here.
A jpg picture-perfect version of this
picture is available here.
Alexander Habighorst (at the extreme left) is a junior Stennis Scholar. A graduate of Pearl River Central High School in Carriere, Alex was elected representative in student government all four years, and served as the website and technology adviser. Active in his school's Navy Junior ROTC program, Alex inspired the program to achieve national academic honors and regional physical fitness and drill honors. As secretary and treasurer of Teenage Republicans of Picayune, he campaigned for GOP candidates for numerous offices and attended the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. Alex has also served on his school's journalism staff and helped needy people by participating in many community service projects. After MSU, he plans to enter law school and specialize in constitutional law.
Laura Elizabeth Tate (on his right) is a graduate of Jackson Preparatory School. She is a senior Stennis Scholar from Jackson and is a Phase I Honors. At MSU, she serves as vice chair of activities for the University Honors Council as well as Risk Management Chair of Zeta Tau Alpha. Laura Elizabeth participates in the Stennis-Montgomery Association, Pre-Law Society, Sigma Alpha Lambda Honor Society, and Canterbury Episcopal Fellowship. She spent this past summer in Washington, D.C., interning for the office of U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker. After graduation she plans to obtain a law degree and aspires to become a United States ambassador to a foreign country.
Nathan Calvert (3rd from the left) is an incoming upper division John C. Stennis Scholar. A graduate of East Central Community College and Neshoba Central High School, Nathan has interned for U.S. Congressman Gregg Harper, as well as paged for Governor Haley Barbour and for Mississippi Senator Giles Ward. A member of the Student Council for all of his high school years, he was named Mr. Neshoba Central High School by his peers and chosen the Outstanding Senior by his teachers. At East Central Community College, Nathan was named Most Valuable Player on the varsity tennis team, made the Dean's List, and joined the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. He has made numerous mission trips around the nation, and earned many awards for his community service activities. After graduating from MSU, Nathan plans to serve as a staff member for an elected official, and to eventually become a lobbyist or consultant for higher education.
Anna Rush (in the middle of the picture) is a senior Stennis Scholar. A graduate of Oak Grove High School, Anna served as district attorney for Girls State and campaigned for an education bond issue. She was active in student government, serving as a representative for three years and as junior class president. Anna was also active on her debate team, a mock trial event, the newspaper staff as well as team captain of her school's cross country team. At MSU, she serves in many leadership positions, including being co-director for Community and Governmental Relations for the Student Association, the founding president of the Maroon Visitors Information Program and president of Lambda Sigma Honor Society. Anna also serves as the events and fundraising chair for the Pre-Law Society, is and the recruitment director for Phi Mu Sorority. She is a member of the Stennis Montgomery Association and was elected 2008 Sophomore Homecoming Maid. After graduating from MSU, she aspires to join the staff of a Mississippi congressman and eventually work for a nonprofit organization such as the United Way.
Taylor Luczak (3rd from the right) grew up in Glens Falls, N.Y. He is a political science, international business, and Asian studies major here at MSU. He's been a member of the MSU Varsity Basketball Team since 2008, and was a member of the MSU Varsity Track & Field Team his freshman year. Taylor runs the MSU Pre-Law Society with Faculty Advisor Whit Waide and is the student liaison for the society with a large number of alumni who work in law. Mr. Luczak has studied abroad in Taiwan, been a student host to well-known guest speakers including James Carville, Mary Matalin, General Colin Powell, and Mike Huckabee as well as many foreign ambassadors and diplomats through the MSU Mississippi Model Security Council. Taylor represented MSU and the United States at the Japan-American Student Conference in July 2010 where he engaged in political and social debates. As a third generation MSU bulldog, Taylor is honored to be a part of Mississippi State's tradition of excellence, and we are proud of his many accomplishments thus far. He is a senior Haley Barbour Scholar.
Antoinette Jenkins (2nd from the right) is a junior Bill Collins Scholar. She is from Hernando, Miss., where both of her parents are educators, and she has been a dean's scholar at MSU. Antoinette is a resident assistant in Cresswell Hall and is also a peer ambassador in the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center. She is also the head liaison for the Residence Hall Association. An alumnus of the Day One Leadership program at MSU, Antoinette serves on the Day One Board. She is also historian and membership chair of the Black Student Alliance. A member of the Pre-Law Society, Antoinette is double majoring in political science and education and plans to teach and attend law school.
Roy Grantham "Grant" Krag (on the extreme right) is an incoming freshman John C. Stennis Scholar. A graduate of Hattiesburg High School, Grant has served as a page for Mississippi Representative Toby Barker, and achieved a leadership position at Boy's State. The winner of multiple first place Congressional debate awards as a member of the Hattiesburg Forensics Speech and Debate program, he is a National Forensic League Academic All-American. A member of student council for all of his high school years, he was elected senior class vice president. An Eagle Scout, Grant has served as assistant scoutmaster of the Aldersgate Mission Boy Scout Troop, and has been a member of the Hattiesburg High School Jazz Band and of the Thespian Society. After graduating from MSU, he plans to attend law school or graduate school.
Jamie Beene (at left in the above picture) is a graduate of Mantachie High School and a sophomore Stennis Scholar. At her high school, Jamie was elected a representative in the student council, served as vice president of the Students against Destructive Decisions Club, was on the Social Sciences Competition Team, and served as community projects coordinator for the Mantachie Anchor Club. She served as a district senator at Girl's State and as a page for Mississippi State Senator J.P. Wilemon, Jr. Active in the Mississippi Young Republicans, Jamie campaigned for U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker. While at Mississippi State University, she has become involved in Day One Leadership Community, College Republicans, Student Association, Stennis Montgomery Association, Model Mississippi Security Council and Phi Mu Sorority. She intends to attend law school and to eventually run for public office.
Jack Pitts (not pictured) is a junior Stennis Scholar. Jack is a graduate of Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood, where his leadership ability was recognized by his selection and service as commander of his school's 177-member Army Junior ROTC Battalion. As state treasurer of Teenage Republicans, Jack has campaigned for candidates in numerous state and local offices. He has served as a writer for his school's newspaper, been awarded the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America, and participated in youth group mission trips for the Methodist Church. Jack also has a passion for the performing arts, and has played in his school's marching and symphonic bands. He currently serves as resident adviser in Rice Hall. After MSU, he plans to become a congressional staffer and ultimately a lobbyist.
Matthew Wilson West (at right in the picture above) is a graduate of Starkville High School and a sophomore Stennis Scholar. Wilson served as a delegate from his high school at the Mississippi Model Security Council for two years and was a member of the Key Club for three years. He has diverse interests and talents, lettering twice in soccer and four times in cross-country in high school, while assisting classmates in art and photography techniques. Wilson's community service projects include the Habitat for Humanity and relief work in Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina. He plans to pursue a graduate degree and a career related to foreign affairs.
Stennis Scholars Whitney Holliday and Shelley New recently enjoyed a view of Washington, D.C., while attending the inauguration of President Obama as part of the Stennis-Montgomery Association's annual D.C. trip. They are shown in the photo above.
Students in our department have the opportunity to meet prominent public officials, such as the governor and lieutenant governor. In the photo above, Stennis Scholar (now alumnus) and SA Vice President Lee Weiskopf met with 2-term Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck, a graduate of our department.
In the picture above, Barbour Scholars (now alumni) Jane Anna Harris and Tonya Thorton-Neaves pose with 2-term Governor Haley Barbour after a breakfast with him and the MSU President. Barbour offered the students invaluable advice about networking and job hunting in Washington, D.C. Jane Anna is currently Executive Assistant to the Staff Director for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Tonya is a Research Fellow and Project Coordinator at the Social Science Research Center at MSU.
One annual conference that some of our students attend is the Southern Women in Public Service program sponsored by the Stennis Center. In the photo above, Stennis Scholar (now alumnus) Tamikia Carr met with then-Vice President Al Gore's wife, Tipper.
Our students also meet with numerous other public figures who visit our department. In the above photo, political science students (now alumni) Nikita Gandy, Ben Needham, and Ta'Shia Shannon (a Collins Scholar) are to the left of former Congressman Mike Espy. Espy was the first African-American from a rural district elected to Congress. Students Yashica Tate and Terrance James are to the right of Espy.
Our department's John C. Stennis Scholars are named in memory of MSU alumnus John C. Stennis, who served in the United States Senate from 1947 to 1988, rising to the powerful position of President Pro Tempore of the senate and fourth in line for the presidency. Senator Stennis also served as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee and previously as chairman of the Armed Services Committee. He was so respected in the senate that Congress named a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier after him, which was commissioned into service before the carrier honoring former president Harry Truman. Because John Stennis inspired Mississippians to be active in public affairs, we include our department's Bill Collins (the founding director of the Stennis Institute of Government) and Haley Barbour (our two-term governor and a formidable Stennis challenger in 1982) scholars on this webpage.
To learn more about Senator John Stennis, click here.
The Haley Barbour Scholars are named after a distinguished public servant and native of Yazoo City who rose to the position of Chair of the Republican National Committee. As RNC Chairman, Haley Barbour inaugurated an aggressive fundraising, public relations, and candidate assistance program that led the GOP in 1994 to majority control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years. Barbour was elected Governor in the 2003 state elections, when for the first time Republicans won half of Mississippi's statewide executive offices as well as historically high percentages of state house and state senate seats. When Barbour was re-elected governor four years later, he swept his party to control of every statewide elected office with one exception.
The Bill Collins Scholar is named after a distinguished educational leader, who was the first Director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University. A Bill Collins Speakership series was established in his honor in the MSU Library.
For a copy of the Stennis Application Form, click here.