‘Some pretty outstanding students’: MSU honors 22 Spirit of State Award recipients

A group of MSU students are pictured with Vice President of Student Affairs Regina Hyatt and MSU President Mark E. Keenum — MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt (second row from bottom, left) and MSU President Mark E. Keenum (second row from bottom, right) congratulate the university’s 16th annual Spirit of State Award recipients. Pictured with Hyatt and Keenum on the steps of Old Main Academic Center are (bottom row, l-r) Madison Taylor of Fulton; Alex Jackson of Greenville; April Yazza of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Makayla Brister of Raymond; (Hyatt); (Keenum); (third row, l-r) Sofia Alvarez of Belmont; Philippe Schicker of Hamburg, Germany; (fourth row, l-r) Malon Stratton of Ridgeland; Katey Koon of Franklin, Tennessee; Metri Lyons of Bay Saint Louis; Julianna Mills of Brookhaven; Sarah Helen Skelton of Jackson; (fifth row, l-r) Dell Ivy of Macon; Claire Hamblen of Franklin, Tennessee; Ethan Utterback of Ocean Springs; (sixth row, l-r) Jay Warren of Gulfport; Anirudh Aditya of Birmingham, Alabama; Elliott Ware of Jackson; Tyler Packer of State Line; (top row, l-r) Sydney Wicks of Clinton; Karsten Taylor of Meridian; and Asishana Ajayi of Edo State, Nigeria. Not pictured is Nirmal Bhatt of Collierville, Tennessee. (Photo by Beth Wynn)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—In a year when maroon and white spirit has been needed most, 22 Mississippi State students are seeing their efforts recognized with the Spirit of State Award.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum thanked this year’s recipients—"some pretty outstanding students"—for their perseverance and contributions throughout their time at the university and especially during “challenging times presented by this unprecedented year.”

“You personify the spirit of this university; you live it every day. I commend, congratulate and thank you for what you have done to contribute to the well-being of this institution, our community and our state,” Keenum said. “I’m so proud of you all and can’t wait to see the great things you’re going to continue to accomplish in your lives and how you’ll continue to bring great pride to all of us back here at your beloved Mississippi State.”

Spirit of State recipient Julianna Mills of Brookhaven said reflection on her MSU experience brings back fond memories of three things—academics, extracurricular involvement and people.

“It’s the people who make Mississippi State such a special university,” she emphasized. “Our students, faculty, staff and administrators prioritize serving others in lasting and selfless ways. MSU has loved and supported me well these past four years and because of the growth I have gained here, I’m ready to take the ‘spirit of state’ into my future while always remembering the people at MSU.”

Organized by the university’s Division of Student Affairs, the 16th annual Spirit of State Awards program formally honored those making a positive impact on peers and the broader campus community through organizational involvement, service to the institution and personal actions promoting school spirit and tradition.

Recipients are nominated either by faculty and staff members or fellow students. A minimum 2.25 grade point average and good academic and disciplinary standing within the university are among the eligibility criteria.

The new Spirit of State Award recipients include (by hometown):

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico—April B. Yazza, an educational leadership master’s student.

BAY SAINT LOUIS—Dimetri D. “Metri” Lyons, a senior communication/theatre major.

BELMONT—Sofia Alvarez, a senior political science major.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama—Anirudh K. Aditya, a senior biochemistry/pre-MBA major.

BROOKHAVEN—Julianna G. Mills, a senior chemistry major.

CLINTON—Sydney G. Wicks, a senior psychology major.

COLLIERVILLE, Tennessee—Nirmal K. Bhatt, a junior mechanical engineering major.

EDO STATE, Nigeria—Asishana B. Ajayi, a senior aerospace engineering major.

FRANKLIN, Tennessee—Claire M. Hamblen, a senior elementary education major, and Kaitlyn T. “Katey” Koon, a senior educational psychology major.

FULTON—Madison S. Taylor, a senior biomedical engineering major.

GREENVILLE—Alex A. Jackson, a senior fashion design and merchandising major.

GULFPORT—James D. “Jay” Warren, a senior biomedical engineering major.

HAMBURG, Germany—Philippe C. Schicker, a senior mechanical engineering major.

JACKSON—Sarah Helen Skelton, a senior communication/public relations major, and Elliott Ware, a senior software engineering major.

MACON—Shondell S. “Dell” Ivy, a senior communication/public relations major.

MERIDIAN—Karsten E. Taylor, a senior social work major at MSU-Meridian.

OCEAN SPRINGS—Ethan P. Utterback, a senior industrial engineering major.

RAYMOND—Makayla N. Brister, a wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture master’s student.

RIDGELAND—Malon V. Stratton, a senior biomedical engineering major.

STATE LINE—Tyler I. Packer, a senior political science/pre-law major.

Learn more about MSU’s Division of Student Affairs at .

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

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