Age: 18
Hometown: Mount Olive, MS
College: University of Southern Mississippi
Major: Biochemistry Pre-Medical Emphasis
Favorite food: Sushi—especially crab or shrimp sushi.
Favorite movie: I see far too many movies, right now it’s the new Sherlock Holmes movie!
Favorite Christmas/holiday tradition: Every December, Santa visits my house to bring the first gift of the season—always pajamas—and also to check in on my brother and me.
Current #1 most played song on your iPod: I love all kinds of music! Right now my most played song is The Lime Tree by Trevor Hall—he isn’t a very well-known artist, but you should check him out!
Favorite time of day: Lunch time! My college has a great cafeteria and I always get to sit and chat with my sorority sisters and friends.
Plan ahead OR procrastinate: Plan-ahead always! My planner even includes lunch and dinner times.
Paper OR plastic: No preference, here in South Mississippi there is usually no option to get paper so it is most always plastic.
Glass half-full OR glass half-empty: Definitely half-full!
Introvert OR extrovert: I am very extroverted.
Cats OR Dogs: I’m semi-allergic to both, but I prefer dogs. My dog is a Scottish Terrier and this breed doesn’t shed so she is hypoallergenic!
Morning person OR night person: In high school I was always a morning person, but in college I have turned into a night owl—especially during finals week!
What would I find in your refrigerator right now (if you have one)? College necessities: Capri Sun drink pouches, jello-pudding snack-packs, and probably some McDonald’s leftovers!
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be? Elizabeth Bennet, the main character from the movie Pride and Prejudice so I could marry the handsome Mr. Darcy!
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you about college life that you had to find out on your own? I never thought that I would miss my parents so much—in high school I could not wait to move to college! I was homesick a lot during my first fall semester and had to learn how to “move away” from my mom and dad.
What is one goal you have set for yourself and achieved? What is one goal that still remains to be achieved? I wanted to get a full ride scholarship to college, I am on Presidential Scholarship at USM so I haven’t paid a dime for anything in college yet! I really want to have a 4.0 GPA when I graduate from college. I had a 4.0 my first semester, so I’m on my way to accomplishing that goal.
What do you want to be when you grow up and why? I want to be a pediatric oncologist surgeon—which is basically a childhood cancer doctor. I really want to work at St. Jude Children’s Hospital one day and be able to help children battle cancer and succeed to go on and live happy, healthy lives.
Describe your single-most favorite moment from your Distinguished Young Women experience. My favorite moment from my entire Distinguished Young Women experience would have to be playing my violin piece for the last time at the Mississippi program as the new winner was about to be announced. I was accompanied by a live pianist who was my County’s Junior Miss a few years before I won. She had always been a role model of mine and is also a friend of my family. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that my Distinguished Young Woman experience had come full-circle and I had successfully represented my state at nationals and was now about to give a new girl that wonderful role and opportunity. As I played the song for the last time, I thought of all the work I had put in during my two years as Covington County’s Junior Miss and then as the Distinguished Young Woman of Mississippi. I went on to become 2nd alternate at the national program and won talent, scholastic, and community service awards. This song was basically my last moment as the Distinguished Young Woman of Mississippi and I will remember my years and memories from the program always.
