Contact: Maridith Geuder
Lynn Parker
A Gulfport native and recent Mississippi State University graduate is receiving a 2003 Award of Excellence from the national honor society that promotes academic achievement in all fields of study.
Lynn Parker, a December summa cum laude graduate in general business administration, is among 30 selected for the $1,500 awards given annually by Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, a Louisiana-based organization with nearly 300 college and university chapters.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Parker and a 1999 Gulfport High School graduate, she enters the University of Mississippi Law School in August with a goal of entering private practice and, ultimately, public service.
"I'm very interested in politics and want to serve one day in the United States Senate," said Parker, who was inducted into the PKP chapter at MSU in 2001.
Phi Kappa Phi scholarships recognize academic and leadership achievements, community involvement, and prospects for success at the graduate level, among other criteria. Students elected to membership in the honor society typically are in the top 10 percent of their classes.
At Mississippi State, Parker was an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholar, one of the university's two highest student honors. While on the Starkville campus, Parker also served as Black Student Alliance president, College of Business and Industry Ambassador and an MSU Roadrunner--the highly selective organization for student recruiting.
She twice earned special achievement awards in the University Honors Program, which provides intensive academic experiences for talented students. She also was elected to the Student Association Senate and was an active member of the John C. Stennis-G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Association, a nonpartisan student organization stressing political involvement.
"The selection of Lynn Parker as a Phi Kappa Phi scholarship recipient confirms her superb undergraduate credentials," said Jack H. White, director of distinguished external scholarships at MSU. "Her significant achievements as a student and her superior academic record are certain to be duplicated in her graduate study."