Students recognized with 2017 Spirit of State Awards at MSU

Pictured with MSU President Mark E. Keenum (middle row, center) are the 2017 Spirit of State honorees. They include (front, l-r) Jian Jiang, Shawanda Brooks, Terranecia Henderson (middle, l-r) Isaac Lias Jr., Caitlin Fournier, Shelby Williams, Roxanne Raven, Lauren Kiefer, Jeremy Knott (back, l-r) Mukhunth Raghavan, Roy Jafari, Alex Maxwell and Sam Andrews. Not pictured, Feifei Zeng also is an honoree. (Photo by Russ Houston)

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Fourteen Mississippi State students are receiving the university’s premier student recognition for exceptional personal contributions to campus life.

Now in its 12th year, the Spirit of State Awards program organized by the university’s Division of Student Affairs formally honors those who have made 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.

Those selected have been 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 2017 Spirit of State Award recipients include (by hometown):

BRANDON—Shelby T. Williams, a senior secondary education/English education major.

DIAMONDHEAD—Alexander C. “Alex” Maxwell, a senior management and marketing double-major.

JACKSON—Jeremy K. Knott, a senior English major.

MADISON—Shawanda F. Brooks, a senior biological sciences major; and Terranecia L. Henderson, a senior communication/journalism and public relations major.

MERIDIAN—Lauren M. Kiefer, a senior elementary education/middle school major.

OKEMOS, Michigan—Roxanne L. “Roxie” Raven, a senior political science/pre-law major.

PENSACOLA, Florida—Caitlin A. Fournier, a senior communication/public relations major.

SOUTHAVEN—Isaac L. Lias Jr., a senior educational psychology major.

STARKVILLE—Roy Jafari, an industrial and systems engineering doctoral student from Iran; Jian Jiang, a biological sciences master’s student from China; Mukhunth Raghavan, a senior psychology and management double-major from India; and Feifei Zeng, a senior marketing/international business and supply chain management major from Italy who also is majoring in foreign language.

VICKSBURG—Samuel G. “Sam” Andrews, a junior marketing major.

For more on MSU’s Division of Student Affairs, visit www.saffairs.msstate.edu or follow on Twitter @MSStateStudents.

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