Contact: Camille Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A senior educational psychology major from Corinth is receiving a new Mississippi State University scholarship designed to help students who also are in the critical role of parent.
Sara Morrow, an MSU College of Education student, is the first recipient of the Yvonne R. Ferguson Memorial Scholarship. To be eligible, candidates must be full-time students in any major with a minimum of a 2.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). Preference is given to students who are single parents.
Connor Ferguson, MSU assistant professor of plant and soil sciences, established the new award in honor of his late mother, who was a single parent.
Ferguson explained he wants to “pay it forward” for the person who gave him so much. He said creating this scholarship allows him to continue telling his mother’s story.
“Just days after I moved to Starkville, my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Getting to celebrate her life by rewarding students who go through the challenges of parenthood, helping them further their education and then celebrating what they get to do in the next steps of their lives is an honor,” Ferguson said.
Morrow is the daughter of Anthony and Christle Morrow of Corinth and has a 7-year-old son. She is pursuing a counseling concentration in her major and hopes to work with elementary children upon graduation. She said that her past experiences in school drew her to educational psychology.
“I feel like everyone needs someone to be on their team, and I want to be that person,” Morrow said. “Earning this scholarship has helped relieve stress for me. Knowing that people like Dr. Ferguson are helping someone like me, as I want to help someone in the future, is amazing.”
Morrow, who also received the E.H. Sumners Endowed Scholarship, recently shadowed two counselors in Choctaw County to gain real-world experience that complements her major.
“Sara is a really promising student. She’s somebody who, day in and day out, goes to class, works hard to raise a good son and makes necessary sacrifices. My mom was much the same way,” Ferguson said.
Established in 1903, MSU’s College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit http://www.educ.msstate.edu/.
For more on scholarships, please contact Cathy Lammons, executive director of communication and donor relations for the MSU Foundation, at (662) 325-7843 or clammons@advservices.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.