A rising Mississippi State junior will study abroad this summer through the prestigious Fulbright UK Summer Institute, one of the most selective summer scholarship programs in the world.

Mississippi State faculty member Joseph Thompson continues to earn widespread recognition for his groundbreaking work on the intersection of music and military history, earning an international award for his acclaimed book “Cold War Country: How Nashville’s Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism.”

For Mississippi State University graduate Alijah Jones, the road to a Fulbright Scholarship began in the stillness of the pandemic. Feeling a lack of connection, Jones said he “indulged” in internet browsing, happening upon a YouTube video––“Dinner with my Italian Host Family.” Stepping outside the loneliness of isolation, he found not just a glimpse into another culture, but a spark that would one day take him across the world.