“I was a bulldog from an early age. My dad graduated from Mississippi State University and my mom graduated from Mississippi University for Women, so I guess I had always known this was where I wanted to go to school,” said Walters, a 1988 MSU graduate. “The College of Arts and Sciences is a little longer story. I started off as a computer science major. I decided that I did not like programming, but I liked math and I liked German. I thought I wanted to teach, but a degree in mathematics provided me with additional opportunities if I chose not to teach. I am glad of the path I chose. It allowed me to go straight to a graduate degree program after graduation.”

“My connection to Mississippi State University runs deep in my family,” said Margaret Shepherd, a 2022 MSU graduate. “MSU brought my mom’s family to Starkville in the 1960s when my grandfather became the first head of the Department of Biochemistry. My dad grew up near Starkville in Louisville, and, following his father’s path in forestry, attended MSU. My parents met in Starkville and were married on campus at the Chapel of Memories. No matter what was happening in our lives, being a Bulldog always brought our family together. When it came time to choose a college, the decision felt easy,” said Shepherd.

Mississippi State University biologist Matthew W. Brown is part of an international research team whose latest findings, published this spring in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are reshaping scientific understanding of how parasitic organisms evolve and ultimately spread disease.