Judge K. Dustin Markham donned his black judicial robe when he approached a group of Mississippi State University-Meridian students in his courtroom—immediately garnering their full attention.

Mississippi State University’s College of Arts and Sciences is celebrating the exceptional achievements of its graduate students, recognizing them for their academic excellence, research contributions and leadership within the university and beyond.

Mississippi State Assistant Professor Candace Lukasik has published her first book “Martyrs and Migrants: Coptic Christians and the Persecution Politics of U.S. Empire” (NYU Press). The book examines how Coptic Christian migrants from Egypt navigate religious identity through the lens of American political and religious frameworks.