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.

Mississippi State graduate Ginny Walker Shurlds debuts her first children’s book “Mississippi State From A to Z,” with a special signing at Starkville’s Book Mart on Main Street Friday [Sept. 5] 2–5 p.m. She’ll continue signing copies Saturday morning when the store opens at 9:30 a.m.

From first-year psychology majors to doctoral candidates and graduates, Mississippi State students and alumni across campus aim to spark conversation and raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention through a university-wide art exhibition.