“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.”

Justin Brickler, a 2016 Mississippi State University graduate, gravitated to the College of Arts & Sciences because of the opportunities he knew an MSU communication degree could provide. “I’ve always been drawn to storytelling and sharing people’s experiences, and majoring in broadcasting gave me the space and structure to turn that passion into something tangible,” said Brickler.

Mississippi State husband and wife Greg and Becca Thorn work in two different areas of the university, but both help students discover their own voices.