Mississippi State University welcomed its first Black graduate back to campus this week, almost 60 years after becoming a university alumnus.

After Mississippi State University’s two-year term leading the Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC), it officially passed the torch of leadership to Georgia Highlands College on March 24. The college will host SEJC in 2026.

“I realized there are so many types of writing—you can write for a magazine, for essays, for news stories,” said Portia Agyapong, reflecting on her internship in Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office last summer. “Even though I initially struggled because I was stuck with an academic writing mindset, it was an amazing experience to learn different ways of writing during my internship. I really learned a lot from it.”