When Joel Oakley came to Mississippi State, he was looking for a strong engineering program close to home. He left MSU with much more than a degree: a passion for mathematics, a career that started in higher education, and a Christian faith he discovered during his college years.

“Both of my parents, several aunts and uncles, and even my grandfathers attended MSU, so it was predestined that I was going to attend there,” said Bowie, who not only continued the family legacy at MSU, she now is the mother of two Mississippi State graduates.

For Andrew “Andy” Impastato, Mississippi State University was a practical choice rooted in friendship, family and the opportunity to build a future close to home. He arrived in Starkville with plans to attend law school, but the foundation he developed as a philosophy major would prove valuable long after graduation.

Sometimes a single college course can change the direction of a student's life. For Tatu Taylor, that course was Population Problems, which sparked an interest in public health and prompted her to change her major to sociology with a minor in biological sciences.

“I honestly don’t think I chose MSU—I believe MSU chose me.” Marleisha “Mar” Kyles originally planned to attend the University of Mississippi, but limited scholarship opportunities led her to consider another option. After being encouraged to apply to Mississippi State University, Kyles received a full music scholarship from then-choir director Dr. Leslie.

For Bailey Patrick Pulliam, Mississippi State University was familiar long before he became a student. Both of his parents attended MSU, making Pulliam a legacy student who would eventually discover his own place within the university and within the world of sports broadcasting.

Among the most dedicated students are those who approach their education as the beginning of a lifetime of learning and service. For Mitchell Lance Owen, Mississippi State provided the foundation for a career in law and public service—a path he had envisioned long before he graduated.

“It would be very hard to describe my experiences in a few sentences or try to even choose which experiences to share. For me, every moment at MSU shaped the person I am today. Every experience had an impact on me.” Even with her completed master’s degree in English, 2025 alumna Portia Agyapong said she struggles to find the perfect words to describe her experience at MSU.

“I lived in the cotton district in undergrad. My friends and I would always walk onto campus to tailgate for football in the fall and baseball games in the spring. It was always fun to see everyone else out and about, dressed in their best, having fun and cheering on the Dogs. Seeing other friends out there, meeting new ones; just getting to be a part of game day, the fun chaos of it all. It’s all so picturesque in my mind.”

Pierson Crowder is an example of how students often find their academic path—and future career—where they least expect it. Initially enrolled in engineering, Crowder changed his major during his freshman year after discovering a growing interest in numbers and data.

Haley Zelenka’s time at Mississippi State University is marked by both academic growth and formative campus involvement, including her work as an orientation leader. That experience, paired with her English studies in the College of Arts & Sciences, helped shape a successful legal career built on service and communication.

For Desirée Goodfellow Emmich, the phrase is more than a clever description. It captures the path she has taken from being a Mississippi State anthropology student to an assistant public defender, where she now advocates for the constitutional rights of people who might otherwise struggle to have their voices heard.