Alumni Recruitment Network

This past week was Honors Orientation at Mississippi State... I always remember that day and how special it was to me when I was a senior in high school. My mom brought me over to Starkville so that I could take a clep test, register for fall classes, see campus, and get my student ID. I did all of that and more! I distinctly remember meeting Rebecca Warden (now Rebecca Page) at what was once the Dawg House in the Student Union. Who knew she would be my college roommate for 3 (practically 4) years and the matron of honor in my wedding? Then, Mom and I gave Zach a ride over to main campus after some testing (she loves to say that she's the one who found my husband first)! Zach and I got engaged on the Drill Field and married in Starkville 5 years later...

Best friend and husband in one weekend! Yay for Honors Orientation!

Being back on campus this past weekend brought so much joy, so much pride, so much love. Mississippi State just does that. My parents now live there, and Starkville will always be a special place to us. We're hoping to get back there one day!

All this to say... even though we are living in Gainesville right now, we still have so much pride for our Alma Mater and love talking about it every chance we get! How blessed are we to still have bulldogs around us in this foreign place... my boss, our pastor, and a few dear friends from undergrad. I even got to host an MSU Alumni Association tailgate for the UF vs MSU football game last fall, and I think we all remember how that turned out... I wore MAROON to work all week!

I know most of you can relate to "bleeding maroon and white", "grindin' for my state", "vroom maroon" (I still giggle at this one each time), and "hail deal ol' state". I know a lot of you don't live in Starkville anymore... but you can still serve your university from where you are. I want to strongly encourage you to join the Alumni Recruiting Network.

This particularly spoke to the former Roadrunner in my blood. And it's endorsed by Jimmy Abraham- does it get more legit than that? It's writing letters to prospective students who live near you, visiting high schools, organizing events. It's not too much work for a single person, and you honestly get from it what you put in (wasn't that so true with roadrunner?). It can truly be rewarding to serve your university in this way. If you have questions about it, contact Molly Riley mer21@msstate.edu or call the office of admissions and scholarships at 662-325-2224 (yup, still have that one memorized).

And, really, are you going to be outdone by some 6th Grade Korean students? (Check out that video!) Share your Maroon and White spirit with students in your hometown!