Area MSU students elected to Phi Kappa Phi
BATON ROUGE, La. – The following Mississippi State University students were recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
Alena Jones, Jessica Widodo, Lakshmi Sankaran Nayar, Victoria Keenum, all of Starkville, and Shelby Stafford, of Columbus, are among roughly 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year.
Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Local students among scholarship recipients
STARKVILLE – Two Starkville natives are among 20 Mississippi State University students set to receive Presidential Endowed Scholarships, the university’s most prestigious undergraduate award.
Avi Anthony, a freshman communication, media and theater major, is receiving the Bobby and Barbara Martin Presidential Endowed Scholarship.
Silas Walker, a freshman psychology major, is receiving the Louis Hurst Presidential Endowed Scholarship.
The 2026-2027 Presidential Scholars are members of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and possess strong academic skills, creativity and a drive for success.
Endowment-level gifts for the scholarships provide students with financial support to cover the cost of attending the university for four years.
To qualify, applicants must have a minimum 30 ACT/1330 SAT score, as well as have graduated with a minimum core or overall 3.75 high school GPA. Recipients are expected to maintain an overall 3.4 GPA in their respective academic majors.
11 area students named to state superintendent’s council
JACKSON – Of the 144 students named to the 2026-2027 State Superintendent Student Advisory Council, 11 attend schools in the Golden Triangle.
From Starkville High School, Theo Ahn, Anas Farooqui, Ian Jung, Avani Pacharne and Michael Taquino will serve on the council.
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students Jeremy Burwell, Christopher Chen, Amy Choi, Emery Dickerson, Joseph Thompson and Makayla Wrenn were also named to the council, as well as Seven Harris, who attends Noxubee County High School.
The council’s purpose is to provide a forum for Mississippi’s students to offer diverse perspectives to the state superintendent of education. The students will act as liaisons between MDE and public-school students from across the state, a Mississippi Department of Education press release said.
“The MDE enjoys offering the Student Advisory Council program each year because not only does it give students an opportunity to learn more about Mississippi’s public education system, but it also allows MDE staff to get direct feedback from students about their school experience,” said State Superintendent of Education Lance Evans. “I congratulate and look forward to working with these students over the next several months.”
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