GIVING Back
Alumna Sets the Stage FOR FUTURE THEATRE MSU STUDENTS WITH ENDOWED GIFT By: Ashleigh Lee, Photos Submitted
M
yna Dickerson Sowell’s love for theater came from a single question asked when she was 9 years old. Her father David heard about auditions for a production put on at the local community theater and asked if she wanted to try out for a show. Little did she know that by saying “yes,” she would start a lifelong involvement in acting, communication and theater. Sowell continued participating in theater in high school, which led her to compete in competitions at Mississippi State. The Greenville native graduated from MSU in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and inherited her love for the Maroon and White from her father, a 1964 social studies education graduate. Her Bulldog heritage and experiences with theater competitions at the university put Sowell in a position to thrive academically and eventually professionally while exercising creativity and practicality. She works to instill these characteristics and love for Mississippi State in her daughters Ann Morgan and Alena Read. “The memories created at Mississippi State and theater are so special,” she said. “I experienced a range of classes that taught me classical work, technical skills, communication methods and so much more. I tell my children all the time that you cannot go through life thinking that you won’t have to speak and that no one will look at you. You must learn how to properly and efficiently express yourself.”
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WINT ER 2021
