Student Perspective

My Bulldog Experience: R'Najee Matthews

When I first came to Mississippi State for my undergraduate degree, I had no idea that I would find a community here. Now, as a master’s student, that community has only grown stronger. After earning my bachelor’s in psychology in 2020, I knew that I couldn’t leave the community I surrounded myself with, so I decided to stay and get my master’s in educational leadership. Being a first-generation, low-income, Black woman from a rural area, it seemed that the odds were always stacked against me. Before my junior year, I lost a scholarship and was running out of student loan money. I worked as a student worker to try to make ends meet, but I constantly wondered what my next steps would be. That’s when I applied for additional assistance and received a scholarship at MSU. That support kept me going and was my primary reason for graduating. Now, I am receiving the Dr. Janice I. Nicholson Endowed Graduate Scholarship to continue my studies. I am so grateful for the support, which is helping me build a legacy—not just for future students through my career, but for my one-year-old daughter. She is the reason I push myself to do more. MSU gave me a place to find myself and my community. I’ve bettered myself academically, professionally and personally by coming to MSU. And the scholarship support I am receiving has allowed me to make my own future and dreams a reality.

Class: Graduate Student Major: Educational Leadership with a concentration in student affairs and higher education Hometown: West Point, MS