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FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018
133rd YEAR ISSUE 43
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Nothing but Mayah, new SA president driven to serve
DYLAN BUFKIN STAFF WRITER
By her own admission, Mayah Emerson did not come to Mississippi State University looking for a place in the Student Association, much less to be its president. However, she knew she wanted to be here. “Mississippi State is the only university that I finished my application to,” Emerson said. Close enough to her home in Meridian, Mississippi, for comfort, yet far enough away enough for independence, Starkville was a perfect fit. Being the first in her family to go to college, the experience was going to be new, no matter the place. “I had visited campus [MSU’s] a couple times for a theater competition I came to and for different things like that, and I just fell in love, absolutely loved it, and decided where I wanted to go. It was close enough to home, far away enough from home. Neither of my parents or anything went to university, so it has been an experience for all of us.” As for how she was during those times before MSU, Emerson’s family friend
Courtesy Photo | Mayah Emerson
Mayah Emerson is the first female African American SA president. She is a junior from Meridian majoring in educational psychology.
Daniel Towner describes her succinctly: she’s was the same as she is now, driven. “I just think she always wants to do a good job, which caused her to be a leader,” Towner said. “She went with it. She’s got it, but it was more
so about the people and being fair, and just those qualities of a leader. I don’t think she was ever looking to be a leader. I think she’s just a hard worker, and now, she is a leader.” Both Towner and current SA President Tyler McMurray
attest to Emerson’s ability to bring people together, and McMurray claimed the amount of times Emerson’s level head has put out fires is innumerable. McMurray has worked with Emerson since she
of both Emerson’s work with SA and her humble nature is her achievement of winning the 2017 SEC Leader of the Year Award, while completely unaware of her nomination. The SEC holds a conference to award the student leadership among its 14 schools, and the topic is always a hushed one in Executive Council. Seeing as someone must be nominated to win the award, the Executive Council must nominate one of its own, which McMurray said is always an awkward process. After reading on the requirements for the Student Leader of the Year Award, McMurray decided to submit Emerson as a candidate, unbeknownst to Emerson. “I started compiling the application, but it started asking for letters of recommendation. I sent out a mass e-mail just asking people if they’d be willing to write a letter of recommendation to Mayah, and I put like a disclaimer that this is on the down low,” McMurray said. “I sent out this e-mail thinking that one or two people would respond for a letter of recommendation for her, and I had 11 to 13 people send letters on Mayah’s behalf.”
joined the SA Senate as a second-semester freshman, and Emerson has only worked up from there. With positions as a senator, the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Director of Programming, Emerson has run the gamut of SA positions, and in every one, McMurray praises Emerson’s ability to combine perspectives and achieve the best possible outcome. Working as Deputy Chief of Staff, Emerson proved to McMurray she could handle the balance of ideas between Executive Council and Senate. “For me, it was ‘Okay, well, this is what we want. This is what we’re gonna go for, and we’re gonna sacrifice this.’ I think Mayah is so good at understanding a whole bunch of different sides that she’s gonna find a way to get both and make both work for whoever,” McMurray said. McMurray also drew attention to Emerson’s capability to give meaningful, honest advice, but not at the expense of her kind manner. “If you talk to anybody that works with her, she’s just someone who encourages, helps you, enables you to be able to do your job better, all while being a friend,” McMurray said. The perfect representation
EMERSON, 2
Equestrian rider saddles up for national competition KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
When Mary Claire Cornett competes for the Mississippi State University Equestrian Team in dirt-filled arenas, she is in her element— the nerves of being judged on horsemanship heighten her focus, and she strives for perfection. Cornett, who grew up riding horses, is now the captain of MSU’s horsemanship team. At 3 years old, she was placed on top of a saddle, which sparked her interest. Now, 18 years later, Cornett is the first person from the MSU equestrian team to make it to nationals. “(Equestrianism) is a sport and hobby, but more so it’s a lifestyle,” Cornett said. “When I think of the equestrian team, I think of camaraderie, I think of unity, I think of physical activity and it’s an all-out mental thing, too. It is hard work, it is physically challenging, but it’s all worth it.” Cornett is a senior international business major with a combined major in Spanish and marketing with a concentration in risk management. Her university involvement, however, does not stop there. She is also a member of the Phi Mu sorority. In addition, she is involved in the American Quarter Horse Association and MSU’s
FRIDAY
Rosalind Hutton
Sprint for Super Gabe: more than a 5k JORDAN DARENSBOURG
is Gabe’s brother, said Gabe was a strong and selfless child. “No matter how tough a time he was going through, he always managed to have a smile and bring joy to those around him,” Griffin Valentine said. “He always saved the last of a treat for one of his friends or family to help them feel better.” Gabe’s father Michael, who is an instructor in MSU’s Department of Psychology, said Gabe had the incredible ability of ending his life with grace. “The most inspiring thing about Gabe was his clarity of mind,” Michael Valentine said. “His concern was not for himself, it was about other people, and that was the most inspiring thing for me.”
STAFF WRITER
Courtesy Photo | Mary Claire Cornett
International Business major, Mary Claire Cornett, serves as Mississippi State University’s horsemanship captain on the Equestrian team.
horse judging team. Cornett’s friend and fellow team member Hart Daniels, a sophomore chemical engineering major, said she has known Cornett since she was 6 years old. They met while taking lessons with the same horse trainer. Daniels said Cornett has a friendly and thoughtful
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
HI: 70 LO: 42 SKY: Partly Cloudy
HI: 52 LO: 33 SKY: T-Storm
HI: 62 LO: 48 SKY: Partly Cloudy
POP: 55%
POP: 65%
POP: 30%
personality. “I would describe Mary Claire (Cornett) as a very outgoing and caring person who always goes out of her way to make everyone feel welcomed and at home,” Daniels said. “She is also a very talented rider.” Equestrian Team head coach Ashley Shiffler said Cornett’s talent adds much
to the team. “Mary Claire (Cornett) is extremely valuable to the program,” Shiffler said. “Her achievements have helped to make a name for our program along with many other riders on the team.” Cornett has been on the current equestrian team since it began at MSU.
FORECAST: Friday will be cloudy and cooler, with occasional rain sprinkled throughout the day. Saturday, you can expect cooler weather with showers all day. The sun will start to peak through on Sunday morning, but will soon be covered by more rain clouds. Courtesy of Accuweather
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Mississippi State University’s Montgomery Leadership Program will hold its annual 5K, “Sprint For Super Gabe,” at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Junction. The event is to raise money for the family of Gabe Valentine, a Starkville boy who passed away at 8 years old after a battle with a rare illness called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). According to the event’s link on racesonline. com, EB is a group of rare skin diseases which cause blisters to form on the skin. These blisters appear in response to a minor injury, heat, scratching or rubbing. Griffin Valentine, a sophomore psychology major from Starkville, who
SUPER GABE, 2
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