Collinsville double major at MSU-Meridian earns Outstanding Undergraduate Student award

Contact: Lisa SollieVeronica “Nicole” Stewart of Collinsville, MSU-Meridian’s Outstanding Undergraduate student in the Division of Arts and Sciences.  (Photo by Lisa Sollie)

MERIDIAN, Miss.— Not all teachers are remembered as having influence on the lives of their students, but professors at Mississippi State University-Meridian have aided Nicole Stewart in finding the focus she’s been looking for in her life.

The Collinsville native explored several career paths before enrolling, but the quality instruction she was immersed in as a student at MSU-Meridian helped her double major and become the 2018 Outstanding Undergraduate Student in the Division of Arts and Sciences.

A criminology and psychology major, Stewart also is receiving the Dennis J. Mitchell Undergraduate Excellence Award at fall commencement ceremonies today [Dec. 13] in the MSU Riley Center.

Stewart’s interest in psychology began in high school. The 2014 West Lauderdale graduate wanted to pursue a degree in the field, but her parents encouraged her to explore other opportunities.

“I took their advice and tried nursing and business,” she said. Stewart didn’t find her passion until returning to her original area of interest. “Once I got to MSU-Meridian and began studying subjects I found interesting, I began to enjoy school.”

Stewart’s favorite thing about the university was her professors.

“They were excellent role models, brilliant and passionate about teaching,” she said. “While they were all very busy, they always made time for their students.”

Stewart has been accepted into MSU-Meridian’s Master of Arts in Teaching Community College Education program for spring 2019. With the goal of eventually teaching at the community college level, the mother of two young children said she may one day pursue a Ph.D., but right now she simply is looking forward to the next step in her educational and professional journey.

To learn more about MSU-Meridian, visit meridian.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.


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