What are your Hobbies?
Singing, art, playing the piano, scrap booking, sewing, and traveling.
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What makes you special and unique?
I believe that I am special and unique because God has created me differently from anyone else. There is not one person on this earth that He created just like me, and I am amazed at the fact that God gave me different talents, abilities, and gifts that are different from anyone else’s in this world.
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What is the best advice you have ever received?
My father recently told me that no one is entitled to anything. Entitlement brings generation after generation of people not willing to help themselves or others. He taught me that anything that’s worth having takes hard work, determination, and patience to achieve and that along the way, one should make sure that others can benefit in the process.
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Name one thing you cannot live without.
Music! There is not one day that goes by where I am not singing in my car, listening to my i-Pod, or humming a tune. Without music, I definitely would not be the same person that I am today.
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What's the most valuable lesson you've ever learned?
The most valuable lesson I have learned in life would be to never judge a person by a first impression. There’s always more to a person than just their physical appearance and oftentimes, a person that may be perceived badly at first may simply just be having a hard day. All in all, it’s always better to give someone the benefit of the doubt and to learn to love them for who they are.
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Who is your most valued role model and why?
I can’t choose just one role model because both of my parents are the most valued people in my life. They have stood beside me, no matter what endeavor I have chosen to pursue in life and have instilled in me the values and principles that have made me the person I am today. I can only hope and dream that I can someday be as great of a parent to my children as they have been to me.
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What was your most unexpected moment?
I was visiting Washington, D.C., in May of 2001. My family and I were on tour of the White House and all of the sudden President Bush emerged from a hallway and made his way outside to his helicopter. It was not only unexpected, but it was an exciting and memorable experience I’ll never forget. It was truly a privilege to view one of America’s great leaders in person.
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What is your workout routine?
Luckily, I am blessed with an awesome facility called the Sanderson center on Mississippi State’s campus. I work out at the Sanderson every day during the school week doing cardio and weights for about an hour, and then go to my favorite studio class, "Ab Attack," in the afternoons.
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What has been your biggest accomplishment to date?
My biggest accomplishment to date would have to be when I was named valedictorian of my high school in 2005. My education has always been a top priority in my life and for all of my hard work to have paid off with such recognition was truly an honor.
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What is the best compliment you have ever recieved?
My Sunday school teacher once told me that I was a young woman truly seeking after Christ. My faith in God is very important to me, and for her to say that she could see Jesus through me was truly gratifying. I’ve heard it said before, "Be careful what you say or do. You may be the only Jesus someone ever sees." I can only hope that I can be the kind of example that God would want me to be so that others may come to know Him.
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What is your secret wish?
Something I would love to do that I've never really told anyone before would be to star in a Broadway show. I fell in love with Broadway musicals after starring in "The Music Man" and "Crazy for You" during high school, and it would be a dream come true if I were ever given the chance to participate in a musical on Broadway.
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What was your most embarrassing moment?
My freshman year in high school, I was on a Student Life ski trip with my church group in Boone, NC. It was my first time to ever ski, and my friend, Chelsea, and I finally got the nerve to leave the bunny slopes and take a ski lift to one of the easier courses. We waited patiently for our turn, Chelsea safely sat down, and right as I was about to get on, I missed the seat and fell completely to the ground, losing my skis in the process while the lift seat plowed right over me. Luckily, though, the only part of me that was injured was my pride.
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What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
By far, my biggest guilty pleasure would have to be any kind of chocolate. I absolutely love chocolate. In fact, I consider myself to be a severe chocoholic. I don’t think I could even go a week without it (believe me I’ve tried)! However, I really can’t help it. It’s in my genes. My grandmother loves chocolate too.
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What is your favorite movie and why?
Father of the Bride would have to be my absolute favorite movie of all time. No matter how many times I’ve watched it, I can still sit down with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy it every time.
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What do you like to do for fun... relaxation... recreation?
For fun, I simply enjoy going out to eat with family or friends or perhaps even going to see a movie. When I want to relax, I oftentimes like to paint, complete a Sudoku puzzle, or take a nap to catch up on rest. As far as recreation goes, I like to swim, work out, and dance to add a little activity in my life.
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What would be your dream vacation or destination?
My absolute dream vacation would have to be a complete tour of Europe. I have always wanted to see the ruins of Rome, tour the Eiffel Tower in France, and see Buckingham Palace in England. To have the opportunity to view such things would definitely be a dream come true.
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What do you like best about the state of Mississippi?
I love Mississippi’s hospitality. Mississippians are so giving and generous, even though we are one of the poorest states in the nation. Proof of our hospitality was definitely seen in the way our state worked together this past year after Hurricane Katrina to rebuild much of the coast and can also be seen in the evidence of our very own Miss Mississippi Corporation, which is the largest giver of scholarships to young women compared to the rest of the states in the Miss America Organization. Our people are so compassionate, and I’m proud to say that I’m from Mississippi!
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Where do you see yourself in ten years?
In ten years, I can see myself in a successful career of interior design, settled down with a husband and children being the wife, mother, professional, and citizen that I’ve always wanted to become.
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Who am I?
As I was bombarded with multiple projects at the end of last semester, often coming in after she was already asleep for the night, my roommate told me, "Elizabeth, you are one of the hardest working people I know." I took this statement to heart, receiving it as a great compliment since she is pretty hard-working herself as one of the University's very few Presidential Scholars, but I really think that she’s right. When most people hear that I'm an interior design major they say, "Oh, that’s so fun!" And you know what? It is fun, but there's a lot of labor-intensive work behind the scenes that most people don't realize interior designers accomplish. For instance, I don't just pick out fabrics, wallpaper, and paint because they look good together. I also have to consider flammability, environmental, and handicapped-accessibility issues along with local building codes to make sure that interiors are safe for all people and can be enjoyed by all people.

Although I absolutely love interior design now, I haven't always wanted to be an interior designer. I thought for the longest time that I wanted to be an architect and was ecstatic when I was accepted into Mississippi State's School of Architecture, which is a hard feat for an incoming freshman. However, when I began classes in the program, it wasn't at all as I had expected, and I soon began to question whether or not I could do this job for the rest of my life. I decided that I would be overwhelmingly unhappy if I pursued this career any further, and began to consider my other options. I thought, "What major would allow me to continue to emit my creative energy, but would also make me happy in the process?" I considered majors that reflected some of my passions like graphic design, voice, music, and interior design, but when it came down to it, I decided that interior design would be the career path for me, and I haven't regretted the decision since.

Though I definitely work hard for my successes in interior design and academics, I do not limit myself to just those areas. One of the major organizations that I have been most involved in on campus is the Lambda Sigma Sophomore Honor Society. In Lambda Sigma I am currently serving as vice president and have thoroughly enjoyed watching others benefit from the community service projects that we have participated in this year. One project that I organized that was particularly rewarding was our volunteer work at the Rolling Hills mentally handicapped facility in Starkville. Our members volunteered to spend time with the residents doing various activities such as music, arts and crafts, and movie nights, and even decided that our annual fundraising money would go to help this facility. Being able to see how happy just a little time and effort made these individuals made me realize how much of an impact one person can have on another. Through this experience, I have truly come to appreciate how valuable community service is to so many people and how having a hardworking attitude is best used for those who need it the most.
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Tell us about your platform.
When I first had the opportunity to choose my platform two years ago, I thought, “What’s important to me? What’s something that I have a true passion for that will not only benefit the community, but will also bring me enjoyment in the process?” Only one thing crossed my mind – education.

Growing up, my parents had always stressed to me the importance of my education. My father was a true inspiration because of the endurance he had to put himself through school to become an optometrist. He was the fifth of six children born to my grandfather, a preacher, and my grandmother, a stay at home mom who often sold Avon cosmetics just to make ends meet. Needless to say, they didn’t have the money to put him through college, so he did what he could through part-time jobs, state grants, and student loans to make his dream of becoming an optometrist a reality. Through his inspiration and my mother’s constant encouragement, I always did the best I could in school, finally becoming my high school’s valedictorian in 2005. My own education had already brought me such successes in my life, and I wanted to share that with others. That’s why I chose “Encouraging Students to Stay in School” to be the service project in which I would dedicate my time and energy.

"Encouraging Students to Stay in School" mainly focuses on high school dropouts, school attendance, and the promotion of higher education. I believe that this platform is vitally important for Mississippi at a time when 2 out of every 5 students drop out of high school before graduating and less than 20% of Mississippi adults possess a college degree. As part of my efforts, I speak to 8th-12th grade students about the benefits of a high school diploma and a college degree, and I have also begun a program for elementary students that stresses the importance of school attendance through a coloring book activity. I can only hope that through my endeavors, I can be the voice that changes a view minds to believe that their education is truly worth the time and effort to make their dreams come true.
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