Browsing: People

At The University of Southern Mississippi, thousands of students return to campus each semester with stories shaped by hard work, resilience and ambition. This semester, one of those stories took center stage.

If you had asked Rowe Gillis in middle school what his high school experience would be like, he would never have imagined a long and winding medical journey.

Mississippi State University chemist Colleen Scott has been selected for the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s 2026 American Innovator Award, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors given annually researchers whose federally funded work leads to real-world impact.

I come from a huge family of teachers. But I admit that I was a little shocked when our youngest son, Chris Lucius, decided to become a coach and a teacher.

An educational paradigm is that all male teachers are coaches, but in many cases, some male teachers remain in the classroom as an “academic” coach for the students sitting in the desks. In a predominantly women’s career, the impacts of male teachers during the formative years can have a profound impact on students–an impact that can shape their entire future.

Shani Dunn is a second-grade teacher at Eastlawn Elementary in Pascagoula. 

Any teacher that says summers off wasn’t a HUGE draw for becoming a teacher may not be telling the truth. It was for me.

Caring and nurturing are two traits that best describe Anna Raiola of Pascagoula whether it is working with foster families or rehabbing wildlife.

Retiring from education, for many, isn’t exactly leaving the field of education. It is simply a step into a new level of education.

Vicki Bosarge has been a music teacher for over three decades. 

She currently teaches piano, guitar and choir at Resurrection Catholic Middle/High School (RCS) in Pascagoula where she’s been for the past five years. Prior to RCS, she taught at East Central High School for five years, George County Middle School for seven years, and with the Pascagoula School District for 17 years.

In a picture from her time as a volunteer education docent at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Dr. Maria Wallace is in a dive suit, touching hands with little boys through aquarium glass as they gaze up in wonder. From glass-to-glass aquarium meetings to one-on-one discussions, her career centered on finding novel ways to spark interest in science.  

On any given Sunday in Ocean Springs, there’s a steady rhythm at Center Pointe Church—cars pulling in, doors opening, kids hopping out ahead of their parents, and a welcome that feels more like a front porch than a formal entrance.

Bryce Ramsey learned the importance of listening to her body and encouraged others to do the same. Even though she was a nurse with 16 years of experience, she overlooked subtle signs, as so many do, when they first appeared in her own life. Luckily, her instincts kicked in, and she got the care she needed.

Attitude and perspective are everything.  They are the difference in seeing the glass half full or half empty, or in the case of David Cameron of Moss Point, his cup is overflowing.

Mississippi has always been home to famous people like Oprah, Faith Hill and John Grisham. Many are part of the daily news and have made great strides for the state. But there is a 15-year-old who is sliding into stardom a NASCAR track.

When Lewis Sims became Pascagoula High School’s head football coach in 2011, I didn’t know that much about him. I knew that he had been an outstanding safety as a player at Moss Point High School, and then had gone on to play at the United States Naval Academy. I knew that he had gone into football coaching himself, most recently at Moss Point, his alma mater and Pascagoula’s biggest rival.