Coming to Millsaps College from the small Mississippi Delta town of Greenville was an easy step for Elyssia Jones.
“I graduated from Greenville Christian School, a very small private school, and I wanted to find a college that felt like GCS, which was my home,” Jones recalls. “When I toured Millsaps, it felt like walking the sidewalks of GCS.”
Jones is majoring in biology, with a pre-med focus. She plans to become a travel pediatrician with a specialty in women’s health, and eventually start her own practice. Jones sees those plans becoming a reality, thanks to what she’s learning in the classroom and who is teaching her.
“My favorite classes so far have been zoology and psychology,” Jones said. “Both of those classes are taught by my favorite professors, Dr. Brent Hendrixson (professor of biology and chair of the biology department) and Dr. Taban Salem (assistant professor of psychology). They both make class so fun and interesting, and really make you want to learn.”
Dr. Yvette Langdon, professor of biology, has also made an impact on Jones.
“She was my first biology teacher here,” said Jones. “I come knocking on her door ready to talk and she is always there.”
Outside the classroom, Jones is an active participant and leader in the campus community. Besides her involvement in her sorority, Jones is event coordinator for Black Girl Projects X Millsaps and a member of the Pan-African Student Alliance (PASA), Helping Hands, AED, Rotaract, Beta Beta Beta (biology honor society), Heart of Worship, Millsaps Singers, Chamber Singers and Phi Eta Sigma.
Jones cites the Mahogany Ball has her most impactful Millsaps moment, recalling the celebratory atmosphere of the event.
“All the Black students and alumni came together and celebrated us. I knew then that not only did I find my new home at Millsaps, but I also found a community of people who looked like me and are successful in the things for which they strive.”
Jones keeps an extremely busy schedule in and out of the classroom, but that doesn’t mean she’s not able to take on more activities. Earlier this year, she was also selected for the latest cohort of students selected for the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship, operated by The Aspen Institute.
“The Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship is an amazing program that pushes young leaders, like me, to live into our potential,” she said. “We meet every month for ten months, reading text-based dialogues and applying them to our communities and our stories. My cohort just had our Community Impact Project (CIP), and we had an amazing time. Planning for the CIP was long and hard, but we pushed through with it and developed a program called ‘The Power of You,’ which focused on mental wellness and the problems young adults face with mental health.”
From the classroom to extracurricular activities to the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship, Jones has stayed busy during her time at Millsaps — and she’s only a sophomore. Imagine what she’ll accomplish in the next two years and beyond.