Alumnus Magazine | Summer 2020

Manning
Jordan
Jake Manning
Jackson, Mississippi
Bachelors of Science, Biomedical Engineering,
Software Engineering
As president of the MSU Student
Association, Jake Manning was used to
meeting with campus administrators and
serving as a voice for the student body. But as
the COVID-19 threat escalated during the
spring semester, much of Manning’s time
and energy became focused on how MSU
could make the best of the situation for
the university’s students while maintaining
appropriate safety procedures.
Before his term as president ended,
the Jackson native was part of the
COVID-19 Task Force that met several
times a week to handle the everchanging
situation.
“Dr. Keenum said in every meeting
that we wanted to offer leniency and
compassion to students,” Manning
said. “My successor and I were able
to voice our concerns and give our
opinions, but we didn’t have to advocate
as much as we had to make sure we covered
everything. What about international
students? What about students without Wi-Fi at
home? It was doing everything we could
to make sure we thought about every
little nuance so that every student could
finish the semester.”
A Jackson Academy graduate,
Manning came to MSU in 2015
because of family ties to the university
and a desire to stay in state. However,
his sophomore year, he began to
wonder whether he should have sought
opportunities elsewhere. After getting
involved on campus and discovering the
many opportunities provided to MSU
students, Manning said he no longer
has second thoughts about becoming
a Bulldog.
“You can go get an education
anywhere, but you can’t build a family
like you do at Mississippi State,” he
said. “I stayed in Starkville after all the
classes were moved online, and I still
had meetings and stuff like that. But the
thing that was missing was the people,
and that made it hard. But it was hard
because we had something so good. I’m
thankful to have had something that
makes it hard to leave. It’s not just a
shoulder shrug and on to your next step,
and I think that’s a testament to Mississippi
State and what we all got from our time here.”
Kayla Jordan
Sweetwater, Alabama
Bachelor of Arts, History
Stephen D. Lee Scholar
Growing up in rural west Alabama, Kayla
Jordan said her mother tried to incorporate
history into every family vacation. If there was a
historic site to see, they would visit.
By her junior year of high school, Jordan was
working as a tour guide for the local historical
society. After high school, she studied at Coastal
Alabama Community College’s Thomasville
campus before enrolling as a history major
at MSU-Meridian. She said she chose MSU-
Meridian because of strong scholarship support
and tuition waivers, as well as its proximity to
her home in Alabama.
Among several accolades, Jordan was named
this year as the Meridian Division of Arts and
Sciences Outstanding Undergraduate Student.
This fall, she is beginning to pursue a master’s
degree in history at MSU’s Starkville campus,
where she will work as a teaching assistant.
“I really hate to leave MSU-Meridian, but
I’m looking forward to going to the campus in
Starkville,” Jordan said. “I had always hoped to
go to grad school, but I never thought I would
make it this far, so I’m very happy.”
She said she hopes to eventually earn a
doctorate and teach at the university level.
“I enjoy sharing history with people and
doing it in a way where people understand it and
enjoy it,” Jordan said. “I love being able to pass
that on to people.”
Jordan’s virtual graduation in the spring of
2020 is now a small part of history that she
will be able to share with her future students.
While there was disappointment in not having
a ceremony in Meridian, Jordan said it has not
dampened her sense of accomplishment.
“I really, really hoped to participate in a
graduation ceremony,” Jordan said. “At the same
time, I still know that I did it. I still can’t believe
I’ve gotten to this point.”
Skyler Caldwell
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
As an undergraduate student at William
Carey University, Skyler Caldwell gained a
passion for working with animals at Hattiesburg
Zoo and was able to work at a local veterinary
clinic for a year.
Those experiences led her to become part
of MSU’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine class
of 2020. From assisting with Vet Camp to
studying wildlife conservation in South Africa to
the many clinical experiences offered in MSU’s
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