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Holmes Community College dual-enrolled high school student Laura Box of Jackson recently received a Presidential Endowed Scholarship to Mississippi State University, which is one of the college’s most prestigious freshman awards. The daughter of Julia and Michael Box, she is homeschooled and attends Holmes as a dual enrollment student.
Box will attend MSU in the fall where she will double major in industrial engineering and business administration and earn a minor in mathematics. She will be a student at the Shackouls Honors College at State. The Presidential Scholarships are awarded to, on average, 40 of the most outstanding entering freshmen on a competitive basis per year. According to MSU’s website, it is worth approximately $75,000, which covers tuition and housing for four years of undergraduate study, as well as $6,000 for study abroad and $4,000 for undergraduate research.
Box is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, where she is active in the youth group and student choir, and serves as a Vacation Bible School volunteer. She is also a member of Victors Homeschool Sports tennis team and a piano student of Dr. Rachel Heard with the Millsaps College Conservatory of Music. Box takes ballroom dance classes, as well, and is employed as a Chick-fil-A Team Leader, a lifeguard, a dog sitter and a piano teacher.
Additionally, Box participated in Mississippi State’s Adkerson School of Accountancy Accelerating Students into the Accounting Profession (ASAP) Camp where her team won first place in the Shark Tank competition. She was also published in the December 2022 issue of Parents & Kids Magazine for her essay, “A Message of Encouragement from Ukraine,” and she won first place in Holmes’ Creative Writing competition 2023 for her essay, “Blame Shifting.” She has numerous other accolades and accomplishments, as well, including placing in half marathons, winning medals for her piano performances in various festivals and being inducted into Phi Theta Kappa honor society. She is also a President’s List Scholar at Holmes, and was inducted into the Mu Eta Sigma National Math Honor Society, the Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society and the Christian Home Educators Connection 30+ ACT Club.
Box’s career goal is to work at an automotive manufacturing facility, like Nissan in Canton, designing systems to reimagine waste materials in all areas of production.
“I have the mindset and skills needed to be an industrial engineer,” Box said. “I love processes and details, and my mind is inclined toward math. My values include leadership, creativity and the discipline to seize every opportunity. Wasted materials are equivalent to wasted resources. I aim to convert waste into usable materials that optimize costs and lead the automotive industry to cleaner, safer and less costly manufacturing.”
For more information about the Presidential Scholarship at MSU, visit https://www.honors.msstate.edu/scholarships/.
For more information about Holmes’ dual enrollment program, visit https://holmescc.edu/dual-enrollment-dual-credit/.
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