{"id":159289,"date":"2026-05-25T12:01:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T17:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=159289"},"modified":"2026-05-25T12:01:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T17:01:02","slug":"mississippis-future-leaders-find-their-voice-at-ole-miss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/mississippis-future-leaders-find-their-voice-at-ole-miss\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi’s Future Leaders Find Their Voice at Ole Miss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UM alumni, students and staff help Boys State and Magnolia Girls State delegates grow as leaders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Listen carefully around the University of Mississippi<\/strong> campus during the early summer, and you will\u00a0hear the future of Mississippi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the weeks of May 24-30 and June 7-12,\u00a0Ole Miss<\/a>\u00a0hosts hundreds of rising high school seniors as they learn about state government and leadership in the\u00a0Mississippi Boys State<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Magnolia Girls State<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0programs, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As those high school students descend on campus for a week of learning, Ole Miss alumni and students will be busy behind the scenes, making sure the delegates have the best experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When the university hosts programs such as Girls State and Boys State, we\u00a0are welcoming the best and brightest students from the state of Mississippi<\/strong>,” said Bradley Baker<\/strong>, assistant vice chancellor and dean of students. “Personally, I enjoy seeing the students make connections with peers from across the state while taking in the opportunities to hear from not only our elected leaders, but staff from our campus, too.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one week, the delegates are challenged to not only learn about local and state governments but to create and run their own government. They campaign for office at the city, county and state level, hold elections, write, debate and pass legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These programs give students opportunities that are simply not available to them elsewhere,” said Hiram Eastland<\/strong> (BBA 00), senior adviser and former director of\u00a0American Legion Boys State<\/strong><\/a>. “The program teaches them how their state and local government work so that they can be informed and proactive citizens in their communities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students find themselves in a unique position of hands-on learning and self-realization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Students are placed in situations that demand confidence, adaptability, public speaking and teamwork,” said Reid Overstreet<\/strong>, Mississippi Boys State assistant director. “Through that process, they often discover strengths they did not know they had.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Reid Overstreet. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They may even recognize that they are the state’s future during their week on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They will realize that they are Mississippi’s future leaders and build a powerful network for many years to come,” Eastland said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the sheer fun of being immersed with fellow students working toward a common goal comes with perks that may not be realized at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Mississippi Boys State delegate crowd surfs following the statewide election results announcement in the Grove. More than 300 delegates from across Mississippi will descend on the Ole Miss campus May 24-30 to learn about government and build leadership skills. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“With that, comes the benefit of meeting peers from all over the state that they would not have had the opportunity to network with otherwise,” Eastland said. “We hear stories all the time of our delegates finding college roommates and lifelong friends at Boys and Girls State.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While meeting new people, learning new skills and discovering new abilities, oftentimes students find their voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Many of our delegates step into a leadership role for the very first time at Girls State,” said Abby Burris<\/strong> (BS 23), American Legion Auxiliary Magnolia Girls State<\/strong> director. “They leave with a stronger voice, lasting connections with young women from across Mississippi and a sense of connection to something much bigger than themselves.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Abby Burris. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Magnolia Girls State delegates take the Girls State Pledge during the weeklong program at the University of Mississippi. Hundreds of rising high school seniors from across the state will gather at Ole Miss on June 7-12 to learn about government and create their own mock government. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eastland agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Oftentimes, we see painfully shy individuals completely open up and thrive,” he said. “The confidence a lot of our delegates gain from the week they spend with us is literally life-changing to them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the people directing and involved in running the programs were once delegates themselves. Some are Ole Miss alumni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our leadership includes individuals who have worked in congressional policy on Capitol Hill, senior staffers from the Obama White House, professionals with Pentagon experience, accomplished attorneys and leaders from the corporate world, including companies like Disney,” said Overstreet, a senior from Richton set to graduate this summer with a degree in political science<\/a> and a minor in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That range of expertise allows Boys State to create a mock government and leadership environment that is deeply informed by real-world careers and firsthand leadership experience.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only do participants make connections, but they can earn scholarship opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Every participant receives a scholarship at most public institutions in the state just for being a graduate of our program,” Eastland said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional scholarships can be earned by two delegates from each camp who represent Mississippi at Boys or Girls Nation as senators, where they will meet members of Congress and the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It boils down to a Hotty Toddy experience for many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“To me, Hotty Toddy means more than just school spirit; it represents pride, tradition, leadership and a deep sense of community,” Overstreet said. “At Ole Miss, it’s about being part of something bigger than yourself while striving to lead and serve others well, and Boys State exemplifies that same spirit by bringing together young men from across Mississippi and challenging them to grow as leaders, citizens and public servants.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burris echoes the sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Bobby Cook, Boys State chairman and an American Legionnaire, speaks to Mississippi Boys State delegates in the Grove at the University of Mississippi. During the weeklong program, delegates learn about local and state governments and create and run their own government. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“Hotty Toddy means a plethora of things to me, but at its core, it represents community,” Burris said. “Ole Miss and Girls State are deeply similar in that way. Both have this remarkable ability to create connection.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Marisa C. Atkinson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UM alumni, students and staff help Boys State and Magnolia Girls State delegates grow as leaders Listen carefully<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123462,"featured_media":159290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25263],"tags":[34791,34790,34792,21616,15165,34788,29058,5,34787,34789,655],"class_list":["post-159289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-university-news","tag-abby-burris-2","tag-abby-burris","tag-american-legion-auxiliary-magnolia-girls-state","tag-american-legion-boys-state","tag-bradley-baker","tag-hiram-eastland","tag-magnolia-girls-state","tag-mississippi","tag-mississippi-boys-state","tag-reid-overstreet","tag-university-of-mississippi"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_0093.jpg?fit=1500%2C998&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123462"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159289"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159299,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159289\/revisions\/159299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}