John Alex Nunnery
Editor
Mississippi University for Women hosted a Leadership Gala on April 12. The Division of Student Affairs set up the gala to honor some of the best of The W. Select members of the community were invited to an exclusive event that honored students, staff and organizations for their contributions to making campus a better place for all.
The formal event invited all who attended to dress up and provided all attendees with a three-course meal. The main event was the award ceremony. Most attendees at the ceremony were either nominated for awards themselves or in an organization that was nominated. The event presented 20 different awards in total throughout the evening. One winner was Letadreon Mattix, a senior Public Health Education major at The W. He won the Mover and Shaker award and was a part of the 2022 Hall of Fame.
“It feels great (to win this award) it feels like my hard work is finally acknowledged,” said Mattix. “I think these events are wonderful ideas because there are a lot of hardworking students on campus, and they do a lot for the university and the organizations that we have, and being recognized is a wonderful thing.”
To make the evening even more special The W called in an alumnus to be the master of ceremonies. Asia Duren, a member of the long blue line who was heavily involved in campus activities during her time here came back for the evening. She now works as a coordinator for student organizations and involvement at Florida State University. She believes nights like this are important for recognizing students and the organizations that make The W such a special place.
“A lot of times, this is a concept that we talk a lot about — about taking out the trash. Great leaders are willing to do things when they go unnoticed. Things like taking out the trash that no one wants to do, and a lot of times those students don’t get the recognition they deserve after working so hard, putting in countless hours,” said Duren. “A lot of students come to school for a degree, and then they end up getting so involved and they’re spending as much time, or almost as much time on their extracurriculars, but then they don’t get the credit for it. They put a line on a resume and that’s it. So, this kind of a night really recognizes all of that hard work.”
Some students hope that it will expand in the future with more invites being offered and nominations lasting longer.
“I wish that like more people knew about the awards ceremony because I feel that people would actually try to win those awards later on,” said Kaitlyn George, a sophomore Nursing major. “I didn’t know this was a thing until I got invited to it. I think it should have been more advertised and explained so they can yearn for those things.”
The event itself was a success with most of the 180 seats available being filled by those who reserved seats for the event. Those in attendance were excited to see the awards and hope that the event will continue.