These Students are Working to Increase College Access for Mississippi Students

October 22, 2021

Five students have been selected as Fellows of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, to explore the impact of policy and advocacy on college access in Mississippi. This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the National College Attainment Network. Learn about the students: 

Nirmal Bhatt

Nirmal is a senior at Mississippi State University where he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. On campus, he serves as vice president of the Speech and Debate Council and is project manager for the DOE Solar Decathlon team. Previously, he served as a governmental affairs intern for Trout Unlimited National.

MonYonna Braxton

MonYonna Braxton is a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi where she is majoring in Child and Family Sciences. As a McNair Scholar, she conducted research surrounding high school dropout rates among minority populations. MonYonna currently serves as her student government’s Director of Wellness and Safety and as president of Elevate, a student organization that provides mentorship to local middle school students.

 Jorge “Andy” Flores

Jorge “Andy” Flores is a junior at the University of Mississippi where he is majoring in Public Policy Leadership and Philosophy. He serves as president of the First-Generation Student Network at the University of Mississippi, as vice chair of the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, and as a travelling competitor on his university’s debate team.

Rabria Moore 

Rabria Moore is a junior at the University of Mississippi where she is majoring in Political Science and Journalism. Over the summer, she worked as a policy research analyst at the National Press Club where she researched and analyzed news to write op-eds for major newspapers and media outlets. Rabria is also a volunteer and blog writer for the Mississippi College Access Project.

Chrystle Rivers

Chrystle Rivers is a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi where she is majoring in Sociology. Chrystle is trained in qualitative research methods and is currently involved in research related to tabletop role-playing games. While majoring in sociology, Chrystle has an extensive background in theatre.