Rieke receives MSU Presidential Endowed Scholarship
Special to The Pass Post
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum (center) is pictured with 2026-27 Presidential Scholars (l to r), front row: Kate James, Elizabeth Simpson, Maylee Gilmer, (President Keenum), Jacob Roark, Morgan Cheatham and Robert “Mac” Anderson; middle row: Justina Visgarra, Avi Anthony, Lincoln Morrison, Jackson Bacon, Sidney “Lee” McNeil, Elizabeth “Ellie” Kimble and Alexandra “Sev” Rieke; and back row: Samuel “Mason” Cordell, Nathan Williams, Brady Pure, Crosby Petro, Trevor Scott, Haratio Keys and Silas Walker.
Alexandra Rieke, a freshman natural resource and environmental conservation major from Pass Christian, is one of only twenty Mississippi State University (MSU) students who were recently named recipients of Presidential Endowed Scholarships, the university’s most prestigious undergraduate award.
Rieke is receiving the Ottilie Schillig Presidential Endowed Scholarship.
Justina Visgarra, a freshman Biomedical Engineering major from Canton is receiving the Louis Hurst Presidential Endowed Scholarship.
University officials say the 2026-27 Presidential Scholars are members of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and possess strong academic skills, creativity and a drive for success.
Endowment-level gifts for the scholarships provide students with financial support to cover the cost of attending the university for four years. The experience offers a one-time educational enrichment scholarship for study-abroad opportunities, internships or other qualified academic pursuits, an undergraduate research fellowship award and mentoring.
To qualify, applicants must have a minimum 30 ACT/1330 SAT score, as well as have graduated with a minimum core or overall 3.75 high school GPA (based on a 4.0 scale). Recipients are expected to maintain an overall 3.4 GPA in their respective academic majors.
Presidential Scholars can connect with members of the land-grant institution’s extensive research faculty and be part of the honors college’s summer-study program at Oxford University in England, among other enhanced learning experiences.
