In 2009, University of Mississippi DeSoto student Ashley Castille was hard at work as a mortgage processor in the greater Memphis area not expecting that a sinking housing market would drastically change the direction of her career. When the recession hit, the Olive Branch resident was laid off.

But setbacks aside, Castille set her professional future in a positive direction. Today, she is only weeks away from graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in elementary education [Read More…]

When most tourists visit island nations in the Caribbean, they pack swimsuits, sunscreen and perhaps a good book. But when Frances “Cookie” Harris went to Haiti in December, she carried a duffel bag jam-packed with 60 pounds of books.

The eight-day visit was the San Antonio native’s second trip to Haiti. It was also the beginning of what the University of Mississippi graduate student hopes will be meaningful [Read More…]

Ole Miss alumnus Joseph Wallace doesn’t have your typical teacher’s resume. After graduating from UM’s College of Liberal Arts in 2008 and School of Law in 2011, passing the bar in Mississippi and Tennessee and two years in private practice, he decided to chase a desire he just couldn’t shake—teaching.

In 2013, the Corinth native stopped taking new clients and applied to the Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC), one of the most competitive alternate route [Read More…]

Watch an interview with Wilson online!

Earning an advanced degree in educational leadership requires commitment. But for Principal Corps recruits like Haley Wilson, the pursuit is a lifestyle all its own.

Since August, Wilson has served as an intern principal at Lafayette High School in Oxford. It’s a full-time position and, more importantly, hands-on training [Read More…]

Watch an interview with Brunetti online!

For UM graduate student Chaley Brunetti, helping improve the lives of children and their families has always been a calling. But in 2011, that desire came into fruition for the Cleveland native when she came to Ole Miss to begin her graduate studies in counseling and later found work at UM’s Child Advocacy and Play Therapy Institute.

Play therapy is a specialized form of psychotherapy [Read More…]