{"id":30944,"date":"2013-09-01T09:43:24","date_gmt":"2013-09-01T14:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=30944"},"modified":"2016-07-28T14:35:43","modified_gmt":"2016-07-28T19:35:43","slug":"seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Freshmen Enter School of Engineering With Impressive Achievements"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Holly Pitts<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 As the fall 2013 semester begins, seven incoming freshmen have already impressed University of Mississippi School of Engineering faculty and staff with their outstanding high school achievements.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sara Bolen<\/p><\/div>\n

The students include Benjamin Branson and Sara Bolen of Madison, Sam Mossing of Oxford, Kenton Wong of Germantown, Tenn., Jordan Houry of Corinth, Acacia Santos of Southaven and Holly Pitts of Indianola.<\/p>\n

\u201cI welcome Benjamin, Sara, Sam, Kenton, Jordan, Acacia, Holly and the entire engineering freshmen class to join the family,\u201d said Alex Cheng, dean of the School of Engineering. \u201cWe are seeing more and more outstanding students choosing Ole Miss Engineering. We are growing in numbers, too. This fall, we are seeing another 20 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment, surpassing the 1,200 mark.\u201d<\/p>\n

A National Merit Finalist, Branson, of Madison Central High School, knew he had a number of college options. He considered Vanderbilt, the University of Virginia, Stanford University and Virginia Tech before deciding to study mechanical engineering at Ole Miss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose Ole Miss because the Center for Manufacturing Excellence with the School of Engineering seemed outstanding, and everyone that I met at Ole Miss was eager to help me during my decision process,\u201d said Branson, salutatorian of his class. \u201cAlso, I received a great deal of financial assistance, which was great for me and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Branson, who scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, is an inaugural recipient of the Stamps Foundation Scholarship<\/a>, which provides full tuition. While still deciding his career plans, his is certain about his major.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Benjamin Branson<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI have always enjoyed figuring out how systems and machines work,\u201d he said. \u201cI would be happy building and inventing things for the rest of my life.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Acacia Santos<\/p><\/div>\n

Mossing, of Oxford High School, is another National Merit Finalist. His early interactions with Ole Miss faculty helped him choose a double major in computer science and mathematics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to take courses at Ole Miss during high school, and I greatly respect all the professors I\u2019ve had,\u201d Mossing said. \u201cThey are very knowledgeable and easy to talk with when I have questions or just to talk about my interests. That definitely influenced me to attend the university.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mossing also scored a 36 on his ACT and received a John G. Adler scholarship from the School of Engineering.<\/p>\n

Similar to Mossing, Wong\u2019s interaction with Ole Miss faculty while yet a Westminster Academy high school student influenced his decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest factor influencing my choice was probably the Summer College for High School Students program,\u201d the Germantown, Tenn., native said. \u201cIt gave me an inside look into the university, and I liked what I saw.\u201d<\/p>\n

The National Merit Finalist plans to attend medical school after earning a mechanical engineering degree. Wong also received a Henry C. Brevard Jr. scholarship from the School of Engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two incoming chemical engineering majors, Houry and Bolen knew that UM was the right fit after visiting campus.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jordan Houry<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI love Ole Miss\u2019 campus and atmosphere,\u201d said Houry, who graduated from the Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science with a 4.0 grade-point average. \u201cI considered Mississippi State, the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan as well. Ole Miss just feels like home more than any other college considered during my college search.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science emissary said he anticipates earning his master\u2019s or doctorate to obtain a position as a professor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI visited the campus during the fall of my senior year and knew it was the place for me as soon as I stepped on campus,\u201d Bolen said. \u201cThe support of my future goals by School of Engineering staff had a huge impact on my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Madison native was named a National Merit Commended Scholar and is one of the \u201c25 Students Who Will Change the World\u201d by Portico<\/a> magazine in Jackson. She received a Brevard Engineering Scholarship and hopes to attend medical school.<\/p>\n

Making an impact on the world around them helped National Achievement Finalist Santos and Indianola Academy valedictorian Pitts choose to study engineering at Ole Miss.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kenton Wong<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI want to study engineering because I realized it is one of the best ways to better the world,\u201d Santos said. \u201cEngineering, it seems, is a gateway to improving all aspects of life. I knew that Ole Miss had a great engineering program and an atmosphere that I wanted to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

After considering Louisiana State University and Vanderbilt, Pitts chose Ole Miss because she hopes to one day make a difference through design.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to further my education by earning a master\u2019s degree in architecture after earning my civil engineering degree from Ole Miss,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to build bridges, buildings and anything else my mind can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n

All seven freshmen are members of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the School of Engineering, visit www.engineering.olemiss.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 As the fall 2013 semester begins, seven incoming freshmen have already impressed University of Mississippi School of Engineering faculty and staff with their outstanding high school achievements. The students include Benjamin Branson and Sara Bolen of Madison, Sam Mossing of Oxford, Kenton Wong of Germantown, Tenn., Jordan Houry of Corinth, Acacia SantosRead the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[765,1297],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSeven Freshmen Enter School of Engineering With Impressive Achievements - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seven Freshmen Enter School of Engineering With Impressive Achievements - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 As the fall 2013 semester begins, seven incoming freshmen have already impressed University of Mississippi School of Engineering faculty and staff with their outstanding high school achievements. The students include Benjamin Branson and Sara Bolen of Madison, Sam Mossing of Oxford, Kenton Wong of Germantown, Tenn., Jordan Houry of Corinth, Acacia SantosRead the story …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-09-01T14:43:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-07-28T19:35:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Pitts-168x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"Ole Miss News\",\"description\":\"The official source for University of Mississippi news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Pitts-168x300.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/\",\"name\":\"Seven Freshmen Enter School of Engineering With Impressive Achievements - Ole Miss News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-09-01T14:43:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-07-28T19:35:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/6f4ed6d2875ea26cc820d0eb0568d652\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/seven-freshmen-enter-school-of-engineering-with-impressive-achievements\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/6f4ed6d2875ea26cc820d0eb0568d652\",\"name\":\"esmith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/1.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47640a561d7e19d1e29d52a4797cff04?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"esmith\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30944"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30944"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31156,"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30944\/revisions\/31156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}