The University of Mississippi’s School of Applied Sciences has named Kirby Rhodes, of Bay St. Louis, as its Graduate Student of the Month and Janice DeWitt, of Seattle, as the Undergraduate Student of the Month for February.
Having completed her undergraduate degree at UM, Rhodes is in her last semester of graduate school in criminal justice in the Department of Legal Studies.
“Kirby recently presented research on a faculty panel at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in New Orleans,” said Linda Keena, interim chair of the Department of Legal Studies. “She delivered her presentation professionally and fielded questions from audience members in a confident manner. I was pleased to have her represent our department and school.
“In addition, she participated in the Alpha Phi Sigma 2018 Honor Society Conference, where she received a $250 scholarship for earning second place in the graduate student criminology knowledge scholarship test.”
Rhodes said she initially gained interest in Ole Miss after attending a summer program for high school students.
“I fell in love with the program and the campus, and that is what finalized my decision to come here,” she said.
After graduation, Rhodes will return to Washington, D.C., where she interned as an undergraduate for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service – this time to work full-time for a private security company.
DeWitt plans to finish her undergraduate study in criminal justice with an emphasis in corrections in December and is strongly considering graduate school at Ole Miss.
“I’m doing my second internship right now, just trying to get as much experience as possible,” DeWitt said. “I interned last semester with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations with the Cold Case Unit, where I learned how to run an investigation.
“Right now, I’m interning with the Mississippi Department of Corrections with the probation and parole office for Lafayette County in Oxford.”
Like Rhodes, DeWitt presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, but in an open category that included graduate students and professors.
“She represented our department and school in an exemplary manner and was acknowledged for best poster for an undergraduate student,” Keena said. “An active member of our Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society, Janice has been awarded the chief Richard Michael Popernik Endowed Scholarship for the 2018-19 school year.”
After researching colleges across the country, DeWitt visited UM and was hooked.
“Ole Miss is the only college I toured,” she said. “I wanted something out of state. I’m the first one in my family to go to college. I don’t have any family in Mississippi, but the first time I came and visited the campus I absolutely fell in love with it.
“I knew I wanted to do criminal justice in high school and heard the (UM) program was great.”
The School of Applied Sciences calls for nominations by faculty and staff throughout the school to recognize students for extraordinary scholarship, leadership and service. Nominations should be emailed, along with a nomination form, by the fifth of each month to mloftin@olemiss.edu.
For more information about the School of Applied Sciences, visit https://sas.olemiss.edu/.
By Sarah Sapp
School of Applied Sciences Honors Students of the Month
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