In the following essay, Hattiesburg native Samuel Trotter, a senior in electrical engineering, shares his personal experiences with Mississippi State University’s Thrive Scholars Program.
Just five days after I turned 10, my mother passed away after a long—and hidden—battle with colon cancer. Losing her at such a young age changed me forever. My father—a long-haul truck driver who was on disability following a wreck that uncovered a brain tumor—was left to raise me and my four sisters as best he could.
Without my mother’s prayers, guidance and the traditions she kept alive, it felt as if the protection around us was gone. Our father kept us going with his disability checks, sometimes not knowing how we would eat from one day to the next. But watching him kept me motivated. I improved academically and after graduation enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi, following my father’s advice to stay close to home.
I believed I could pursue my passion for electrical engineering there but upon discovering that program was unavailable at USM, I changed my major three times, reluctantly landing on nursing. But I followed my father’s example of resilience to persevere.
Then in 2021, just before the start of my junior year, my father succumbed to COVID-19. It was a devastating loss, and with both parents and all my grandparents gone, I was left without a traditional support system.
These tragedies could have derailed my life but instead became the foundation for change. I’d had enough and felt like I had nothing to lose. So, I took a leap of faith and transferred to Mississippi State to pursue engineering—a bold decision that required starting over academically and risking financial insecurity.
Adapting to MSU was daunting. I vividly recall crying in the library during my second week, overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy and isolation. As a first-generation student in a competitive field, I felt out of place and unprepared. It didn’t help that my transfer GPA from USM was a discouraging 2.64.
At that point, I made a promise to myself: I would give it one semester to see if I could be successful. If I failed, I would return home. That mindset weighed heavily on me because I knew my future depended on the next three months. I worried constantly about the challenges: a lack of friends, lack of funds and the feeling of being behind my peers.
Then I found Thrive.
Through the Thrive program, I found an advisor who took the time to sit down with me, reassure me and show me the resources available to help me succeed. Those conversations gave me both encouragement and practical support. And, for the first time, I felt like I had someone in my corner making sure I wasn’t fighting these battles alone.
It also touched something deeper. It helped fill the void of family tradition I had felt since my mother passed. It gave a piece of it back. Suddenly, I again had a place to eat Thanksgiving dinner.
Since that turning point, I have excelled, maintaining a GPA higher than 3.2. I have also been blessed with professional opportunities that confirmed I was on the right path. I have completed three internships over as many semesters, including one semester in which I had five offers to choose from. These experiences have helped me grow tremendously, not just as a student but as a future engineer.
Thrive gave me not just support but also a sense of belonging and belief in myself. It connected me with resources and opportunities tailored to my needs, whether it was tutoring to improve my academics, organizations to help me find friendships or guidance on professional development.
Through Thrive, I learned how to turn weakness into strength; how to build a support system and lean on it when I needed it most. I am no longer just “figuring things out” on my own. I have a community that believes in me and wants me to succeed, and that sense of belonging pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, get involved and pursue opportunities I once thought were out of reach.
My father worked tirelessly despite his disability, and Thrive has helped me channel that same determination into my academics and my future. I went from feeling inadequate and wondering if I would be able to get a job, to mentoring others. Despite initially feeling lost and hopeless, Thrive dared me to dream and turn my dreams into reality. For that, I am forever grateful.
Mississippi State Thrive Scholars Program
Housed in the Division of Access, Opportunity and Success since 2021, the Thrive Scholars Program is one of many student-support initiatives at Mississippi State University.
Timothy Hopkins, who currently oversees Thrive as executive director of the Holmes Center for Student Success, said the program’s goal is to support students as they work toward their MSU goals.
“Thrive is really a circle of support for students,” Hopkins said. “We want to engage students with the opportunities that exist here at Mississippi State. But most importantly, we want to provide easy access to a supportive network and resources that really contribute to students’ academic success.”
While MSU offers a variety of supportive programs to students of all backgrounds, Thrive is specifically tailored to students who have lost a parent, aged out of the foster-care system, have independent status or who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
“These students come to us without that personal support system that can be so important to success,” Hopkins explained. “Thrive steps in to fill that void. We help them create meaningful relationships and guide them to the tools they need to navigate life while at MSU and once they graduate.”
Hopkins said the program supports about 25 students each year, and participants either self-identify and apply or are recommended by someone at the university who recognized their need. Once part of the program, Thrive scholars meet with an advisor who develops an individualized support plan to help the students meet their goals.
Much of the program’s work involves connecting students to existing university resources and helping them to navigate the process of getting financial assistance or accessing tutoring. It also helps students develop life skills. Hopkins said monthly Thrive Thursday gatherings bring students together and help them learn cooking skills, basic care skills and more.
“We’re helping them grow into well-rounded, self-sufficient, successful individuals,” Hopkins said.
The results of the program speak for themselves. Hopkins said he has seen students go from living in their cars and struggling to find their next meal to flourishing in a career. Or there are those, like Trotter, who grew from feeling isolated and alone to being part of a community. It’s those stories, he said, that show just how important Thrive is.
“People ask why I care so much about this program, but that’s easy: I’ve been there,” he said. “It’s a lived experience for me. I found my way through and am now helping others, but I can only wish there had been a program like this at my undergraduate institution.”
Personal essay by Samuel Trotter with additional reporting by Susan Lassetter, Photos by Emily Grace McCall