Ariel Willingham: From a Life-giver to a Life-saver
by Ruben Banks Photo above of Ariel Willingham by Imani Khayyam It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon as Ariel Willingham, then 12 years old, sat in the the pew of Springridge United Methodist Church in Byram, Miss. She had been told that “they” meet here every second Tuesday at 6 p.m. It was finally the […]
Chloe Bishop: Smart and a Bit Shy
by Jonathan Buckley Photo above of Chloe Bishop by Sonni Pressley Chloe Bishop’s shyness has led to some of her greatest friendships. When she was at Northwest Middle School, she was way more shy than she is now. One day she walked into her sixth-grade band class, her favorite, with her friend Imani. When they […]
Makallen Kelley: The Power of the Arts
by Y’Sonni Pressley Photo above of Makallen Kelley by Kelsee Ford Makallen Kelley walked out of the back bedroom of her dad’s house into a backyard full of laughing family members. The smell of food on the grill made her stomach rumble with anticipation. Music was blasting from the speakers of someone’s phone, and she […]
Sonni Pressley: Travels with Y’Sonni and Her Mother
by Makallen Kelley Photo above of Sonni Pressley by Kelsee Ford “If I can’t go to sleep, then neither can you!” Ten-year-old Y’Sonni Pressley‘s mother rattled her out of her road-trip slumber. Her mom had been behind the wheel for more than 20 hours on the way to Los Angeles, Calif., from Mississippi .Traveling wasn’t […]
Jonathan Buckley: Dedicated to Music
by Chloe Bishop Photo above of Jonathan Buckley by Kelsee Ford When Jonathan Buckley was younger, he would spend time with his maternal grandmother. He became close to her early because he liked cooking, and she use to make him biscuits. “Grandma, can you teach me how to make biscuits?” he asked her. Then one […]
Maleah Briggs: The Music Within
by Asia Mangum Photo above of Maleah Briggs by Kaitlyn Fowler In 2001, a pregnant Andrea Gordon sat in her living-room chair, contemplating her soon-to-be baby girl’s name. She scanned through long lists of names in a book, none of which appealed to her. “None of these fit my baby,” she said to herself. Then […]
Kelsee Ford: Meet the Future Colonel
by Raha Maxwell Photo above of Kelsee Ford by Darryn Price When a cadet on the drill field at Keesler Air Force Base dropped his rifle, it shocked platoon leader Kelsee Ford and others on the squad. He had never dropped the rifle before in a routine, and the mistake cost the Murrah High School’s […]
Ariyana Jones: No Horsing Around
by Meché Leflore Photo above of Ariyana Jones by Kelsee Ford It was Tuesday afternoon when Ariyana Jones’ mother came in her room with her hands behind her back. “Ari, I have something for you,” she said. With excitement all over her face, 12-year-old Jones could not wait for the surprise. “Now close your eyes, […]
Jeffrey Caliedo: Shaping and Changing Mississippi
by Joshua Wright Photo above of Jeffrey Caliedo by Imani Khayyam The day Jeffrey Caliedo realized he was different was when he asked his parents about it when he was 10. Caliedo went to his mom and asked her, “Why do me and dad look different from you and a lot of people at my […]
Leslyn Smith: Always Ready to Help
by Maggie Jefferis Photo above of Leslyn Smith by Imani Khayyam On a dark, sweaty night deep in Sandhill, Miss., a group of cousins were playing soccer when one of them kicked the ball over a fence while going for the goal. Leslyn Smith, then a 6th grader, volunteered to go get the ball. She […]
