Braden Overby is a native of Mendenhall, Miss., and a senior at Simpson Academy. He hopes to continue his education in law and public policy.

Kierra Rand first attended Galloway Elementary, then Northwest Middle School and is currently attending Jim Hill High School—all in Jackson, Miss., so she has had an authentic “City with Soul” experience.

Paris Braggs is now 17 and is going into her senior year at Callaway High School.

Evans is a rising junior at Madison Central High School where she is a member of many organizations, including High Tech Video Production.

Now 16, Thomas lives in Bolton with his mother, stepfather and younger brother. His mother seemed to work a lot when he was younger, “probably to afford to move around,” he quips, but it appears to him she has settled down more.

When you get older, you’re gonna know a lot of people from different places, which gives you opportunities, which allows you to meet other people rather than just the people at your school you’ve been to all your life,” Kaitlyn Poole says.