May 6, 2025
POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Thirty-one Pearl River Middle College students were recently celebrated at a Cording Ceremony held in the Ethel Holden Brownstone Center for the Arts on the Poplarville campus on April 29. Friends and family joined with faculty and staff from PRCC and participating school districts to honor the students.
Students have been concurrently enrolled at Pearl River full-time while still attending their local high school. They have been taking their classes online, on the PRCC campuses, or at their high school from qualified teachers. Many have remained active in clubs and organizations at their high school.
Thelma Keith, Middle College Advisor, welcomed graduates and guests, along with a special thanks to everyone who supports the program and its students.
“Tonight, we are recognizing the hard work and dedication of 31 students who have decided to follow paths less traveled by others,” said Keith. “We are so very proud of them.”
Director of Dual Enrollment Dr. Karen Bond continued the welcome with her own words of gratitude and encouragement.
“We are very proud of this group of students and that Pearl River could be a little piece of their future success,” said Dr. Bond. “Tonight is a testament to your hard work and to your dedication as a student, so you should be proud of everything that you have accomplished. And I hope that you’re looking forward to this next step with excitement and anticipation for your future.”
Cords were presented to the graduates by Dr. Bond. A slide with each graduate’s photo was displayed on the overhead screens while information about them was read out by Keith.
2025 MIDDLE COLLEGE GRADUATES
The following students were recognized with cords as they are graduating from Pearl River on May 8, 2025.
Forrest County AHS
Faith Wakefield
Hancock HS
Morgan Kreher
Hattiesburg High School
Karsyn Brown
Skylar Dozier
Keira French
Destiny Harris
Triston Hollingsworth
Kara Jones
Kymmauria Jones
Skylar Reed
Timothy Steward
Amahri Vanish
Home School
Malachi Delaune
Nathan Meador
Kaycee Tanner
Oak Grove High School
Zya Boggan
Tasia Griffin
Pearl River Central HS
Sahil Ajmera
Logan Cooper
Bryce Guy
Skylar Stasik
Wyatt Waltman
Talon Whitfield
Austin Woods
Petal High School
Zoe Brumbaugh
Jackson Rigney
Cayden Robertson
JP Rollins
Ethan Shows
Purvis High School
Brandon Brooks
Cole Paul
ABOUT THE MIDDLE COLLEGE PROGRAM
The Middle College Program at Pearl River Community College is a school or district-level dual credit/dual enrollment program in which high school juniors or seniors attend a portion of the day at the high school and a portion at PRCC. The program provides the opportunity for high school students to obtain their high school diploma and their Associate of Arts degree simultaneously.
To participate, a student’s high school/school district must have signed a Memorandum of Agreement with PRCC. Students applying to Middle College must be entering their junior year of high school with a minimum of 14 Core Carnegie Units, a 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA, have a minimum ACT sub score of 17 in English and 19 in Mathematics, and have an unconditional written recommendation from their high school counselor, principal, or principal’s designee.
For the latest news on Pearl River Community College, visit PRCC.edu and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter (@PRCC_Wildcats), Instagram (PRCCWILDCATS), Facebook (@PRCCMKTG),and TikTok (@prcc_wildcats).
Article and photography by Laura O’Neill.
