Tribe, MSU collaborate with help from USDA grant

Tia Grisham says a $500,000 federal grant is being put to good use providing more opportunities to Tribal students at Mississippi State University.

The USDA grant benefits the New Beginning for Choctaw Tribal Students program that has three main goals:

• Increase recruitment of Choctaw Central High School students to Mississippi State;

• Increase retention and graduation rates of Tribal students at MSU;

• Foster a culture at Mississippi State University that creates an inviting space for Tribal students. 

Recruitment efforts, the grant application said, will focus on high school preparation through the implementation of the 4-H Build Your Future curriculum which includes experiential learning activities and MSU recruitment programs including career days, preview weekends, and admissions counselor seminars.

Now retired, Dr. William Brescia of the Tribe proposed the grant back in the spring of 2021. He and other Tribal members agreed that they wanted more opportunities for Tribal students in the collaborative grant with MSU.

The USDA approved the grant in June and the Tribal Council approved it in December 2021, according to Grisham, director for the Youth Opportunity Program at Choctaw. 

“The funds from this grant will be used to prepare Tribal students for college and the next chapter of their lives after they graduate from college,” she said.

They’re providing services to around 25 Tribal students from the ages of 14 to 18 and college students attending Mississippi State University to pay for internships of their choosing. The grant runs until July 31, 2025.

Grisham said the Tribe is working with multiple departments from MSU including the Agriculture, Economics and Sociology.

Katie Ford, extension agent for the federally recognized Tribal Extension Program at MSU, said her favorite aspect of the project is seeing students succeed in their goals.

“I want to see every Tribal student, no matter if they attend Mississippi State University or not, succeed and accomplish their goals and dreams,” Ford said. 

“MSU has partnered with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on many projects, and through this partnership, we have been able to collaborate and build a bright future for Tribal students. 

“The New Beginnings for the Build Your Future grant helps recruit and retain Tribal students to college. College is a big transition for any student, no matter where they are from, and this grant will help us make the transition from high school to college just a little easier.”

Grisham noted that on Jan. 27, the Tribe will discuss plans for a College Day at MSU, including a stickball tournament, classes on stickball and how to make stickball sticks, and other ways to show off the Choctaw culture.

“I hope next year we can continue this,” Grisham said. “Dr. Brescia got this done for us right before he retired, and we’re all very grateful to him and MSU. There are professors there that are willing to give our college students internship opportunities as well.”