Meet William
Why did you select Ole Miss?
Though I waited until spring of my senior year to make a college decision, it was ultimately my acceptance into the Trent Lott Leadership Institute that led me to the University of Mississippi. Before I was accepted, I had the chance to meet Senator Lott and current Public Policy Leadership students. As someone with a lifelong dream of pursuing public service in Mississippi, hearing firsthand about their experiences in the Institute solidified my decision. As soon as I got to campus that fall, I knew I'd made the right call — and that decision led me to discover other opportunities, most notably the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, where I'd go on to pick up my second major.
Beyond the academics and the personal testimonies that shaped my decision, I'd be lying if I didn't admit part of it was simply how much I loved Oxford — the city and the community pulled me in just as much as the programs did. Between the academic paths and everything the town itself had to offer, it was an easy choice to spend four years here, and it's one I encourage anyone considering Ole Miss to make for themselves.
Though I waited until spring of my senior year to make a college decision, it was ultimately my acceptance into the Trent Lott Leadership Institute that led me to the University of Mississippi. Before I was accepted, I had the chance to meet Senator Lott and current Public Policy Leadership students. As someone with a lifelong dream of pursuing public service in Mississippi, hearing firsthand about their experiences in the Institute solidified my decision. As soon as I got to campus that fall, I knew I'd made the right call — and that decision led me to discover other opportunities, most notably the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, where I'd go on to pick up my second major.
Beyond the academics and the personal testimonies that shaped my decision, I'd be lying if I didn't admit part of it was simply how much I loved Oxford — the city and the community pulled me in just as much as the programs did. Between the academic paths and everything the town itself had to offer, it was an easy choice to spend four years here, and it's one I encourage anyone considering Ole Miss to make for themselves.
What were some key experiences that set you up for success after graduation?
At the beginning of my freshman year at the University of Mississippi in the fall of 2022, someone told me that college is what you make of it – the more you put in, the more you get out. This was the idea that I centered my college experience around.
I took every opportunity I was given and joined student organizations like Associated Study Body and College Republicans. I got involved in academic institutions like the Declaration Center and the Department of Writing & Rhetoric, where I became a McCullough-Greer Scholar. While it seemed a bit overwhelming at first, it was through these experiences that I learned skills like how to be an effective leader, how to write and defend a claim, and how to work alongside others to achieve an objective.
Though, as I reflect back on these experiences, it was never really about how many clubs and organizations that I joined. Rather, it was about the people that I met through these shared experiences. Whether it was classmates that I became friends with, professors who challenged me in ways that I previously may not have imagined, or mentors who believed in me and showed me the ropes – these relationships are truly what helped me become the person I am today.
At the beginning of my freshman year at the University of Mississippi in the fall of 2022, someone told me that college is what you make of it – the more you put in, the more you get out. This was the idea that I centered my college experience around.
I took every opportunity I was given and joined student organizations like Associated Study Body and College Republicans. I got involved in academic institutions like the Declaration Center and the Department of Writing & Rhetoric, where I became a McCullough-Greer Scholar. While it seemed a bit overwhelming at first, it was through these experiences that I learned skills like how to be an effective leader, how to write and defend a claim, and how to work alongside others to achieve an objective.
Though, as I reflect back on these experiences, it was never really about how many clubs and organizations that I joined. Rather, it was about the people that I met through these shared experiences. Whether it was classmates that I became friends with, professors who challenged me in ways that I previously may not have imagined, or mentors who believed in me and showed me the ropes – these relationships are truly what helped me become the person I am today.
How do you see the value of the your double major of Public Policy Leadership and Rhetoric?
Pursuing a double major in Public Policy Leadership and Rhetoric, Writing & Speech Comm is what ultimately prepared me to take a job at the White House as a Special Assistant to the National Cyber Director before I even graduated — a decision I'll always be grateful I made.
As someone who has always had an interest in politics and a love of writing, the choice to pursue both majors was an easy one. What I didn't expect was how much the two would overlap. For one of my public policy classes, I wrote a term paper that ended up being both a rhetorical analysis and a policy paper. On the flip side, a Rhetoric class I took on writing and AI regularly turned into conversations about the policy implications of AI's future. Class by class, the two majors kept feeding into each other rather than staying separate.
In the end, the overlap is exactly what the work at the White House demanded. Writing effectively, speaking clearly, researching thoroughly, and presenting with confidence weren't just skills I developed for two separate degrees — they were the same skill set, sharpened from two directions, that let me walk into a policy role and communicate clearly from day one.
Pursuing a double major in Public Policy Leadership and Rhetoric, Writing & Speech Comm is what ultimately prepared me to take a job at the White House as a Special Assistant to the National Cyber Director before I even graduated — a decision I'll always be grateful I made.
As someone who has always had an interest in politics and a love of writing, the choice to pursue both majors was an easy one. What I didn't expect was how much the two would overlap. For one of my public policy classes, I wrote a term paper that ended up being both a rhetorical analysis and a policy paper. On the flip side, a Rhetoric class I took on writing and AI regularly turned into conversations about the policy implications of AI's future. Class by class, the two majors kept feeding into each other rather than staying separate.
In the end, the overlap is exactly what the work at the White House demanded. Writing effectively, speaking clearly, researching thoroughly, and presenting with confidence weren't just skills I developed for two separate degrees — they were the same skill set, sharpened from two directions, that let me walk into a policy role and communicate clearly from day one.