Anne Locke Driggers

I am a Southern Studies Major at UM. Southern Studies is an amazing major for those interested in History, English, African American Studies, Sociology, or Politics. Southern Studies is the perfect major for me as it is incredibly writing and comprehension heavy, and I absolutely love learning about the history of the South. Southern Studies also has the added benefit of the Academic Common Market scholarship that helps waive the out-of-state fees for accepted students in states where the scholarship is available. For me, the Academic Common Market scholarship means that I am able to go to my university of choice and study my major of choice without worrying about costs. This allows me to put my all into my studies and extracurriculars while enjoying everything that the University of Mississippi has to offer. It is important to know that the Southern Studies major is incredibly rigorous. However, if you are truly interested in the topic, I believe every minute of reading and writing is worth it. The Center for Southern Culture also provides endless opportunities and resources for students to discuss with their professors and faculty, and to receive more information about their courses and the topics discussed in them.

The Southern Studies department is so incredibly special for me and ultimately my “Why UM?”. The Center for Southern Culture is an amazing institute is located in the Barnard Observatory. The Center, has three institutes housed in the observatory: The Southern Foodways Alliance, The Southern Documentary Project, and the Living Blues Magazine. I love Southern Studies and the Center for Southern Culture because almost every faculty member is involved in those institutes and in their field. The Center also provides multiple opportunities during each semester for students to get involved with these institutes through student competitions and weekly “South Talks” in which guest speakers discuss their work with community members, faculty, and students. There are endless opportunities for Southern Studies students to foster student-teacher relationships, be exposed to topics in their major, get involved within the Center, and in the Oxford-Lafayette community. There are not many colleges that have a specialized major with a focus on the US South, and there are certainly not many that are so incredibly connected to their local community as the Center for Southern Cultures is. 

A class and professor that has had the biggest impact on me thus far has been Southern Studies 109: Rights and Activism with Dr. Ralph Eubanks. In this class, we have been reviewing some key events that have sparked southern activism movements, such as the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and the civil rights movement across the South more broadly. In this class we have been reading texts such as, C. Vann Woodward’s “The Strange Career of Jim Crow.”, the first section of Richard Wright’s Black Boy, “Southern Nights,”, and Thomas E. Ricks’ Waging A Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968 to help us contextualize the history of activism in the South after Abolition. This class has been specifically impactful on me as it really dives deep into the intersections between power and knowledge, all while deconstructing the Lost Cause narratives that still affect how kids are taught about segregation and the Civil Rights movement in schools today. 

After graduation, I plan to attend law school to complete a Juris Doctor (JD) and potentially also complete a Master of Public Health (MPH) at the same time. Later on, I want to help address the Public Health disparities that are so prevalent in the United States and the Global South by using my Law and Public Health degrees.  

Before starting my freshman year, I wish I knew how busy I was going to be freshman year, especially the fall semester of Freshman year. However, being super busy is so important. By signing up for extracurricular organizations like clubs related to your major or potential career field (For example I am in Women in Government, the Pre-Law Club, and an anchor on Ole Miss Newswatch) and/or Greek Organizations (I am apart of Delta Delta Delta Sorority and a member of the 2025 CPH Panhellenic Philanthropy Support Team.) you become extremely involved and plugged into everything that goes on at campus simply by attending organization meetings. I strongly recommend this to incoming students because being involved on campus is so attainable as a freshman and truly enhances your academic career here. Being busy your freshman year helps you to learn valuable time management skills that will help you for the rest of your life and make freshman year so much more memorable with the friends you make in said organizations and clubs.