JTC 24: Making the MOST of College

When Aaliyah Gates was looking for colleges as a junior at Bruce High School, she knew one thing for certain: She was not going to Ole Miss.

Five years later, Gates will cross the graduation stage and receive her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in social work from the University of Mississippi – and she couldn't be happier.

"Ole Miss has been such a blessing to me," Gates said. "Getting to see that there is a culture within the culture that is here for me, that's one of the greatest things about Ole Miss."

Though no one in her family had graduated from college, Gates said she knew early that she wanted to earn a degree. When a teacher spoke with her about the importance of her GPA in applying to colleges, Gates said she began to take her studies seriously.

"Before college was even on my radar, I had this eighth-grade teacher and she was like, 'I know you're probably not thinking about it now, but these next four years, you have to take them seriously," Gates said. "I don't know what it was, but that conversation really stood out to me because it really made me realize I do want to go to college one day."

So, she buckled down, she worked hard and finished second in her class that year and, ultimately, as salutatorian for her high school.

"To see the happiness on my mom's face, I was like, 'OK, I'm not losing this,'" she said. "That was the moment I knew I could do this. As long as I put my mind to it and set a goal for myself and really be willing to put in the work to get to that goal, then nothing's unattainable."

After growing up in Bruce, just 28 miles from the Oxford campus, going to Ole Miss was never a part of the plan. Gates wanted to move away and see a new part of the country, but a conference for high school students at the university changed her mind.

The Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic Talent Conference is an annual conference that helps rising seniors in Mississippi find a place at the university. It was during the 2019 MOST Conference that Gates said she first fell in love with Ole Miss.

"I had never been on campus at that point," she said. "I didn't really know a whole lot about the culture, especially what it looked like for minority students, and so getting to experience MOST and getting to see the campus, getting to see like the Greek life on campus, I really enjoyed that.

"They really put Ole Miss on my radar. I really felt like this was home, like this was somewhere that I would like to be and somewhere that, as a student, I could progress."

After attending the conference – where she and 464 other rising seniors across Mississippi got to experience life on campus – Gates stayed in contact with her MOST mentors and applied to the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. She received a Stamps Scholarship – a highly competitive scholarship for students with academic excellence, leadership experience and exceptional character – which paid for all four years of her education.

I really felt like this was home, like this was somewhere that I would like to be and somewhere that, as a student, I could progress."

"When she told me she wanted to go to Ole Miss, I was shocked," said Kenya Wallace, Gates' mother. "We were from this little town, Bruce, and she wanted to go to this big university? I think it was a culture shock.

"She just had that determination. She has always been the type of person who strives for greatness. All during high school, she wanted to be the top. She was always striving to be the best."

But when she arrived on campus in fall 2020 – just after restrictions began easing for the COVID-19 pandemic – Gates felt a little lost and didn't know who to ask for help.

"A lot of this you're navigating, you're navigating for the first time," she said. "I didn't even have an in-person orientation because of COVID, so when I got here, there were a lot of things that I just didn't know. It was an isolating experience."

That's when she went to Ashleen Williams, instructional assistant professor in the Office of the Provost and faculty adviser to the First-Generation Student Network.

"I went in (Williams') office and did a one-on-one; she was like, 'How are things going?' and I just kind of dumped it all on her," Gates said. "She just said, 'OK, pull out your laptop.' And she walked me through it.

"That conversation really helped me to feel a little bit more confident about going through college. She played a vital part then and even now. She's one of my biggest motivators."

Alongside the First Generation Student Network, Gates also reached back out to her MOST mentors, who helped connect her with the Black Student Union, the NAACP and other student groups, which helped her find friends and feel at home again on campus.

Since her freshman year, Gates has traveled to 10 countries, become a scholar of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, served as a MOST mentor, traveled to Washington, D.C., as a part of the American Enterprise Institute and participated in the Delta Scholars Summer Institute.

As a Delta Scholar, Gates designed a plan to help rural Mississippians access mental health resources. She was later one of four students chosen to present their public service project before researchers of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

This spring, she traveled to Washington again to speak with Mississippi's representatives about legislation to address issues such as mental health, homelessness and trafficking as a part of the University of Alabama's School of Social Work's D.C. Fly-In advocacy program.

"I'm so proud that she's had these opportunities," her mother said. "She always tries to help people who are less fortunate than her. That's just her spirit.

"When she told me I wanted to be a social worker, she said, 'It's more hands-on and I'll get to help people.' It's just in her nature to want to help."

Gates is also a member of Gamma Beta Phi and of Ole Miss' inaugural class of Alpha Alpha Alpha, an honor society for first-generation college students.

"What stood out to me about Aaliyah was her deep commitment to community," Williams said. "She's very humble and unaware of how impressive she is.

"Aaliyah represents the very best of Mississippi. She's very grounded in who she is and where she comes from. She shows all the incredible potential that the state has."

After graduating in May, Gates plans to attend the University of Alabama to complete her master's degree in social work. Then she wants to make a difference in Mississippi.

"I want to give back to my community," she said. "We all go through challenges, and in the African American community, there is a stigma surrounding mental health care, but it can be toppled. That's where social work comes in.

"When you see someone who looks like you and can understand the experiences that you have had, that will be beneficial. That's how I want to give back – I want to be there for them."

See more photos from Aaliyah Gates' Journey to Commencement