JTC 24: Accolades for Azurrea

Azurrea Curry, a senior secondary English education major at the University of Mississippi, found her decision to teach was as easy as figuring out a preschooler's puzzle.

"I love to care about people, my family, my friends," the Gulfport native said. "I love English. And I love to learn. So I knew that the best way to put the three together was education."

Curry is graduating summa cum laude in May. She is a Taylor medalist, one of the 10 students chosen for the 2023-24 UM student Hall of Fame, a Stamps scholar, Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program fellow and member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.

She has been accepted and plans to go to the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City for graduate school.

She said another reason she went into education is that she's always had good teachers, and her parents cared a lot about education for their four children. Azurrea is the second youngest.

"My mom would sit us down every day after school to do our homework, and we couldn't move until we were finished," she said. "And we got bribed. You could have $10 for each A or something like that."

One of Curry's education professors said she embodies the attributes the School of Education values in its preservice teachers.

"Azurrea is dedicated to meeting the needs of all learners and is a reflective professional, always striving to enhance her teaching practices to make a meaningful difference in the lives of her students," said Ann Monroe, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of teacher education. 

"Her positive energy is palpable. She is poised to make a difference in the lives of children and the education profession as a whole."

Curry met her student-teaching requirement at Oxford Middle School, teaching seventh graders, and found both challenges and rewards.

"People use the COVID thing a lot," she said. "But that definitely has changed education in the sense that sometimes I'm in the classroom and I'll be teaching something, and it's, like, how to spell a simple word. And they don't know how, and I was like, 'Oh, my goodness, did you skip the third grade?'

"And they did skip the third grade, they really did. And that really took a toll on their ability to read and think about things and process their emotions."

Sometimes, Curry said, she has to remind herself that she can't fix everything.

"Reward-wise is the fact that I did get to be with them every day for a year," she said. "So even if I can't face everything, I get to be a part of showing them love and care."

Curry downplays her academic and artistic abilities with cheerfulness and infectious laughter, yet one of her professors said this about her:

"In our honors class, I found her fellow students mesmerized – even moved to tears – by her spoken words," said Bruce Levingston, the Honors College artist-in-residence. "Her writing is equally impressive, charged with a powerfully moving and searching spirit that reveals tremendous grace."

Curry said she found it difficult to believe in herself while growing up, partly due to being one of the few Black girls where she lived.

"There wasn't a lot of representation for me. That took a toll on how I perceived myself and how I would look in the mirror."

She might have turned out differently if not for teachers who believed in her and challenged her to think. Jimmy Barnes, her high school AP literature teacher, would tell her that she could accomplish great things if she liked herself a little more.

I got to the point where I was like, I only want to be involved in and be a leader in the things that mean something to me."

"He wrote me this long letter about how I just need to realize my worth," she said. "I reread it so often my junior and senior year. I still read it sometimes."

At Ole Miss, Curry took Honors 101 and 102 with Robert Brown, professor of political science. Curry remembered a pivotal essay he assigned for class.

"I had to sit down and talk about myself and think about who I wanted to be, who I could be, who I was," she recalled. "And I think that was the catapult to me accomplishing things because I was finally like, 'Oh, I guess I'm OK.'"

Brown remains one of her favorite professors after her four years at Ole Miss.

"I love him so much," she said. "He's just the sweetest person ever. And he really challenges you to think. More than I want to, or wanted to at the time."

Brown said he is grateful for the opportunity to teach Curry and get to know her.

"Even as a freshman, Azurrea possessed a keen insight that enabled her to see to the heart of the issues we discussed in class," he said. "I see a thoughtfulness, decency and quiet strength in Azurrea that will serve her well, regardless of whatever path she takes or what life throws at her." 

During Curry's time as an Ole Miss student, she studied abroad five times, visiting Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Australia, plus Amsterdam and London.

Among her other accomplishments, she is co-director of Miracle Family Relations for RebelTHON, benefiting Mississippi's only children's hospital; president of the SMBHC Minority Engagement Council; and a School of Education ambassador.

She has been a member of Mortar Board, NAACP, Rebels for Christ Campus Ministry, Delta Gamma sorority and Order of Omega. She has tutored children in the Oxford-Lafayette County area through Jumpstart, Leap Frog and Mission Acceleration.

"In the beginning, I was doing things just for my resume because I thought that was important," Curry said. "And then I got to the point where I was like, I only want to be involved in and be a leader in the things that mean something to me."

While her favorite extracurricular activity was RebelTHON, Curry said another memorable moment was her final presentation for the class she took with Levingston last semester.

"We had our final presentations at his house," she said. "And we all had to create a piece of art, about anything we wanted, any type of art. Some people did paintings. One girl, she did 3D printings of a playlist from our class. I wrote because that's all I know how to do. So I just wrote a little blurb.

"Anyways, just that final exam in his house, eating around the table with him and listening to all of these people share art. And none of us would call ourselves artists necessarily, not all of us in that class, but being able to be in that space and feel so welcome, together like that. That final exam is something I'm never going to forget."

Levingston returned the compliment.

"Azurrea Curry is one those rare students one immediately recognizes as a natural born leader and teacher," he said. "She possesses unique gifts of human insight and empathy derived from her own deep engagement and growth with her life experiences. She expresses her thoughts with unusual clarity, depth and eloquence.

"Azurrea has touched all of us at the university and Honors College who have had the privilege to meet, know and learn from her. I have no doubt that she will continue to effect significant, positive change in our society and will be a shining light and force for good amongst us."

See more photos from Azurrea Curry's Journey to Commencement