As a high school student, Isabella Garrard spent time on Mississippi State’s campus for the John C. Stennis Novice Speech and Debate Tournament and quickly fell in love with the university.

“By the time I was ready to apply to college, MSU already felt like my second home,” she said. “Choosing to apply was an easy decision.”

Now a data science major with a concentration in marketing and supply chain analytics, the MSU honors college sophomore has turned that early sense of belonging into a launchpad for extraordinary academic and leadership achievements.

As a first-generation college student from Hattiesburg, navigating higher education meant entering uncharted territory. While her parents fully supported her ambitions, the process of admissions, financial aid and campus life were unfamiliar.

“My parents were supportive the moment I mentioned I wanted to attend college. But as a first-time applicant for state aid, tracking scholarships and figuring out how to communicate that back to my family was stressful at times,” she said. “But despite these challenges, I’m proud to attend an institution that offers real resources and support for students like me.”

Those resources unlocked opportunities through the Division of Access, Opportunity and Success, where she joined TRIO and the Promise Scholars Program. Both initiatives provide first-generation students with mentorship, a sense of community, and academic, professional and personal development to help shape their careers at MSU.

Her involvement with these programs opened doors to research with the Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security and earned her a spot in the inaugural Career Connections Academy cohort.

She cofounded the Group for Undergraduate AI Research and Development, serves as president of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, is a member of the Bulldog Mentor Program and Formula SAE business team, and represents her peers as an Undergraduate Research Student Ambassador in the honors college and a Data Science Student Ambassador.

“What started as a handful of research hours during my freshman fall has since grown into co-founding a research group, working with a university center and leading a student organization,” Garrard said. “Each step felt like a natural next one at the time, but looking back, I am surprised by how far that early curiosity has taken me.”