Contact: Katherine Spiering

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Five Mississippi State upperclassmen are 2016 Lora J. DeFore Scholars in the university’s Department of Communication.

Seniors Mary Frances Broadhead of Mendenhall, Anna N. Grider of Huntsville, Alabama, Ashley M. Madison of McCalla, Alabama, and Sean E. McCarthy of Sioux City, Iowa, along with junior Nolan I. Hicks of Steens, are the latest selections for the DeFore Memorial Endowed Internships.

A former Kentucky resident who taught in the department for nearly 20 years, Defore died in 2009 following a long battle with cancer. The awards are a memorial to the popular faculty member known for encouraging communication majors to seek internships to enhance their educational experience and employment opportunities.

Open to all departmental majors, the recognition program is designed to assist with relocation costs associated with summer internships that must be secured through individual initiatives. To participate, applicants must have completed at least 45 hours of academic coursework, with an overall 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average.

During the summer, the five students shared distribution of $5,000.  

Grider, Hicks and McCarthy are members of MSU’s Shackouls Honors College and, with Madison, also are President’s List Scholars. Broadhead is a Dean’s List Scholar.

A Simpson County Academy graduate concentrating in public relations, Broadhead worked this summer in the Washington, D.C. office of Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran. Also pursuing a second degree in political science/pre-law, she currently works with MSU’s ACCESS Program and previously interned with Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus.

Grider, a Covenant Christian Academy graduate concentrating in public relations, interned in Ardmore, Oklahoma, with the nonprofit Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. She is a member of the Famous Maroon Band and a student recruiter for the MSU Roadrunners program.

Hicks, who was home-schooled, is concentrating in broadcasting. He interned in Brooklyn, New York, with 1stAveMachine, a film, television and digital content production company. He previously worked with the national Lamplighter Ministries and MSU’s Information Technology Services.

Madison, a McAdory High School graduate concentrating in public relations, worked in Dallas, Texas, with the LDWW Group, a public relations firm. On campus, she is communications manager for the university’s EcoCAR 3 Team, a continuing leader in national automotive engineering competition.

McCarthy, a Union Grove High School graduate concentrating in journalism, worked in Washington for Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Also pursuing a second degree in political science, he works on campus as an information assistant at Nunnelee Residence Hall.

In addition to broadcasting, journalism and public relations, MSU’s communication department offers academic concentrations in communication studies and theatre.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.