Terence Stringfellow has spent nearly a year working as the customer service manager for Mississippi State Parking and Transit Services, but a lifetime of experiences have prepared him to better serve the MSU community.

As captain of the Belhaven University men’s basketball team, Stringfellow helped many different personality types work toward a goal of success on the hardwood. Now, on a busy day, he assists dozens of MSU students, faculty, staff and visitors with their parking and transportation needs.

“When I was a team captain, I was dealing with a lot of different people with different backgrounds, and I think that prepared me for this role,” Stringfellow said. “I love being around the people, helping people out. A lot of people come in frustrated. You can’t make everybody smile, but it’s good to help as many people as we can.”

Although Stringfellow had a successful college basketball career, the sport was not always easy for him. The Memphis native was the tallest seventh grader in his class at school. However, his athletic skills needed more time to develop, which meant the tallest student was cut from the basketball team. But with hard work, Stringfellow’s basketball talents blossomed in high school, leading to educational and athletic opportunities.

“I love talking to high school and middle school kids now,” Stringfellow said. “I tell them ‘I know you’re down about not making the team, but I was 6’2 and got cut from a basketball team in middle school.’ I use that to encourage them. I got cut, but I still got a college scholarship and had a great career.”

Although he went to Belhaven, Stringfellow has grown up “maroon and white.” His father, Don, was a standout track and field athlete at MSU in the late 1970s.
Stringfellow said growing up an MSU fan made him want to pursue a career working at the university. He began his current job in 2017 after stints working at Artisent Floors in Memphis and his high school alma mater, Evangelical Christian School. A “pretty big chunk” of Stringfellow’s graduating class at ECS came to Mississippi State, which gave him plenty of opportunities to visit Starkville while he was in school at Belhaven.

“A lot of my friends that I graduated with in high school were here, so whenever we finished practice or something, it wasn’t a long drive to come up here and hang out,” Stringfellow said. “Whatever was going on, I just wanted to come down here and be a part of it. Even when I was at Belhaven, in the back of my head I knew I had to get to MSU someday.”

Now that Stringfellow has learned the ropes in Parking and Transit Services, he is enrolling in MSU’s master’s in public policy and administration degree program this fall. He hopes in a few years to fulfill one of his longtime goals of having an MSU degree hanging in his office.

“I’m here to help the university in any way possible,” Stringfellow said. “I walk around campus now, and if I see trash I’ll pick it up because I think we have one of the most beautiful campuses. I know that’s not my role, but I love the campus so I want to keep it looking good. I plan on being at Mississippi State a really long time, so everything I’m doing now is going to help me prepare for what the future holds.”