Abigail Musser never saw herself as a “pageant” person.
But when her sister, Shanika, competed in Starkville’s Distinguished Young Women competition two years ago, Musser started to warm to the idea of throwing her hat in that ring when her time came.
“I really didn’t want to do it at first, but then I realized it wasn’t a pageant,” Musser said. “It’s about how smart you are and showing your true talent. Outward looks don’t matter.”
Not only did Musser win the local competition, she earned the Mississippi Distinguished Young Woman crown this weekend in Meridian, securing a $7,000 scholarship. She also will compete in the national DYW event, which will be in Mobile, Alabama, in June 2018.
With an impressive academic resume, Musser, only 16, is a rising Starkville High School senior. Musser began kindergarten in public school. However, she was home-schooled first through fifth grade. When she began her public schooling for the second time, she was a year ahead in coursework, allowing her to skip sixth grade.
Throughout her academic career, Musser said, she has always been math- and science-oriented, shining the brightest in those areas. Because of this, Musser continued, her college and career goals always leaned towards the engineering field, specifically environmental engineering.
“After my family took a trip to India, I saw firsthand how bad the pollution was: It was in the water, the air, everywhere,” Musser said. “It made me realize though, that not just in India, but places everywhere, need environmental engineers. I’ve always loved the environment, especially, and I want to help take care of it.”
Talented and diverse
Musser’s mother Rima Musser, is originally from India and her father Fred Musser is a Pennsylvania native, which has allowed her to become fully immersed in two very different cultures, she said.
“I think my culture makes me unique,” Musser said. “And because I have grown up in two that are completely different, it has shaped me into the open-minded and adventurous person I am today.”
In addition to high academic achievement, Musser plays sports, where she has also competed at the state-level for cross-country, track and pole vaulting. Also musically inclined, Musser plays the violin, which she performed for the talent portion of the DYW competition.
Susan Keith, 20-year chairperson for the DYW of Starkville Organization, said through her time working with Musser, she has come to know what she believes is the “all-around” young woman.
“She is truly one of the most genuine young women I have ever been around, and she is always so gracious and humble,” Keith said. “I know she is going to be a wonderful ambassador for both the city of Starkville and the state of Mississippi.”
Future plans
To complete her list of feats, Musser said, she hopes to finish her senior year as the salutatorian of Starkville High School’s class of 2019, clear nine feet in pole vaulting during her final season, and score a 4 or 5, with 5 being the highest, on all nine of the Advanced Placement (AP) course exams she takes during her high school career.
Although the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is her “dream college,” Musser said she is likely to stay loyal to Starkville and follow in her sister’s footsteps to Mississippi State University to further her academic career, due to scholarship opportunities.
Throughout her reign as DYW of Mississippi, Musser said she plans to speak to other students about being healthy, ambitious, involved and studious, and to encourage other young women to pursue their true passions — especially science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields — if that is where their interests lay.
Most importantly, Musser said, she wants to encourage all other girls to get involved with the DYW organization, no matter what their original thoughts may be.
“If this were a true beauty pageant, I wouldn’t have ever won,” Musser said with a laugh. “But it’s not. It’s a scholarship program, a great opportunity, and a way to get involved that many girls may not think about.”
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