A Starkville High School student says Mississippi State and its connection to historic legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln led to her ideas in a winning essay, which recently earned her a prized scholarship.
Kelley Mazzola recently took the top prize offered by a national scholarly forum devoted to preserving the memory of the 16th president. The award covered the entire cost of attending the annual 2012 Lincoln Forum, held during the fall in Gettysburg, Pa.
The Starkville High School junior has been a history buff since childhood. Like her father, she enjoys reading books and watching historical documentaries. In fact, she loves it so much, she’s planning a professional career as a historian.
“She’s a little history sponge,” said father Michael S. “Mike” Mazzola, a professor at the university, though not in history. His field is electrical and computer engineering and his research areas include power electronics and high voltage, rather than Ft. Sumter or Appomattox.
Kelley Mazzola’s love of history is so strong that it spurred her to become a member of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, whose offices are located at MSU’s Mitchell Memorial Library, along with the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Collection.
The Grant files are a trove of resources and memorabilia for professional and novice historians alike. They are curated by John F. Marszalek, the executive director and the presidential library’s managing editor.
Marszalek, an MSU Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, was impressed with the student’s deep love for history, so much so that he encouraged her to submit an essay to the Lincoln Forum scholarship program.
One of two nationally receiving the 2012 awards, Mazolla was selected on the basis of her examination of the Morrill Act, signed by Lincoln in 1862 to, among other things, establish land-grant institutions such as MSU. In her composition, she detailed how the historic legislation had a direct and personal impact on her life, as well as her father’s current employment.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.