The Gazebo Gazette
STARKVILLE (GG) — Alexandra Rieke is among 20 outstanding Mississippi State students receiving 2026-27 Presidential Endowed Scholarships, the university’s most prestigious undergraduate award.
Rieke, a freshman Natural Resource & Environmental Conservation major from Pass Christian, Mississippi, is receiving the Ottilie Schillig Presidential Endowed Scholarship. Presidential Scholars are members of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and possess strong academic skills, creativity and a drive for success.
Endowment-level gifts for the scholarships provide students with financial support to cover the cost of attending the university for four years. The experience offers a one-time educational enrichment scholarship for study-abroad opportunities, internships or other qualified academic pursuits, an undergraduate research fellowship award and mentoring.
To qualify, applicants must have a minimum 30 ACT/1330 SAT score, as well as have graduated with a minimum core or overall 3.75 high school GPA (based on a 4.0 scale). Recipients are expected to maintain an overall 3.4 GPA in their respective academic majors. Presidential Scholars can connect with members of the land-grant institution’s extensive research faculty and be part of the honors college’s summer-study program at Oxford University in England, among other enhanced learning experiences.
Mississippi State University is a national STEM-focused, doctoral degree-granting, land-grant university offering a wide range of educational experiences for learning and growth to a student body of more than 23,000 students. Holding the R1 “Very High Research Activity” designation from the Carnegie Foundation, MSU is committed to its comprehensive research university mission, addressing complex local and global challenges with innovative ideas and solutions. MSU also provides access and opportunity to students from all 50 states and 95 countries.
(Photo: Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum, center, pictured with 2026-27 Presidential Scholars, front row, from left: Kate James, Elizabeth Simpson, Maylee Gilmer, (President Keenum), Jacob Roark, Morgan Cheatham, Robert “Mac” Anderson; second row, from left: Justina Visgarra, Avi Anthony, Lincoln Morrison, Jackson Bacon, Sidney “Lee” McNeil, Elizabeth “Ellie” Kimble, Alexandra “Sev” Rieke; third row, from left: Samuel “Mason” Cordell, Nathan Williams, Brady Pure, Crosby Petro, Trevor Scott, Haratio Keys and Silas Walker. Photo by Grace Cockrell)
