Summerly Brown

Pinks and soft golds meld together across the early morning sky as I run up the gradually slopping sidewalk of the slumbering college town that I call home. My headphones pound a fast tempo beat while I breath in the cold fresh air of morning. I pass boutiques, local restaurants and of course maroon and white flags on every street corner.

This is my small piece of paradise. It's an escape from long city commutes, light pollution and constant road noise. Nestled just off of highway 82 in the foothills of north east Mississippi is a place called Starkville.

Mississippi has charm and southern hospitality. It's a place that has lost everything and has everything to gain. To some across the nation, its seen as a wasteland of backward ways and a harsh history. Opportunity is Mississippi's greatest future asset. It's this generation here and now, that can invest and revitalize this state.

I am not a native Mississippian nor do I have a southern accent. I am tied to this place in education, work and family history. The reality is I am a transplant Floridian who grew up in a beach town paradise. I struggle with ma'am and sir, never gained an appreciation for sweet tea, and cannot understand the term buggy for shopping carts.

I am a social media specialist for Mississippi State University. I am a runner, cyclist and swimmer. I have an obsession with Canadian progrock band RUSH. I am a masters student in my final year of my public policy and administration degree. I love major league baseball (specifically Tampa Bay Rays), cooking, photography, higher education, health and food policy.