Ten seniors at the University of Mississippi were inducted into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame on Friday, April 4 at the Gertrude C. Ford Center.
Brent Marsh, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, shared his pride in this year’s inductees.
“I’m incredibly proud of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees,” Marsh said in a university press release. “They have accomplished so much during their undergraduate years, and I fully anticipate many future success stories.”
The Ole Miss Hall of Fame acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to enriching campus life during their time at the university.
This year’s honorees are Jana Abdrabbo, Jack Baker, Christian Boudreaux, Aashish Dhakal, Jesse Gordon, Madeline Mueller, David Phillips Jr., Ethan Robertson, Justice Rose and Hannah Watts.
Abdrabbo is an international studies major from Madison, Miss. Abdrabbo has served as principal of External Affairs of the Associated Student Body and president of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Minority Engagement Council.
A biological sciences major from Madison, Miss., Baker served as vice president and new member educator for the Columns Society.
Baker expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be recognized by the university he has been connected to since childhood.
“Being inducted into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame is an incredible honor, as I have grown up in and around the university, coming up for sporting events like this since I was a little kid,” Baker said. “The opportunities this university has provided me with are greater than I could have ever imagined, and I am so grateful to have been able to give back in a small way to this school that has been so central to my life.”
Boudreaux, a biology major from Oxford, is founder of the club Aquaculture and served as president of Hill Country Roots. He is also the recipient of the Marshall, Truman and Goldwater scholarships.
After receiving the honor, Boudreaux reflected on his time with the university.
“As I get to the end of my time at Ole Miss, I look back and take into account the impact I had on campus, and this honor was a big way to reminisce,” Boudreaux said. “I have always done what I do from a place of passion or interest, so it is very special and humbling to be recognized for.”
Dhakal, a computer science major from Ilam, Nepal., served as president of Tech Jam: The Coding and Interview Preparation Club. He also co-founded Ole Miss Hack and is director of operations for Ole Miss Hacks.
Gordon is a multidisciplinary studies major with minors in biological sciences, chemistry and mathematics from Lucedale, Miss. Gordon is vice president for Gamma Beta Phi honor society. He is also the founder of UM Tooth Fairy, a student-led organization that serves the LOU community and school districts by raising awareness about dental hygiene among elementary students.
Mueller, a psychology major from Tulsa, Okla., has held the roles of executive director of Ole Miss Ambassadors and co-president of Special Olympics Ole Miss.
Mueller expressed appreciation to be among the honorees.
“Being included into the Hall of Fame, alongside nine other truly incredible peers, is an honor,” Mueller said. “I’ve always looked up to the students who came before me and made a real difference on campus, so to be recognized in this way is both humbling and deeply meaningful.”
Phillips, a biology major from Hattiesburg, Miss., serves as a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College senator, philanthropy chair of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and as a member of the Columns Society.
Phillips, who organized donor drives for Be The Match philanthropy, shared his appreciation for the honor.
“Honestly, I don’t know if it has fully soaked in,” Phillips said. “I feel so honored that the university would recognize me for this award. Ole Miss means so much to me, and I am truly grateful.”
Rose is a journalism major from Madison, Miss. Rose is the opinion editor for The Daily Mississippian and a Stamps scholar. He also has served as vice president of NAACP Oxford.
Rose found the induction humbling.
“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame has left me incredibly humbled to stand among and add to a cohort of extraordinary individuals,” Rose said. “Driven by my dad’s untimely passing when I was 14, I made it my mission when I came to this university to do great things that would make him proud; I feel confident he is proud of me.”
Watts, a secondary English education and public policy leadership double major from Hattiesburg, Miss., is past president of the Associated Student Body.
Watts said she used this achievement to reflect on her time at the university.
“To me, being inducted into the Hall of Fame at UM means a time to reflect on those that have helped me to excel as a servant to my community, (in my) academics and as a leader,” Watts said. “I have so much gratitude for the professors I sought out, student leaders who took the time to pour into me and organizations that took a chance on me.”
Robertson is a political science major from Pontotoc, Miss. He has contributed to the university as principal of First Year Encounters for the Associated Student Body. Robertson also serves as president of the Men’s Club Volleyball team.
“I came into Ole Miss as a first-generation college student with the only goal in mind to graduate and make a change in this university, so this has been one of my happiest achievements ever,” Robertson said. “I am so thankful for all my friends and fellow executive members within my organizations that have helped me turn every dream into a reality.”
The Daily Mississippian reached out to Abdrabbo, Dhakal and Gordon for comment, but they did not respond by the time of publication.
