Sitting down outside in 95 degree heat would normally be an issue for people, but not for Cecilia Trotter.
Trotter said that she enjoys the warm weather, despite it being the beginning of October; summer is her favorite season.
“You can be outside and it’s bright,” Trotter said. “I feel like it’s the happiest season.”
Trotter is to be crowned this year’s Miss Ole Miss on Saturday night at the homecoming game. She said that she never thought she would win, or even run for Miss Ole Miss. She said that after talking with some friends about it, she decided to run.
“I kind of talked it over with a friend, and we just talked about what we loved about Ole Miss and how we could share that with other people. And then we were like, ‘Let’s do it, whether people like it or not, because if people buy into it, it’ll impact somebody,’” Trotter said. “We had so much fun. I’m so glad I did it.”
Trotter’s platform for her Miss Ole Miss campaign was called Rebel Heart, meaning that no matter where someone is from or what they’re doing on campus, their actions are helping build the character of Ole Miss. She said that she wanted to celebrate and empower the student body.
“Whatever you’re doing matters right now, not only to yourself, but to the university and for the next steps that our future students are going to take,” Trotter said. “All of our actions, whether it’s studying all the time for a really hard test or working off-campus to make sure that you can graduate or being super involved on campus, that all matters because it’s something that’s going to be able to pave the way for our next students.”
Trotter said that deciding to attend Ole Miss was not a difficult decision to make, despite the fact that her family was divided: both of her grandfathers went to Ole Miss, but her brother went to Mississippi State.
“Once I narrowed down that I’m from Mississippi and I wanted to stay here, I actually took a tour of both Ole Miss and Mississippi State,” Trotter said. “I went to Ole Miss first and absolutely fell in love with it. And then I went to Mississippi State and left by lunch on their preview day because I just knew I felt at home (at Ole Miss).”
Sophomore Ella Endorf, a public policy leadership major, said that Trotter was one of the first people she met on campus and immediately made her feel welcome.
“She encouraged me to get outside of my comfort zone and take risks. She encouraged me to apply for the first year experience programs through ASB and was later one of the directors of programming for it,” Endorf said. “Her encouragement helped me meet people and make connections on campus.”
Junior Cade Slaughter, a public policy leadership major, agrees with Endorf’s claim that Trotter is very welcoming. He said that she was super encouraging of him when he decided to apply to become an orientation leader, and she is one of the reasons he applied.
“She let me sit in on her last orientation small group during a transfer orientation session, and I remember how intentional she was with me, an incoming orientation leader, and each transfer student in the room,” Slaughter said. “I will always remember that.”
Junior Catherine Day, a communication sciences and disorders major, grew up swimming with Trotter. Their moms were childhood best friends, according to Day.
Day said that when she first went to tour Ole Miss in high school, Trotter helped give her a tour and make the university feel like home before she even became a student. She said that Trotter introduced her to several of her best friends.
“She motivated me to get involved in the things that I am interested in and pushed me to be the best version of myself,” Day said.
Endorf said that if she could describe Trotter in two words, it would be “endlessly optimistic.”
“She finds the positives in every situation and brightens up every room she’s in,” Endorf said.
Trotter said that Ole Miss has impacted her in huge ways, and makes her feel like she’s at home.
“(Ole Miss) gave me so many opportunities that I didn’t expect,” Trotter said. “I have failed here, I’ve learned here, I have celebrated here.”
Trotter said that one of her favorite parts about being at Ole Miss is how there are so many opportunities to meet new people and learn more about others’ experiences.
“I feel like we have such unique and great students that all can excel in the things that they love, but also see each other outside of the classroom and be best friends with a completely different interest,” Trotter said.
Trotter said that Ole Miss gives a completely different college experience from other Mississippi schools.
“I’ve met people from all over, from different states — not just from Mississippi. So it gave me the opportunity to be in my home state but also grow outside of it a lot more,” Trotter said. “It just shows me so many places where not only our state and our school can go, but where our students can go no matter where you’re from.”
