The University of Mississippi announced 10 senior inductees to the 2022-2023 Hall of Fame class, with honorees being recognized in a ceremony held at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
The honorees are Preston D. Antes, Jilkiah L. Bryant, Andy Flores, Kelly Li, Preston McWilliams, Rabria M. Moore, Sepp Cecil, Logan C. Thomas, Margaret Lynn Walker and Morgan B. Whited.
“I’m very proud of this year’s Hall of Fame inductee class,” Brent Marsh, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students, said. “They are a diverse group of student leaders who have made significant contributions on the University of Mississippi campus, the LOU community and well beyond.”
Andy Flores, a public policy and leadership major, thanked the university and many others for giving him the opportunity to succeed.
“As the first in my family to go to college, being inducted into the UM Hall of Fame is an honor. I am truly indebted to all of the friends, educators and staff members on campus who have guided me and inspired my path,” Flores said. “I am a leader because this university took a chance on me. I hope to repay that one day.”
Rabria Moore, another honoree and the outgoing editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian, expressed her gratitude for the recognition.
“I’m grateful to receive this award because, in part, it acknowledges that my service to this university hasn’t gone unnoticed. The university has given so much to me, in terms of education, experience and opportunities,” Moore said. “I’m happy to know that I was able to give a little back to this university.”
Moore thanked her family and teachers for their support.
“It’s my name being added to the Hall of Fame, but this honor isn’t possible without my family, friends and the many educators who’ve poured into me over the years. I am who I am because they provided me with the resources to grow and thrive as an individual,” Moore said.
Moore recently received a Fulbright award for an English teaching assistantship in Zambia. She plans to teach in Zambia for a year and then pursue a Masters of Education in Education Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
“My ultimate goal is to work in the education field and hopefully facilitate positive change within the education system,” Moore said. “These last four years have definitely been some of the best years of my life and receiving this honor is the perfect way to end my time at the university.”
Kelly Li, a public policy and leadership major from Hattiesburg, expressed her joy that she could celebrate her honor openly now that the results have been released.
“I’ve been keeping the news a secret for the past couple of months now. It feels surreal getting to finally share it and getting to celebrate it with others. Everywhere I go, someone is congratulating me on this honor, and it makes me feel like I did something right and accomplished something really special,” Li said.
Li hopes her honor can serve as inspiration and proof for other students of color that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
“I believe the biggest accomplishment is showing the next generation of students of color that come behind me that anything is possible, including the greatest honor on this campus,” Li said.
Li urged students to find something they were passionate about and pursue it.
“There isn’t a cheat code to being inducted into the Hall of Fame. You don’t have to be the smartest, the most involved or the most popular person on campus by any means,” Li said. “Find something that you are passionate about and work tirelessly to leave an impact in it. That is a true legacy and the biggest honor, getting to leave something better behind for others that come after us.”
Li, who plans on attending law school, is passionate about improving public school education, civil rights, criminal justice, sports and entertainment law in the state of Mississippi.
“I could not have done this without the love and support of my parents, my brother Addam Li (a sophomore at UM), Justice Rose, Caleb Bohannon, Jonathan Mingo, Dr. Jennifer Simmons, Professor Chris Sparks, Dr. Bob Brown, Dr. Melissa Bass, Dr. Jennifer Parsons, Dr. Ashleen Williams, Donte Ferrell, and many more I wish I had the space to name and thank,” Li said.
