��ֱ�� Alumni Delegates announce latest winner of ‘free’ tuition

Eryn Sanders (holding check, at right), a freshman kinesiology major from Belden, is surprised during class with a check for spring tuition after winning the ��ֱ�� Alumni Association’s free tuition drawing. She was presented with the check by ��ֱ�� Alumni Delegates, from left, Elizabeth Shapley, Nolan Cannon, Will Basden, Quin Gray, Jon Stockton and William Johnson. (Photo by Russ Houston)

STARKVILLE, Miss.— Student Eryn Sanders of Belden is the latest winner of the ��ֱ�� Alumni Association’s tuition drawing.

Sponsored by the association’s Alumni Delegates student organization, the drawing provides funding for 12 academic credit hours at the land-grant institution—$4,104 or the equivalent of a typical semester’s tuition.

Begun in 2013, the Tuition Drawing program is available each fall and spring semester to a Mississippi resident. Tickets are available only to parents of those ��ֱ�� students enrolled full time.

Sanders’ name was drawn November 9 from 461 individual names submitted, resulting from 2,788 tickets purchased. A freshman studying kinesiology, she receives the award for the spring 2018 semester. She is the daughter of Esther and Greg Sanders of Belden.

“Receiving tuition for next semester was definitely a surprise and also an answered prayer. This gift overwhelmed me with joy and I will remember and always be grateful for it in the many years to follow,” said Sanders, one of seven children.

Jeff Davis, the alumni association’s executive director, said though only six years old, the program has “become a proud tradition for the Alumni Delegates because it serves as a way for them to positively influence the college experience of fellow students.”

He added, “The most recent ticket sales raised $11,656, with additional proceeds over the amount of the tuition placed toward scholarships for students and priority programs within our association.”

Alumni Delegates serve as links between the almost 140-year-old land-grant institution and its nearly 140,000 living graduates. Members assist with organizational programs and activities on behalf of the association such as football tailgate gatherings, class reunions and the association’s annual awards banquet and leadership conference.

For more information about the ��ֱ�� Alumni Association’s tuition drawing, contact Libba Andrews, association associate director, at 662-325-3479 or landrews@alumni.msstate.edu.

��ֱ�� is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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