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He's always been a fan of the land-grant institution, so when the time came to decide where he wanted to pursue his college education, Ethan D. Scott says Mississippi State was a natural choice.

"Mississippi State's campus is really nice. I may be biased because I work for campus landscape, though," jokes the sophomore biological sciences/nursing major who aspires to one day become a nursing anesthetist.

"Perry's been a huge support in everything that I've done, and he's always helping me out," the Hurley native says of his experience in working with irrigation and land construction supervisor Perry Sellars.

Recently named Mississippi National Guard's 2015 Soldier of the Year and Regional Soldier of the Year runner-up, the son of Rev. Brian F. Scott and ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ alumnus Charity Scott says his interest in the military was inspired by his grandfather.

"My grandfather used to fly helicopters and I wanted to fly, so he's always been a role model for me," says Scott. "I looked at all of the different branches, and I chose the National Guard because I wanted to go to school and also be in the military." After obtaining his degree from ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ, he plans to attend anesthesia school and, one day, flight school in hopes of becoming a pilot.

Enjoying his ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ and military careers, Scott says he looks forward to having more opportunities to expand his horizons.

"My classes at ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ have been really challenging, but I've learned a lot through them. I think they've done a really good job of preparing me for what I want to do," he explains. His younger brother Noah also attends the state's flagship research university.

"I went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for two months for my basic training, and then I went to Sam Houston for four months to do my medic training," Scott says. "We stayed in 80-men barracks, so I got to meet different types of people and make a bunch of friends."

Attending ÌÒÌ«ÀÉÓ³Ïñ and serving in the Mississippi National Guard, he adds, have "definitely been good experiences."