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School of Journalism and New Media
University of Mississippi

Journey to Commencement

The University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media congratulates the Class of 2022. Here are a few profiles of some of our outstanding graduates. The students shared thoughts on what drew them to UM, what they learned on their
Journey to Commencement, their favorite classes and professors, and their future plans.


You can read additional graduation stories at this link.

Click the images below to read their stories.

By LaReeca Rucker

Orlando native Catherine Jeffers had a stellar academic career and earned a Taylor Medal for her hard work. After serving as sports editor for the Daily Mississippian - one of the few women who has ever done so - she is eager to move to New York City to pursue a career in sports communications.
The graphic features a graduation cap and a picture of Benjamin Wilson, an IMC student, who will be the first in his family to graduate from college.
A. J. Norwood dreams of becoming a national sports reporter and an attorney. The graphic features hands stacking blocks with icons on them. The top block features a graduation cap.
Jackson Sepko has worked for Ole Miss Athletics for three years and plans to pursue a career in digital marketing for a sports company.
Elise-Joelle Denoulet, 24, came to the United States for the first time as an study abroad exchange student in Georgia. When the year ended, she returned to her home in 2022 graduate Elise-Joelle Denoulet, 24, came to the U.S. first as an exchange student in Georgia from Lille, France and decided to return to attend graduate school at the University of Mississippi. , France.
Taylor Tucker graduated from UM in May of 2020. That year, she was hired as a multimedia journalist at WTVA in Tupelo. Now, the 2022 master's grad also works as the station's morning and weekend anchor.
Mary Chapman Johnson is one graduate who has proven that hard work pays off. The graphic features a graduation cap.
Integrated marketing communications is Arabella Hamm's DNA. With a mom who has worked as a brand strategist and a father who was a creative director, studying IMC came natural, but it took her a while to realize that she had been on an IMC career path since she was a teenager.
An Oxford native with a family journalism legacy is gaining recognition for his sports storytelling skills with NFL Films. Merrick McCool works in the camera department for the television production company and he was inducted into UM's Hall of Fame.