Morgan Nelson receives the Spirit of State Award at MSU

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN)—Morgan Nelson has received the Spirit of State Award at Mississippi State University. The Vicksburg native officially received the honors on Sunday.

Over the last few years, Nelson has been in the spotlight for her various amounts of achievements at Mississippi State University. In 2021, she made the MSU spirit squad and by 2023, she was selected to participate in the undergraduate portion of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program.

Nelson also took the reins as the 65th Miss Mississippi State University, where she served until passing the torch to Vicksburg native Sarah Randolph in 2024.

“As a woman, I am super super excited to have been given the opportunity to represent Mississippi State University this year, 2024, during my reign. I’m so excited for further events, different appearances and even the Miss Mississippi competition in 2024,” Nelson said after winning Miss MSU.

Today, Morgan proudly serves as Miss Vicksburg 2025. 

About the Spirit of State Awards:

The university’s premier student award, the Spirit of State Award, recognizes exceptional personal contributions to student life at Mississippi State University. Students from all MSU campuses, freshmen to graduate, may be nominated for this Student Affairs recognition.

The Spirit of State Award formally honors those students who have excelled in campus involvement, service to the university, and have made an impact on their peers and the broader campus community. Winners will be recognized for their outstanding Spirit of State contributions at a special recognition ceremony on Friday, April 25, 2025.