Contact: Diane Godwin

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State senior Flora Dedeaux is the 2022 Student of the Year for the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, joining other MSU students and professionals receiving honors during the organization’s recent PRism Awards ceremony.

The PRAM Student of the Year Award, presented by C Spire, honors Dedeaux’s dedication to the public relations field and provides a $1,000 scholarship. She will graduate with honors this semester, earning a Bachelor of Arts in communication with concentrations in public relations and broadcasting and a minor in marketing. In addition to holding a 4.0 grade point average, the Gulfport native is an MSU Presidential Scholar, National Merit Scholarship finalist and member of the Shackouls Honors College and Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Among other activities, Dedeaux serves as a student communication and marketing coordinator for the MSU Office of Student Affairs. In her junior year, she served as the public relations coordinator for Bulldog Bash, the largest outdoor concert in the state. After graduation, Dedeaux wants to pursue a public relations career in the music industry. 

MSU senior Laken Laird received the Gregory Raimondo Outstanding Public Relations Student Award and a $500 scholarship presented by the PRAM River City Chapter. The upcoming honors graduate from Meridian worked in public relations as she completed her undergraduate degree in communication while maintaining a 3.83 GPA. Laird served as a creative coordinator with the Public Relations and Integrated Student Media Agency and assisted in marketing for a commercial company. After graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in media management and continue working full time as a social media manager.

The PRism Awards recognize outstanding work by Mississippians in the public relations field and celebrate select individuals for their contributions to the profession in both the public and private sectors.

In total, 33 professional projects were honored this year for outstanding work.

Those recognized from MSU include:

Professional Awards of Excellence

—MSU Extension Service, Agricultural Communications; “Extension Matters,” advertising and publications

—Emily Creel and Bethany Deuel, MSU Social Science Research Center; “SSRC Annual Report 2021,” advertising and publications

—MSU Office of Public Affairs, “Mississippi State University 2021 National Commercial,” audio and video

—Leah Barbour, Beth Barron, Ellen Graves and Kevin Hudson; MSU Extension Service, “Finding Perspective,” writing

—Bryanna Trulove, Sarah Colvert and Sophia Calderon; MSU PRISM, MSU Department of Communication, “MSU Office of the Provost, ‘Cowbell Core,’” potpourri

Professional Certificates of Merit

—Checky Herrington, Heather Rowe and Bethany Shipp; MSU Office of Public Affairs; “MSU’s Winter Express 2021 Campaign,” marketing

—David Ammon, Vanessa Beeson, Karen Brasher and Taylor Vollin; Mississippi State Agricultural and Natural Resources Marketing, “MAFES Sales Store Valentine's Day Campaign,” social media management

—Bryanna Trulove, Sarah Colvert and Sophia Calderon; MSU PRISM, MSU Department of Communication, “MSU Office of the Provost, ‘Cowbell Core,’” potpourri

Student Best of Show Award

—Elly Lamb and Savannah Munn, MSU PRISM, MSU Department of Communication, “The Starkville Area Arts Council Curating an Online Presence”

For more information, visit www.pramonline.org.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.