The new class of 2019 received their letters inviting them to a spot at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science this week. In the last five weeks of their high school career at MSMS, seniors recall the moment that began their journey at the school: receiving their acceptance letter.

Caroline Smith, a senior at MSMS from Newton shared, “I remember getting my letter. I didn’t really want to get in, because I wasn’t really ready for MSMS, but when I got in, I thought ‘I have to go now.’ I wasn’t really excited about it because I was really scared. It was something my parents pressured me into.” However, she said attending MSMS has “definitely” helped when applying and getting ready for colleges, and she holds no regrets about coming.

Kallia Cooper from Hattiesburg said, “I was pretty exited… My letter came late-just a couple of days. I was worried that they thought ‘Agh you weren’t good enough for us to even let you know you didn’t get in.’ My mom and I were going to the store two days after the rest of my class got theirs, and we went to the mailbox. We picked it up, I was driving, and my momma threatened, ‘If you don’t pull the car over right now, and open that letter I swear to God.’ The letter read ‘Congratulations, you got in’ and I was like ‘Oh my God I got in!’ And then my mom took me to get ice cream.”

“I was pretty anxious the day I got it,” said Braedan Foldenauer, a student from DeSoto County. “Ryan Hopson, my roommate and best friend since 8th Grade, called me saying ‘I have a secret, but I can’t tell you.’ After five minutes, he said ‘I can’t hold it in any longer, I got into MSMS!’ So I checked the mailbox, but I beat the mail man by two hours. So I waited for the mail man for two hours, and I got in! I don’t really get excited about things, so I told Ryan ‘I got in!’ and that was the extent of that.”

Holiday Garrison from Pascagoula said, “I was really upset because I saw all the people from camp on Snapchat saying they got their letters, and I live very far away, so I didn’t get it until days after everyone else did. So I thought they sent rejection letters after acceptance, and I was really depressed because I was so late. I was on my phone in school, and my mom texted, ‘You got a huge letter in the mail today from MSMS. OMG.’ She brought it to me after school, and it said I got in and I was very excited.”

New student orientation begins this Saturday morning, and the exiting class welcomes the class beginning their journey.