A native of Noxubee County, Karien Dixon graduated from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in 2013.

Dixon received full scholarship offers from each school she applied to, as well as two scholarships from Noxubee County. She attends Tugaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, where she became a Jackson Heart Study Scholar, which awarded her a 4 year scholarship of approximately $22,000. Dixon majors in Chemistry Pre-Med with a minor in Biology.

Dixon explains, “My ultimate goal is to graduate medical school and become a medically innovative physician.”

Dixon has traveled the nation participating in summer research internships such as MSU and Washington University at St. Louis Medical School. She has participated in multiple research conferences such as the Annual Biomedical Research Conference in Seattle, Washington and the Emerging Research Conference in Washington, D.C.

“The best opportunity I’ve had,” Dixon explained, “was traveling to Anchorage, Alaska this past summer with the United States Coast Guard and the Arctic Domain Awareness Center in gathering research to then format and compose a document about the development of a deep draft port on the Alaskan coast, which will be presented to the US Congress.”

Along with the opportunities above, Dixon serves as an ambassador for her college and department. She serves under-served communities around the Jackson are through food drives. In addition, she tutors at the local impoverished schools.

Dixon was asked how MSMS helped and affected her to get where she is today.

Dixon replied, “MSMS prepared me to be a successful college student. They laid a great foundation that was needed to not only graduate college but to also have a successful college career. They also gave me wonderful memories and my best friends.”