Seniors Brooke Dennis and Law Stanley have been named Mississippi State University Presidential Scholars. Each year MSU gives its most prestigious scholarship to a small number of its most outstanding incoming freshmen who demonstrate excellence in academics, test scores, and high school and community leadership. The scholarship covers their tuition and housing for four years of undergraduate study and significant stipends for study abroad and undergraduate research. The 2025 Presidential Scholarship was awarded to 40 students from a pool of more than 700.
To qualify for the scholarship, the applicants must have a minimum ACT score of 30 or an SAT score of 1360. Applicants must also have an overall GPA of 3.75 to qualify and are expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.4 to continue eligibility for the scholarship throughout college.
Brooke Dennis
Among her many accomplishments and leadership roles, Brooke has served on Youth Leadership Jackson, as a JA Ambassador, as a leadership team member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as editor of the JA Chronicle Newspaper, and on the leadership team for JA volleyball. For Infinity Volleyball Academy, she has served as a Rec League Coach.
On JA’s Academy Honor Roll since 2018, Brooke is a member of the National Honor Society, as well as honor societies in math, English, social studies, science, and Spanish. She was named a Lott Leadership Scholar.
In sports, she is a member of the archery team, the basketball team, the volleyball team, and track and field. Her athletic pursuits have won recognition through JA and external sports organizations.
Law Stanley
Law’s accomplishments include attaining the rank of Eagle Scout, participating in national science competitions, and having an active role both on and off campus in areas of service. His Eagle Scout service project involved meeting the need for books and supplies for school-aged children after a library in a Jackson neighborhood closed permanently during the pandemic. Desiring to compete in science fairs, Law sought out multiple opportunities to present research and projects. In one competition, his ranking at the regional level qualified him to participate in an international science and engineering fair where he presented research and competed with students from six continents during a week-long event in Los Angeles.
On campus, he serves as student body secretary of the Student Government Association. He was part of a group of student and faculty members who founded the Interact Club, which seeks to build a community of servant leaders. Law serves as vice president of this club.
Law co-chairs the JA Honor Council and is on the lead teams of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the JA Spiritual Leadership Team. He and two friends founded a community-wide Bible study on Monday nights. He is active in JA’s cross country and track and field teams.
Congratulations to Brooke and Law! This only represents a part of what these active JA seniors do. They have worked hard during their JA careers as leaders and scholars, and we cannot wait to watch them in their future endeavors.
