Rising junior Aspen Dillon will not be returning to the nest at East Marion when school resumes on August 1. Instead, the highly-decorated student will be attending the Mississippi School for Math and Science (MSMS), a Columbus high school for academically gifted students who must go through an extensive application process prior to acceptance.
Dillon, who has attended East Marion since kindergarten, expressed her excitement about this new chapter in her academic journey. She described the application process as long but worthwhile, highlighting the school’s reputation for sending students to prestigious universities like Harvard and Yale, and offering dual credit opportunities.
“The opportunity is amazing,” she said.
Dillon first learned about MSMS in seventh grade, and the desire to attend the school remained in the back of her mind over the past couple of years. She attended the school’s residential summer camp at the end of her freshman year, and the experience convinced her to apply.
“I just fell in love with the campus and the people,” she said.
Dillon was sitting on pins and needles after submitting her application, hoping she would receive the thumbs up from the selection committee. Then, one day, she started hearing from friends who also applied but were informed that they had not been accepted. That prompted her to continuously refresh her email for hours and hours, but, still, no email showed up in her inbox.
That was until later that night when she received a text message from her mom with the eyes emoji.
“She saw it first. When I looked and (saw) I got accepted, I was just glad. I was jumping up and down, running around the house,” Dillon recalled.
While Dillon acknowledged the emotional challenge of leaving East Marion and the friends she’s known since kindergarten, she said the school will always be her home and she looks forward to returning for games to support her friends.
Dillon participated in cheerleading, volleyball and track and field at East Marion, but she will only be able to resume her track career at MSMS. However, the school does have a soccer team that she intends to try out for to replace cheer and volleyball.
Currently, Dillon is in New Orleans participating in a summer program at Xavier, where she attends classes and takes part in panels and informational sessions about college admissions and financial aid. She said the program has broadened her perspective, especially regarding career aspirations. While she has long wanted to become a psychiatrist, an encounter with a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Xavier has opened her eyes to alternative career paths that offer similar responsibilities with different educational requirements.
Dillon intends to attend MSMS for both her junior and senior years. She is the daughter of Anthony and Ashley Dillon.
