(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights new Columbia High School principal Braxton Stowe.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Fayette, Ala., Dec. 1, 1986.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: The Mississippi State University, but I also attended Ole Miss as well. I did my undergraduate and master’s at Mississippi State and my specialist’s in education leadership at Ole Miss.
Q: What was your childhood like?
A: I came from a town very similar to Columbia. It was very supportive, had a great tradition and great success in the school system. My mom was a retired educator after 37 years, so education kind of ran in the family. I guess you could consider me a country boy, growing up 10 miles outside the city. On weekends, I was cutting grass or doing something with my grandfather like planting something in his garden, chucking corn or shelling peas. That was my lifestyle growing up.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: As the principal at Columbia High School, I just want to make sure our kids get an outstanding education. That’s our No. 1 goal. We have great tradition of academic success, and my job is to make sure we continue that. We don’t want to just be one of the best high schools in Mississippi, we want to be one of the best high schools in the country. We want people to come see what Columbia High School is doing. We have an outstanding group of teachers and phenomenal students. I’ve been impressed with the students I’ve met and the things they’ve been highlighted on in the newspaper. We have the pieces in place to be even greater. That will be our focus: day by day, just get better and better.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: When I was sitting in my classroom teaching, I honestly thought I can lead and give our children better opportunities. I felt there’s only so much you can do in the classroom, and I really felt called to sit in a principalship. I didn’t really know how that would work out because when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, it was never about teaching — never. But once I got into college, I double majored in political science and education and ended up dropping the political science. Once I started teaching, I thought I could play a bigger role in education than just my classroom. I just want to give kids opportunities. The places I’ve taught and been, a lot of kids didn’t get the opportunity that I did when I went to school. I want to ensure those kids get that opportunity. The students I lead as principal may be my kids’ teacher someday, and I want them to have that same mindset and understand there are better opportunities out there for them.
Q: What advice would you give someone considering your career path?
A: Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Make sure you’re doing it to get the most out of our children. A lot of people sit at this desk maybe because of finances or want power, but a lot of those people don’t last in the profession long. My job is to make sure our kids are learning, our kids are doing the best they can and our teachers all have that passion for making people grow as better individuals.
Q: Who has been most influential in your life?
A: My parents, Wayne and Portia. Maybe it’s cliché, but they have been my biggest supporters, my No. 1 fans and definitely have encouraged me in my low moments. I can’t imagine how many times I called my mom my first year teaching and ask her, “Mom, what did I get myself into?” They have been so influential. I want to make them proud in everything that I do, still, as a man and honor them to make them proud in how they raised me.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Give me a ribeye steak with a loaded baked potato. I don’t care where it’s from as long as it’s medium.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I’m probably going to Australia, somewhere in the Caribbean or Egypt. I love Washington D.C. My favorite place I’ve traveled to in the world was Italy.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I love going to art museums. It’s a great place for me to just relax my mind and enjoy the talented individuals throughout the world. I definitely watch sports and love watching documentaries. A good documentary can make me forget about all the work I have to do. A hobby I’ve done is reading throughout my whole life. I appreciate reading and force myself to read a lot because I want to force myself to grow.
Q: What do you enjoy about living and working in Columbia and Marion County?
A: It reminds me of my hometown with the hospitality that I’ve seen with people going out of their way to see how you’re doing as an individual. If you went to Fayette, Ala., you would get that same treatment, so that’s something I really love about it. Geographically speaking, I love that it’s close to Hattiesburg, the Coast and Jackson.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because I want to know what his mindset like every protest he participated in, every speech that he gave and every time that he stood up — “How did you find the strength to do what you did?” I think for us to really change education, we have to understand education really is like the civil rights movement. People don’t look at it that way, but there are a lot of children in this state and this country that aren’t getting a quality education, and it’s going to take a lot of fight and a lot of courage to make those changes. I’m not taking away from other civil rights issues going on in this country because clearly, we still have a lot of work to do. There has to be someone else who stands up for these kids and fights for education. Making sure everyone can get a quality education could maybe help in those other areas.
Q: What moment in your life has had the biggest impact on you?
A: My very first principal job at Coahoma Agricultural High School in Clarksdale, I was hired as the assistant principal. I was hired around March, and this is was before school had started. On June 30, I found out the principal had quit. I had no administrative experience. At that time, it was the lowest performing school in Mississippi, definitely an F-rated school. That moment forced me to learn a lot about how much I can take on by myself and still make progress and still make change. Within the year, we moved it from an F to a C. The principal wasn’t a popular decision because it was like a semi-takeover school with the administration, which is never popular with the current staff. You want to be liked everywhere you go, and I was seen as the bad guy. To me, going through that challenge made me believe I can go through anything. That was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life with that job, that environment and those types of challenges, and it defined who I am today.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: I would like to either host a talk show or a game show. I mean with Steve Harvey and Oprah, and even Snoop Dogg has a game show — if I could have any other job, that would be it. Not a talk show on XM radio, I’d want to be in front of the camera on my own show.
Q: If you could describe your morals in three words, what would they be?
A: Respect, grit and humility. I believe God has given me an opportunity that I cannot mess it up.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: As somebody who fought to change in education — first in Mississippi, second in the country. I want to be in the Hall of Fame of education reform. It has to start here. We have to show what’s possible to Columbia to show people what’s possible in their school systems. We want them to say “That’s how Columbia does it. How can we do that here?” That’s the goal. That’s what I want to be remembered for.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Principal Braxton Stowe says he wants to make Columbia High School one of the best high schools in America. The 31-year-old has previously been a principal in Clarksdale and Sardis. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
