Madeline Branch, 16, a sophomore at Winona High School, said she took a risk and applied to the Mississippi School of Math and Science in Columbus. That risk paid off as Branch learned she was accepted into the prestigious school last month.
Branch said she had to convince herself to even apply, and she said going through the application process was the most nerve-wracking.
“I decided to take the risk,” she said. She added that interview day was the least stressful.
“We had to take some tests, and they were hard. But, the interview part was easy. The people who interviewed us were nice and easy to talk to.”
Branch, along with Amelia Ferguson of Carrollton and Meredith Johnson of Duck Hill, will be attending MSMS in the fall. Branch said she’s never met Ferguson or Johnson and had no idea that someone close to her was attending.
“Mom opened it first, and I knew it was something because she said ‘There’s a letter in there for you.’ And, I said ‘Oh, Lord.’”
However, Branch said when she read the letter she was elated.
“It was great,” she said with a big smile.
She said she is excited about MSMS because it’s a new environment and some things are offered there that aren’t offered at Winona High School.
“They have four languages, and we only have one,” Branch said.
She said staying away from home will be hard, but she’s confident she will adjust to the change.
“I’m going to miss my mom, but I can come home on weekends, and there’s always social media,” she said.
Branch said she’s nervous about living with someone she doesn’t know but is optimistic.
“I think it’ll be alright,” she said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll make friends.”
Branch said meeting people during interview week was nice.
“They were nice and welcoming,” she said.
An advantage of being on the campus of the Mississippi University for Women is that she can take dual credit classes while on campus.
“I’m going to take advantage of that,” she said.
Branch said after high school, she wants to attend a school out of state to see what it will be like. But, for now, she’s excited about the next step in her life.
