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NATCHEZ — Joy Roland, a recent graduate of Natchez Early College Academy, was among 10 outstanding graduating seniors throughout the State of Mississippi to be honored with the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents Bounds scholarship.

The Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and the Alliance of Educational Leaders of Mississippi is a nonprofit association whose membership is made up of 139 public school superintendents and more than 2,000 public school administrators.

Its mission is to provide resources, advocacy, leadership, policy information, training, support, renewal and public relations services that improve the quality of public education.

Roland is the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from MASS named in honor of the late veteran educator Walter S. Bounds.

The Bounds Scholarship for Excellence rewards top-performing students who excel in leadership, community service and extracurricular activities. Recipients also must meet academic requirements and be recommended by their superintendents.

“To ensure that Mississippi has strong, capable leaders to guide us into the future, we must encourage and train those leaders today,” said Dr. Phil Burchfield, MASS executive director. “The Bounds Scholarship program celebrates students who not only demonstrate a clear commitment to excellence but also seek to be responsible leaders in their careers and communities.”

Other scholarship winners are Nathan Andrews, Hancock High School; Caroline Batson, Stone High School; Jalynn Black, Ethel High School; Lillie Bradshaw, Morton High School; Katie Burge, Madison Central High School; Breelyn Cain, West Lauderdale High School; Tyrone Chatman, Lake Cormorant High School; Isabella Morlier, Pearl River Central High School; and Lily Moss, Booneville High School.

Roland will be pursuing her degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in dance at the University of Southern Mississippi with only two years left until she graduates because she earned her Associate’s Degree while at Natchez Early College.

In addition to the MASS scholarship, Roland is the recipient of nearly $30,000 in scholarships to USM. To receive the MASS scholarship, Roland said she wrote an essay about how challenges she faced led to opportunities.

“It was toward end of the year while I was stressing about getting everything together for college that my guidance counselor asked me about applying for the scholarship. I hadn’t applied as much as I could and thought it would be a good time to write about my senior year and things I experienced through high school,” she said.

“I talked about my journey with dance and how I was captain of the dance team but because of complications wound up having to leave the dance team. I was taking tedious classes and my priorities got mixed up. When I thought it was the end of the world, it opened up opportunities for me in other places.”

Roland danced for her school and at Natchez Ballet Academy under the leadership of Mignon Lefebrve.

Besides dance, Roland said she enjoys singing in her church and school choir, reading historical fiction and fiction novels and writing.

She also is a skilled public speaker and was often called on to speak for her class at events.

“At first, I was interested in psychology and political science before I changed my major. I’m interested in people and how we think and act as a community,” she said.

Roland is the daughter of Justin and Ashley Roland and the oldest of four siblings, a brother who is 17 and two little sisters ages 8 and 9.

Her father plays the church organ and can also sing well.

Roland said she aims to find her career calling while studying at USM.

“I am thinking about law enforcement in whatever city I live in next but I’m not sure and hoping to get the opportunity to see what my calling really is,” she said. “I thing pursuing passions is important and hope I have time to discover something I’m passionate about. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to being a politician and with criminal justice degree could make the world a better place. I’ve also thought about going into law school.”