NATCHEZ — Taylor Ham couldn’t see herself cheering on the sidelines of a Southern Miss football game. But after making the all-girl cheerleading squad Sunday, the Trinity Episcopal Day School senior will do just that when she makes the trip to Hattiesburg.

While attaining a 3.7 GPA, Ham has served as a four-year varsity cheerleader for the school, and after deciding she would attend Southern Miss, Ham knew in the back of her mind that she wanted to become a Southern Miss cheerleader.

So she went to work. After this past football season, when things slowed down for her, Ham figured out what she would be required at the Southern Miss tryouts and started working with India Jean Burns at the Natchez Gymnastics Association.

“I’ve been doing private sessions with her twice a week since January,” Ham said. “So when we found out my requirements, we were really working on them, and I was prepared.”

The tryouts began Friday evening when the participants did tumbling evaluations. After making the first wave of cuts, Ham showed up for the second day of tryouts at 9 a.m. Saturday, where she was given material and stunting evaluations. Material evaluations required her to perform cheers directly associated with Southern Miss. After making the next wave of cuts, Ham did a five-minute interview. Two hours after the interview, Southern Miss posted a list of the 30 participants who made the team, and Ham found her name.

The reality of the situation didn’t sink in then, nor has it fully yet.

“I didn’t cry, but I teared up when they called my number,” Ham said. “It’s like a dream, and you just don’t ever think it’s going to happen. And when it happens, it was so surreal.”

Ham plans to major in kinesiology at Southern Miss.