Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Ella Hudson responded to messages congratulating her on being an Alderwoman Elect in Fayette on a bench inside the Natchez Mall, close to where The Dart landed Friday.

She grew up in Mount Pleasant and has lived the past 30 years in Fayette. Wearing a purple Alcorn State Alumni shirt, Hudson said she transferred from Coahoma Junior College to Alcorn State, where she met great people.

At Alcorn State, she figured out what she wanted to do in life and earned a degree in Business Administration. Her original dream was to move away from Mississippi and join a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta, she said.

“I got married, and my first husband was from Fayette, so we made Fayette our home,” Hudson said. “I know work for Alcorn State as a Director of Judicial Affairs and Student Conduct. I oversee the conduct process for students and make sure they adhere to the rules and regulations of campus.”

As a director of judicial affairs for Alcorn State University, she works with the campus in Lorman and Natchez. She said she does not really come to the Natchez campus at all with her job and can do her work in Lorman.

She said her job “It’s like you are home. It is family. You meet a lot of great people, and you get a chance to further your education.”

Family is also the reason she has not left Fayette in 30 years. Hudson said when she had kids; she knew she was not going to leave Fayette. She also loves Fayette because it is a quiet place.

As an alderwoman elect, she will be sworn in on June 28 and take some training classes before serving the community. She said she is looking forward to it and making progress for Fayette.

“I have always volunteered to do something positive. I started a cheerleading squad for little league football in Fayette,” Hudson said. “I believe in giving back, and you make the community better by volunteering.”

When Hudson is not working, she said she fishes on the Alcorn State Campus. The biggest fish she ever caught on Alcorn State’s campus was a 6 to 7-pound Catfish, which was a surprise because she fishes for bream. Her favorite day of fishing is when she can take her two sons and two daughters, she said.

At her home, she likes to grow vegetables in a garden. Her favorite vegetable to grow is tomato because they are much better fresh than at a grocery store. Okra is another vegetable she loves, she said.

She likes to walk at the Track and Field facility at Alcorn State’s campus or a walking track at the campus health center, she said. She walks for peace and quiet.

“Walking is where you get your total peace of mind and knowing you are doing something great for yourself,” Hudson said. “If you have any underlying issues, it is great for that. I walk by myself. It is the Lord and me. It’s our time uninterrupted.”

Her visit to the mall in Natchez was simply to kill time as she waited on her car to be done at Firestone. On her days off, she likes to get things done, she said.

Natchez Under-the-Hill is her favorite place in Natchez because of the river, restaurants, shops, and history. She said the view of the river is beautiful.

“It’s the scenery, and it is the calmness you get,” Hudson said. “You can always have peace of mind under the hill. There is always something to look forward to in Natchez. Whether it be a balloon race or firework shows.”

When she leaves the mall, her next stop will be a snow cone stand on MLK. She said she plans to order a sour apple. Although she tries to branch out to try new flavors, it never happens. The ice at the snow cone stand is finely shaved ice.

“If it’s chunks of ice, I get disappointed and don’t go back,” Hudson said. “In this weather, you need something.”