Participants in the MAMP Summer Bridge Program at the University of Mississippi include, pictured from left, Valencia Williams and Gabrielle Rattliffe, both of Yazoo City. The five-week residential experience runs through July 29.Special to The Herald

Locals Valencia Williams and Gabrielle Ratliffe participated in the Summer Bridge Program at the University of Mississippi.
Twenty recent high school graduates from around the state planning to enter the University of Mississippi this fall will be ready for college life, thanks to a five-week Summer Bridge Program, which runs through July 29 on the Oxford campus.
Part of the Louis Stokes Mississippi Alliance for Minority Participation, the program is a cooperative effort between the National Science Foundation, the state of Mississippi and its eight public universities. Focusing on majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, the residential experience emphasizes academic instruction and academic and life skills, enabling participants to achieve a smooth transition to college life.
“The LSMAMP Summer Bridge Program has been in existence since 1992, with various formats of the curriculum; however, the overall goal is to set the foundation for incoming freshmen to excel successfully in their preferred STEM majors,” said Jacqueline Vinson, project coordinator.
Besides classroom instruction, participants can hear outstanding speakers and participate in mentorships and seminars. Support from the NSF and UM provides students with residence hall housing, a meal card and other supplies. Mathematics and writing instruction is provided by full-time UM faculty. Two upperclassmen live with the students in the residence hall, and upper-class mentors serve as hall monitors and group leaders.

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