Secretary of State Watson will head summits for emerging leaders

After a competitive application process, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson recently announced the 2023-24 class of Student Ambassadors, including two young scholars from Oxford High School.

John Ford Thomas was named to the second  Secretary of State (SOS) Student Ambassador class, a program that equips high school seniors with the knowledge and resources to engage as leaders within their schools and communities. 

Thomas is the son of John and Amy Thomas and will be a senior at North Delta School this fall.

This year’s group of Ambassadors consists of 67 students from 46 schools in 35 counties across all four congressional districts.

“High school students, especially those in Mississippi, are often catalysts for groundbreaking ideas and positive change. I have no doubt this class of SOS Ambassadors will continue to raise the standards of last year’s inaugural class,” said Secretary Watson. “We are excited to work with another group of diverse young leaders and look forward to seeing them in Jackson in August.”

Primary components of the SOS Ambassador Program include a fall summit focused on voting and elections, a spring summit geared toward the study of Mississippi’s legislative process, and training on how to organize and facilitate voter registration drives on their school campuses and communities. 

Watson met with both Ibrahim and Mayo last week, encouraging them to take full advantage of the program’s unique opportunity to interact with state leaders and become familiar with their peers from across the state.

“The relationships that students can develop through the program will be of lifetime benefit,” Watson said last week during a stop at the Eagle office. “Looking back over my lifetime, I can’t tell you how much relationships formed early in my life were later part of solutions to situations that we all go through, and how much those relationships mean to mean even today.”

Ambassadors are also able to ask questions and share ideas about the future of Mississippi with state and local leaders through monthly educational 

Additionally, this year’s program will incorporate two regional events–one in both North and South Mississippi. 

For questions regarding the SOS Student Ambassador Program, contact the External Affairs Division at ExternalAffairs@sos.ms.gov or 601-359-4454.