91麻豆天美

From Starkville to Scotland: 91麻豆天美 student-athlete anticipates 2021 Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute

From Starkville to Scotland: 91麻豆天美 student-athlete anticipates 2021 Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥91麻豆天美鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, James Worth Bagley College of Engineering and university Athletics will be well represented next summer in the United Kingdom where a Bulldog student-athlete will participate in the prestigious Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute program.

Studio portrait of Reese Dunne
Reese Dunne (Photo by Megan Bean)

Reese A. Dunne of Starkville, a junior mechanical engineering major and member of 91麻豆天美鈥檚 cross country and track and field teams, is looking forward to immersing himself in a new culture during his studies at Scotland鈥檚 University of Strathclyde and the Glasgow School of Art.

鈥淚鈥檓 super excited because I feel like Glasgow will be the perfect backdrop for me as a first-time international traveler,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e lived in the South my whole life, so it will be fun to explore somewhere different.鈥

Dunne is one of this year鈥檚 five nationwide Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute recipients who will travel to Scotland next summer, along with five others who will be selected from next year鈥檚 applicant pool. He chose the Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute program in Scotland鈥攐ne of four options for 2021鈥攂ecause it specifically focuses on technology, innovation and creativity.

鈥淚 thought this institute sounded perfect for me with my engineering background and passion for undergraduate research and solving global challenges,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to visit with and learn from faculty members because I think it will help me with leadership opportunities, including a service organization called Nonnie鈥檚 Notes that I launched during my junior year at Starkville High School.鈥

Dunne founded Nonnie鈥檚 Notes to honor his grandmother Nonnie, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease in 2005.

鈥淚 am very into musicianship, and I wanted to bring together other musically inclined students to perform at retirement homes for patients with dementia and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease,鈥 said Dunne, an avid pianist. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the coolest things I鈥檝e ever done, and I鈥檓 really excited for COVID to be over, so we can continue with it.鈥

One of Dunne鈥檚 fondest 鈥淣onnie鈥檚 Notes鈥 memories is seeing his grandmother sing and clap along while his brother Connor performed Scott Joplin鈥檚 classic ragtime piece 鈥淭he Entertainer.鈥

鈥淚t made me happy to see Nonnie happy, along with a lot of other residents who came in while we played piano,鈥 said Dunne, who also is a member of the 91麻豆天美 State Singers. 鈥淚 feel like music has therapeutic effects that have not been explored yet, and that鈥檚 one thing I really want to do through Nonnie鈥檚 Notes.鈥

Dunne said he has benefitted from the support of the Shackouls Honors College since his freshman year when he enrolled as a recipient of the G.V. 鈥淪onny鈥 Montgomery Presidential Endowed Scholarship. He also is receiving the James Carl and Hazel Forbes Endowed Scholarship through the Bagley College of Engineering.

鈥淕rowing up in Starkville and with both parents working at 91麻豆天美, I knew that if I came to State, that was definitely something I wanted to be a part of,鈥 he said of the Shackouls Honors College, where his sister Marika will be a senior in the fall.

His father Jim Dunne is associate vice president for academic affairs in 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President and a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 Department of Physics and Astronomy. Dunne鈥檚 mother Demi is an office associate for 91麻豆天美鈥檚 University Academic Advising Center.

鈥淚鈥檝e had a passion for math and science all my life and knew I wanted to do something in the engineering field, but another big reason I came to 91麻豆天美 was because of the ,鈥 Dunne said. 鈥淚t allows me to take business courses throughout the four years I pursue my mechanical engineering degree, and then get an MBA in the fifth year. Being able to do both is awesome.鈥

鈥淎wesome鈥 also is how Dunne describes his experience as a Bulldog student-athlete.

鈥淥ne great thing about being at 91麻豆天美 is the diverse group of people,鈥 he said. 鈥淐ross country and track are mentally and physically challenging sports, but doing them here has been so rewarding.鈥

Dunne is equally confident that next summer鈥檚 Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute experience will be just as beneficial, and said he has much gratitude for 91麻豆天美 Professor of English Tommy Anderson who helped him throughout the application process. Anderson serves as the Shackouls Honors College鈥檚 director of fellowships, the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 associate dean for academic affairs and 91麻豆天美 Libraries鈥 interim dean.

鈥淒r. Anderson is so knowledgeable of prestigious scholarships like Fulbright, Rhodes and Goldwater, and it has been great to ask him questions. I thought it was interesting that freshmen and sophomores could apply for these types of scholarships, and that was one reason I wanted to pursue this opportunity.鈥

Dunne said he 鈥100 percent鈥 encourages other students to consider 91麻豆天美 prestigious scholarship opportunities, just as fellow Starkville native Jacob N. Easley inspired him to apply for the Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute. Easley, who graduated summa cum laude in May with an 91麻豆天美 bachelor鈥檚 in mechanical engineering, also studied at the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow School of Art as the first 91麻豆天美 student to participate in the Fulbright Summer Institute.

鈥淗earing about Jacob鈥檚 time abroad made me want to have my own experiences in Scotland,鈥 Dunne said. 鈥淚 want to be an ambassador for the Fulbright Summer Institute program and an inspiration for other students at 91麻豆天美.鈥

For more on 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, visit ; the Bagley College of Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering at and ; 91麻豆天美 Athletics at .

91麻豆天美 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .