Ole Miss higher education alumna Rosie Nelson has been accepted into Stanford University’s doctoral program in Social Sciences, Humanities and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education.

A native of Santa Monica, Calif., Nelson came to UM in 2009 to pursue a master’s degree in sociology after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from UM in 2011, she spent a year developing service learning projects at the UM School of Engineering as part of the AmeriCorps’ North Mississippi VISTA Project and eventually enrolled in the School of Education’s master’s program in higher education/student personnel. She received her second master’s degree from UM on May 10.

“I like to look at higher education through a sociological lens,” said Nelson. “I’m able to use the tools I’ve gained as a social scientist to explore different issues in higher education. My primary research interest involves access and persistence of Native American students in higher education. ”

For the last two years, she has served as a Graduate Assistant for Volunteer Services in the UM Office of the Dean of Students. She has presented her research at a variety of conferences including the: Southern Sociological Society, American Sociological Association, Sociologist for Women in Society and more.

While completing her doctoral studies at Stanford, Nelson will also complete a three-year fellowship at the university’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.

“My goal is to eventually become a tenure-track faculty member in higher education,” she explained. “I’m excited to have this opportunity where I will get to collaborate with so many knowledgeable faculty members in an environment where everyone can grow and I’m so thankful to all of the support I’ve received from faculty to get to this point.”