Mikela Barlow learned firsthand how mentors in the college setting can impact students and change their trajectories. A 2018 and 2020 graduate of Georgia Southwestern State University, Barlow credits those who invested in her as an undergraduate and graduate student with shaping her vision for a career in higher education and helping her visualize and work toward ambitious goals.

Now serving as Mississippi State’s assistant director for Student Leadership and Community Engagement, Barlow is nearing the finish line for completing a Ph.D. in leadership with an emphasis in higher education from Kentucky’s University of the Cumberlands.

“My long-term goal is to be a university president,” she said.

Her time at GSW prepared her for next steps, and then she fell in love with MSU when she interviewed for her role within the Division of Student Affairs.

“A lot of institutions preach about being family, but here at Mississippi State, it really is our identity. It is such a genuine thing,” Barlow said. “Everyone wants you to be successful and reach your goals.”

Her current work involves connecting students, faculty and staff with volunteer and community-engagement opportunities. Her previous work with GSW’s President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program, just a few miles from Carter’s home in Plains, Georgia, gave her great experience that she’s building on as she coordinates projects such as this week’s MLK Days of Service. After the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, students will spend Tuesday [Jan. 20] and Wednesday [Jan. 21] working on a hands-on project assembling winter kits for those in need.

“The kits provide essential items to help keep our neighbors warm and safe during the coldest months of the year,” Barlow said.

MSU students, she explained, are conducting thousands of service hours every semester across many different types of community-engaged projects and activities.

“There’s a strong emphasis on my end on making sure students not only participate in these experiences but also understand and can communicate what they gain from them. While it’s important that more than 16,000 hours of service were logged this fall, what matters more is that students can reflect on what they contributed, recognize the difference they made, and articulate the skills they developed,” Barlow said. “These skills are reflected on their co-curricular transcript and later on their résumé. When they apply for their first job, I want them to be able to differentiate themselves by showing that they understand what it means to be a good citizen.”

The former college softball student-athlete explained that while her competitive personality has always motivated her to work hard, it is the meaningful community-engagement work and the chance to play a role in helping students discover passion, purpose and even their future professions through service, that fuels her daily drive to do more. She added that her biggest motivators are her close-knit family and friends, whom she calls her “village,” a group that includes both mentors and mentees she has met throughout her educational and professional journey.

“Some of my people may say that I had a big impact on their lives, but they have no idea the impact they’ve had on mine,” Barlow said.