As Starkville’s reigning Miss Hospitality, Presley Bassett holds a strong connection to the home of Mississippi State University.

The MSU senior special education major represented her hometown at the state competition this summer, where she was named third alternate and earned the Speech Award. She took home $4,500 in scholarships along with new friendships and a deeper understanding of how community service and tourism impact the state.

Serving as Starkville’s Miss Hospitality has been a lifelong dream for Bassett, and she was especially inspired by former local title holder Lake Little, who died tragically before the 2019 state competition.

“I saw how much grace she held the title with, and I wanted to be just like her and serve the community as well as she did,” Bassett reflected. “Starkville is everything to me, and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to grow up here and experience the full heart behind the place where we live.”

Bassett has given back to her community in a variety of ways as Miss Hospitality, from speaking to local law enforcement to appearances at special events. She also has been involved in the community as part of her undergraduate studies at MSU.

“I’ve had a lot of opportunities as a special education major, and some of my favorites were definitely going to the T.K. Martin Center and getting to learn how they work hands-on with their students and how those students are actively learning within that environment on campus,” Bassett said. “But I’ve also loved going to the different Starkville schools and getting to know the students and their families. They’ve made a long-lasting impact on my life.”

This fall, Bassett will continue making a difference in her local community as a student-teaching intern at Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School. With her December graduation on the horizon, she said her time at MSU has been the “most amazing experience ever.”

“Mississippi State has genuinely pulled me out of my comfort zone in so many ways,” Bassett said. “It’s helped me grow as a person, it’s helped me love others better, but most of all, it’s helped me be an active servant for our community and for our state as a whole.”