By Eva Luter, MA in Journalism

Growing up in Tchula, MS, a tiny town with just under 1,500 residents, Jatoni Donelson saw what happens when people can’t get proper medical care.

“Being from a rural area, I know that there’s always a great need for healthcare. Since I grew up in the small town that I did, I got to see a lot that I would want to change in rural healthcare, and that’s why I want to be in the medical field,” Donelson said.

Donelson, a junior at the University of Mississippi, is currently majoring in public health sciences with an emphasis in community health, and a double minor in psychology and sociology.

“I feel like coming to Ole Miss was one of the best decisions that I could’ve made. I got my first job here, I’ve made so many great friends and connections and I love all of my classes here as well,” he said.

Donelson has been very active during his time at Ole Miss – he is the Vice President of the Black Fashion Society, a Career Ambassador for the Ole Miss Career Center, a mentor for an Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic Talent (MOST) initiative and a proud member of the Baptist Student Union and Men of Excellence group. He attributes the privilege of being a Grove Scholar to his success in college.

“Being a Grove Scholar is so awesome,” he said. “It’s put me in a group of people with similar majors and backgrounds like mine that I never would have met before I became a Grove Scholar, and I know that I’m not alone.”

He went on to say, “In college, it’s all up to you and what you make of it, but sometimes people don’t have that choice. And with the Grove Scholar program, it gives people like me the option to not only go to college for free [in conjunction with the Ole Miss Opportunity Scholarship], but also to study abroad and to take that dream internship. I’m so thankful for all that Ole Miss has given me,” Donelson said.

Donelson not only wants to be in the healthcare field, but also is a budding entrepreneur. He recently launched a clothing brand called “Not For The Socials,” where he handmakes and designs custom tapestries, hoodies and sweaters.

Donelson is on track to graduate with his degree in public health sciences in May 2024.