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From Troubled Young Adult to Thriving Northwest Student Cole Rogers' path to success

by Sarah Ashley Smith-Hutchinson

Senatobia, MS (06/01/2026) — Northwest Mississippi Community College student Cole Rogers of Hot Springs, Arkansas, after a tumultuous past has risen up to become a student leader and has established himself as an outstanding student which has led to his success receiving several prestigious scholarships. Rogers has served as an officer for both Phi Theta Kappa and Gamma Beta Phi honor societies during his time at Northwest, and graduated on May 12, 2026 at the Northwest Spring Commencement.

This past semester, Rogers has accepted the University of Mississippi's prestigious Lyceum Scholarship, became a Luckyday Scholar, and is an upcoming member of the Chancellor's Leadership Program. Thanks to a combination of scholarships and leadership opportunities his tuition is fully covered at the University of Mississippi.

Despite his current successes, seven years ago, Rogers wasn't aligned with the version he is now. He was in the midst of his addiction, and the life that he is currently living was completely unimaginable for Rogers.

"I was directionless," said Rogers. "I moved to Mississippi to find recovery and change my life around, or I was going to die. I had nothing but a mesh Nike backpack with a few clothes in it. Over the next seven years, I established myself through Narcotics Anonymous and found the old Cole."

Cole still carries that Nike backpack with him as a reminder of his roots and proof that life can change. Rogers never expected to go to college, but said that attending Northwest instilled a lot of hope that he never expected to have. College transformed his life through meaningful connections, especially with instructors like Matt Johnson, Northwest history instructor, and Elizabeth Harvey, mathematics instructor.

When Rogers started at Northwest, he said he didn't know what he wanted to do. But with help from Harvey in one of his most challenging subjects, he found his future.

"In my previous attempts with algebra, I struggled," said Rogers. "But her (Mrs. Harvey) class is where I started to get comfortable asking questions when I didn't understand something. That experience taught me the importance of practice and effort. Math is still challenging at times, but that's what makes me enjoy it."

At Northwest, these lessons built confidence and skills to figure out what career he wanted. Through that, he discovered a passion for business and investing. Rogers is working toward a future at a big four accounting firm after getting his bachelor's degree and said he hopes to move to England.

"Cole was elected Mr. NWCC for the Oxford campus and was selected for the Northwest Hall of Fame," said Matt Johnson, talking about Rogers' accomplishments. "He also remains highly active in a recovery organization, but I don't really know those details. However, his work for that group, along with his school achievements, led to his selection to the PTK All-Mississippi Academic Team (First Team) and as a prestigious Coca-Cola Scholar, which will add additional $1,000 and $1,300 scholarships when he transfers to Ole Miss, in addition to the $16,000 PTK scholarship."

Rogers said the support is really what helped him pull through in creating a different life, and he is excited to see what the future brings.

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Cole Rogers, photo by Sarah Smith-Hutchinson

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