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Growing into Her Future Baylee Williams' Passion for Education Started at Northwest

by Sarah Smith-Hutchinson

Senatobia, MS (08/18/2026) — Northwest Mississippi Community College alumna Baylee Williams recently began her journey at Mississippi State University pursuing an education in Horticulture with an emphasis in plant pathology.

Planted in in rocky soil, Williams grew up being homeschooled by parents who both worked full-time and weren't able to dedicate adequate time to her education, so Williams suffered from educational anxiety.

"My attention span made me feel inadequate and not smart enough for college," said Williams. "In my senior year of high school, I started working in a greenhouse in Lakeland, Tennessee. It worked for me because I have always loved plants. My great-grandfather had a love of plants and passed it on to my grandmother, who passed on that love to me by giving me house plants to take care of."

During that year, she found a passion and a newfound dream. After graduating, she longed to get more involved in horticulture, so she reached out to her grandpa's friend and Northwest's horticulturist, Len Lawhon. He took her on as a worker while she studied, and she learned not only in the classroom but through real life experience that bloomed into something bigger: a dream. Her struggles with education bloomed into opportunity as her mentor, Lawhon, encouraged her how education can transform her life.

"The first class I ever took was Intermediate English with Cindy Pierce," Williams said. "I early on approached her and shared my insecurities, and she helped encourage me and helped me better understand."

Northwest English Instructor Cindy Pierce recognized a talent in Williams and sought to develop that talent. Pierce said that it's due to experiences with students like Williams that keeps her teaching.

"On the very first day of Intermediate English, Baylee sat in the front row directly in front of my podium," said Pierce. "Whenever a student sits on the front row, I always suspect they're going to be an exceptional student, and Baylee was. After reading the first rough draft she submitted for my class, I quickly realized she possessed a talent for writing but lacked confidence in her abilities. Through our conversations about grammar and organization, I watched her confidence grow."

Baylee's long-term aspirations are to become a botanist and utilize what she has learned through her career and studies to find a fulfilling job working with plants. She said her time at Northwest prepared her well for the rigorous studies at Mississippi State University. Part of her decision to go to Mississippi State University came from her mentor's influence.

In the future, she hopes to lean toward the genetic side of plants with plant breeding. She also works as a student lab hand, helping with research in an agronomy lab which focuses on testing and analyzing soil, water, plant tissue and fertilizers, and a microbiology lab which focuses on the study, culturing, and identification of microorganisms.

To learn more about Northwest, please visit northwestms.edu.

Media Attachments

Baylee Williams, Northwest Alumna, standing in a flower field.

Photo of Baylee Williams by Sarah Smith

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