Ellington

Jarrius Adams, a 19-year-old Hattiesburg resident and a sophomore at the University of Mississippi majoring in public policy and political science, recently won the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway competition, which took place during the halftime of the Big 10 Championship Game between Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin on Dec. 3.



The tuition competition, which Dr. Pepper has hosted since 2008, offers $100,000 in tuition for the winner. To enter, a participant must make a short video describing what he or she wants to do to change the world and rally friends to vote for their video. Sixteen finalists from around the country then compete in halftime competitions in college football games around the country, with four finalists to a game. Adams competed against finalists from Massachusetts, Colorado and California in a game involving throwing 30 footballs as fast as possible at a giant Dr. Pepper can.



Adams found out about the tuition giveaway through a friend, Lindsey Miller, who came in second place during the 2013 competition while attending Jones County Junior College. In his video Adams said that the thing he most wanted to change was college students' access to better education and voter registration.



"I think we should fully fund public education here in Mississippi and focus on getting as many college students registered to vote as possible to change things here in our state," Adams told the Jackson Free Press. "Getting schools the resources they need should be first and foremost, and I also want to see voting precincts get set up for college campuses, which could help students who go out of state and maybe don't know they can still vote even though they're not in their home state. Finding a way to make those things happen is what I plan to do with my degree, either ... becoming an educator or (getting) into politics. I don't have a specific position in mind as of yet, but I'm aiming to be a voice for the voiceless."


Adams first became interested in activism when he joined a middle-school debate group seven years ago. In 2015, the National Speech and Debate Association named Adams its Student of the Year and commissioned billboards in Hattiesburg honoring him.

"Debating was an outlet to use my voice, to travel and to meet new people," he said. "It afforded me many opportunities I might not have otherwise received."


One such opportunity came when representatives of last year's campaign to promote Initiative 42 took notice of Adams from the NSDA billboards and asked him to act as a spokesperson. The initiative, which would have required state legislators to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, ultimately failed, but the work did have a positive effect on Adams.

"Acting as a spokesperson for Initiative 42 gave me the chance to travel throughout the state and see the different levels of education that high schools and middle schools have here based on where they are," he said. "I saw that there's a big difference depending on where you go in Mississippi and also got to see different high schools out of state. That year, I saw education levels that were different everywhere I went, and I think that just shouldn't be the case."


Adams graduated from Hattiesburg High School in 2015 and will receive his bachelor's degree from UM in 2019. He said that he plans to use the $100,000 from the Dr. Pepper tuition giveaway to pursue a graduate or law degree after receiving his undergraduate degree.


"My ultimate goal is to show everyone that people from small towns can do it, too," Adams said. "I know a lot of people still can't believe I won a big college competition like I did because it's usually people from big cities that come out on top. I want to show the world that someone from Mississippi can do great things."