Casey Stevens Serves Others as Mr. MC

Casey Stevens

Relaxing at home during the Christmas holidays never was an option for Mississippi College senior Casey Stevens.

Soon after the Christmas presents get unwrapped, the 22-year-old Clintonian will serve the needy for a week with We Will Go Ministries in Jackson. Reorganizing the Christian ministry’s clothing drive closet, tearing down walls, and tackling other assignments, Stevens will join a friend as live-in volunteers through the start of a new year.

While much of America will see stunning fireworks shows, and watch a blitz of college football games, the We Will Go Ministries volunteers will quietly celebrate by reaching out to those less fortunate.

Working with a passion for helping others is a vital part of the DNA for the Mississippi College kinesiology major. Casey is so well-respected on the Clinton campus that hundreds of classmates in October elected him to the honorary title of Mr. MC.

Stevens is all over the map as a leader at the Christian university. The president of Mortar Board, a prestigious national senior honorary society, he’s active with the Shawreth service club, and a polished photographer for the “Tribesman,” the MC yearbook. His list of honors includes his recent membership in Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges & Universities. Off campus, he sings in the choir on Sundays at Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon.

Just like Casey’s fellow students, MC administrators are taking notice of the remarkable Mississippian.

“Casey is an exceptional student who exemplifies the ideals of the college,” says Jim Turcotte, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. “He has contributed much to student life by involvement in campus activities. Casey is a wonderful example of how a student can invest their life and talents while pursuing a degree.”

At the 5,000 student Baptist-affiliated university, Casey is a superb example of what the university is all about since its founding in 1826.

“His life is a living testimony of what we are striving to be: academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ,’’ Turcotte said. “We desire to have many more students like him.”

Casey’s best friend, MC admissions counselor Wesley Bonner, a former Mr. MC, heaps on the praise. Casey “stepped onto the MC campus as a freshman in full force and hasn’t stopped in four years,” Bonner said. “He’s a positive and natural leader.”

Stevens, he said, has worked towards a goal of meeting as many people as possible, but also one who’s been willing to make time to really invest in their lives.

Casey’s rise to the top at MC has been non-stop since he graduated in 2007 from Clinton High where he was student body president, a member of the school’s Hall of Fame and Mr. CHS. From student recruiter at MC to president of the Campus Activities Board to freshman experience mentor, he’s been busy.

A Jackson native who grew up in Clinton, Stevens plans to keep serving others once he graduates from Mississippi College in May. He’s preparing to study occupational therapy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson starting in the summer of 2011.

“The Lord placed a desire for handicapped people on my heart a long time ago,” Stevens says. “I would love to work with the rehabilitation of disabled children one day.”

The son of Robby Stevens of Clinton and Lynne Brown of Pelahatchie, the Clinton High alumnus said he never considered enrolling at any university outside Mississippi College.

He picked MC “because of the influential people in my life” also attended the university in his hometown. He received scholarships from MC, and a number of local businesses and other organizations. As a Clinton High senior, Casey left an awards program with his first year of college completely paid for. “At that point I knew the Lord was calling me to MC, because, as you know, when the Lord opens a door, you best walk through it!”

Casey can’t seem to get enough of MC. He lives in a Mississippi College residence hall during the academic year even though his family’s home in Clinton is only a few miles away. Casey has other ties to Mississippi College. His brother, Corey Stevens, is the baseball coach and social studies teacher at Tri County Academy, and last year served as a graduate assistant for the MC Choctaws baseball team.

Mr. MC for this academic year, Casey Stevens is one of a number of extraordinary leaders at the university in Clinton. Elected with Casey in October, senior J.J. Benson of Laurel, a former Jones County Junior College student, serves the university as Miss MC. She sings in the praise band at First Baptist Church in Jackson, is an historian for MC’s Kissimmee social tribe and photographer for “The Collegian.”