{"id":3897,"date":"2026-06-21T16:23:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T21:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/?page_id=3897"},"modified":"2026-06-21T19:31:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T00:31:32","slug":"staff-applications","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/govschool\/apply\/staff-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Applications"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Staff applications open in January and are typically determined by end of March.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Interested in Serving as MGS Staff?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Engagement Advisors (SEAs) are the heart of the Mississippi Governor’s School residential experience. They serve as mentors, role models, and community builders while helping scholars navigate two weeks of learning, leadership, friendship, and personal growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEAs are typically college juniors, seniors, graduate students, or young professionals with experience in residence life, student leadership, education, youth development, counseling, or related fields. Many are former MGS scholars, Resident Assistants (RAs), orientation leaders, or student organization leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEA Structure & Mentorship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The SEA team is led by the Captain of the SEAs<\/strong>, who works closely with MGS leadership to coordinate the residential experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every SEA is assigned to a scholar residential crew and serves as a primary mentor for a group of scholars. While safety and supervision are always the top priorities, the SEA role is much more than monitoring a residence hall. SEAs serve as mentors, encouragers, problem-solvers, and trusted role models throughout the program. Many scholars describe their SEAs as the “big brother” or “big sister” of the MGS experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to their residential responsibilities, SEAs may be assigned specialized duties such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Meals and dining operations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Recreation and special events<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Talent show coordination<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Social media and communications<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Community-building activities<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Scholar engagement initiatives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    SEAs are encouraged to bring their own talents, interests, and creativity to the program. Whether leading an Options session, organizing a game, teaching a skill, performing in the talent show, or creating a new tradition, SEAs play a major role in shaping the culture and experience of each MGS summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Responsibilities Include<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Supervising scholars in residence halls and during activities<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Leading team-building and community-building experiences<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Supporting scholar engagement and well-being<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Assisting with evening and weekend programming<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Serving as positive mentors and role models<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Helping create a safe, welcoming, and memorable experience for all scholars<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Who Works Well in the SEA Role?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      SEAs come from many different backgrounds, but they share a common interest in leadership, mentorship, and helping students succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Strong SEA candidates often include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Former MGS scholars<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Resident Assistants (RAs) and residence life staff from other higher ed institutions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Orientation leaders and peer mentors<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Education majors seeking hands-on experience with adolescents and gifted learners<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Camp counselors and youth development staff<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Student organization leaders<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Future counselors, social workers, and student affairs professionals<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Students with experience in leadership, recreation, ministry, service, or community engagement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        The best SEAs understand that they are not just supervising students. They are helping create one of the most meaningful experiences of a scholar’s high school career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Time Commitment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        MGS staff typically arrive on campus the Wednesday prior to scholar move-in for training, preparation, and team building. The program then runs for two weeks as a fully residential experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The SEA role is incredibly rewarding but also demanding. MGS is a busy, immersive experience, and scholars are engaged from early morning until late evening. Nights, weekends, and special events are often the moments when scholars need the most support, encouragement, and mentorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Why Serve?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        SEAs gain valuable experience in leadership, communication, event planning, conflict resolution, mentorship, and working with gifted adolescents. For education majors, student affairs professionals, counselors, and future leaders, MGS provides a unique opportunity to develop practical skills while making a lasting impact on talented students from across Mississippi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        You do not need to have all the answers. We will train and support you. What matters most is a willingness to lead, serve, adapt, and invest in the success of the scholars around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        If you are passionate about mentoring students, building community, and helping shape Mississippi’s future leaders, we encourage you to consider joining the MGS team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The MGS Mindset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        The MGS culture is built on a simple belief: these scholars are gifted, capable, and full of potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        As SEAs, we believe our role is to encourage, support, and challenge scholars to become the best version of themselves. We lead through positive relationships, coaching, encouragement, and high expectations. We spend far more time recognizing strengths than correcting weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        We believe students often rise to the expectations placed before them. When young people are trusted with responsibility, challenged to lead, and surrounded by adults who believe in their potential, they frequently accomplish more than they thought possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        That does not mean there are no expectations. MGS maintains clear behavioral standards and a structured accountability system. Scholars are expected to demonstrate maturity, respect, responsibility, and good judgment. Fortunately, serious behavior concerns are rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Most situations are resolved through coaching, conversations, reminders, and mentorship. We believe in helping scholars learn from mistakes, grow from challenges, and become stronger leaders as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The expectations are simple: treat others with kindness, respect the community, and contribute positively to the experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The best SEAs are the ones who believe in scholars until the scholars begin to believe in themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Staff applications open in January and are typically determined by end of March. Interested in Serving as MGS Staff? Student Engagement Advisors (SEAs) are the heart of the Mississippi Governor’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"parent":703,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3897","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3897"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3962,"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3897\/revisions\/3962"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.muw.edu\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}