MSMS senior to study biology at The W thanks to new Power of Six Scholarship
“I code for fun” isn’t a phrase you hear every day—unless you’re talking to Danica Belingon.
A soon to be graduate of The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Belingon will enter Mississippi University for Women as a freshman next fall to major in biology thanks to the Power of Six Scholarship. She is the daughter of Joan Belingon.
The Olive Branch native is the first ever Power of Six Scholarship recipient. Established last fall, the full tuition-academic scholarship was inspired by six of MSMS’s 12 inaugural faculty, who were W graduates. MSMS was created by law in 1987 for the state’s best and brightest 11th and 12th grade scholars and is housed on The W’s campus.
Belingon is excited about furthering her studies at The W, particularly after being given the opportunity to work with Dr. Travis Hagey to develop equipment to measure how sticky gecko toe pads are.
Hagey said, “Danica has been using the programming language Python to build an updated version of the equipment. This includes using sensors to measure angle and the weight of a lizard and control the rotation of the glass slide.”
Belingon said the Power of Six Scholarship, paired with the connections and community she has gained on campus, were too good to pass up. She also appreciates The W’s proximity to MSMS.
She learned about the scholarship after it was announced at MSMS’s fall convocation in August. “I was excited when I first heard it,” the 17-year-old said, noting that it gave her reassurance The W was an option as she navigated senior year and college choices.
Throughout her junior year, Belingon was able to interact with Michael Dodson, assistant professor of biology at The W.
“The MUW/MSMS Dual Enrollment program and the MSMS Mentorship program have both been vital in making connections between The W and MSMS. Danica is one of my students from MSMS with my adjunct position at MSMS,” said Dodson.
Belingon said, “Because I was interested in research and biology, I thought it would be great to have Mr. Dodson as my mentor. He is so nice and understands his students. He took me on a tour of The W and showed me the kind of research taking place on campus.”
Dodson added, “In the fall of 2024, I took on Danica as a mentee through the MSMS Mentorship program that is facilitated by Franco Lopes, a World Language instructor at MSMS and a two-time graduate of The W. Through this program, I worked with her to find research ideas that she liked and tried to introduce her to researchers in our biology program. This is how she met Dr. Hagey. She also learned more about his research at a presentation he gave at MSMS.”
Hagey will travel to Morocco in June and is relying on Belingon to develop updated code to fine tune the latest version of his toe angle detachment (TAD) instrument for geckos.
Hagey is a 2024 recipient of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award totaling a little over $1 million for five years. The award allows for field work studying gecko toepads across the globe.
“Danica has been doing great work this semester,” Hagey said. “She is doing stuff I don’t how to do—programming. It’s exciting to see her show up each week.”
After learning about Hagey’s research, Belingon offered her coding capabilities that she learned at MSMS. Belingon went to work on her laptop, after being equipped with sensors and devices provided by Hagey.
She said it was inspiring to meet someone who was really interested and vested in their own research.
“When I heard that he had a project set to the side that he wasn’t working on because he didn’t know how to code, that’s when I offered: `Hey I’m willing to code it for fun if you want me to.’”
Belingon said the mentorship opportunity with Dodson and talking with Hagey and other W faculty during orientation gave her a sense of connection and sealed the deal for her.
“I felt like I already had a connection with faculty The W. I feel like if I went to some other place, I would have to make these connections all over again,” she said. “Connections in college are important because that is what helps you find the community you want to be a part of.”
During their mentor/mentee meetings, Dodson and Belingon discussed what college will be like, how to plan for and find programs that a student wants to take and how to find information about college programs and research in those departments.
“I have tried to help her through the hidden curriculum of entering college that not everyone knows about,” Dodson said. “I believe the mentorship program is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration with MSMS since we have had 10 mentees with The W this semester.”
Belingon will use her time at The W to explore different aspects of biology that interest her to help guide her long-term goals. She also plans to keep in touch with her MSMS family.
“I still get to be close to MSMS. What they have done for students and what they will continue to accomplish is really amazing, and I would love to help if any opportunities arise for MSMS alums.”
MSMS’s graduation will be held Saturday, May 24 on The W’s campus.