MUWAA honors alums with annual awards

COLUMBUS, Miss. – The Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association (MUWAA) recently announced the four recipients of the annual Alumni Awards.

The awards recognize W graduates who embody the spirit of service, leadership and excellence in their respective fields, showcasing the lasting impact of The W on its alumni and the community.

The MUW Alumni Association Board of Directors, in collaboration with the Recruitment and Retention Committee, presented the following awards:

• Alumni Achievement Award: Kimberly Griffin, ‘93
• Distinguished Achievement Award: Dr. Brandy Larmon, ‘05
• Alumni Service Award: Symone Bounds, ‘12
• Outstanding Recent Graduate Award: Ariel Seawell, ‘13

Alumni Achievement Award: Kimberly Griffin, ‘93

Griffin is the co-founder, publisher emeritus and chief revenue officer of the Mississippi Free Press in Jackson, a non-profit news organization she said is focused on “community-led storytelling and public interest journalism across the state.”

She has been named Emerging News Leader of the Year by the Institute for Nonprofit News. She was chosen as a Local Independent Online News Association Fellow and was a Top 10 finalist for the Mississippi Business Journal Business Woman of the Year.

Griffin is a graduate of Leadership Mississippi, Class of 2018 and is a Sustaining Member of the Junior League of Jackson.

While at The W, she was a member of the Black Student Council, Student Government Association and The Spectator, as well as a charter member of the Pi Zeta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Distinguished Achievement Award: Dr. Brandy Larmon, ‘05

Larmon is the dean of the Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences at The W.

She has been a registered nurse since 2005, with a background in geriatrics, women’s health, obstetrics and pediatrics. She worked as a floor nurse, charge nurse, nursing supervisor and unit manager. In 2008, she began her teaching career in nursing at The W and was a clinical and classroom faculty member until 2018, when she became chair of the Department of Associate Nursing. She is now a full tenured professor and has been the dean of the Vandergriff College since 2022.

While at The W, Larmon was her class secretary and served as vice president of the Student Nurse Association. She was also a member of Silhouette Social Club, Alumni Ambassadors and the Student Programming Board.

Alumni Service Award: Symone Bounds, ‘12

Bounds currently serves as a senior bid specialist at BDO USA, where she combines her skills in policy, procurement and communication to support large-scale government initiatives. She is also completing her Doctorate in Public Policy and Administration at Jackson State University.

She has been incredibly active in the MUWAA since graduating, serving as president as well as in numerous other roles.

During her time at The W, Bounds was a member of the Jesters Honorary Social Club and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She also served as a class cheerleader and as the Student Director of the Student Programming Board. She was active in the Student Government Association, Delta Mu Delta Accounting Honorary, the Aristos and Lantern Honor Societies, and was selected as Miss MUW 2012.

Outstanding Recent Graduate Award: Ariel Seawell, ‘13

Seawell has worked in a variety of capacities for Disney since 2012 and currently serves as a park arrival guest experience manager at Walt Disney World in EPCOT. She was recently selected for the highly prestigious role of traditions assistant, a competitive two-year appointment responsible for onboarding first-day cast members, crew, imagineers and employees—an opportunity extended to only 2% of cast members.

During her time at The W, Seawell was actively involved across campus and made meaningful contributions to student life. Her involvement included participation in the Lockheart Social Club and the BlackList Honorary Social Club, as well as leadership and service roles in numerous organizations such as the Student Alumni Association (SAA), W Rep, N.O.W., Residence Life, the Hearin Leadership Program, Interclub Council and selection to the MUW Hall of Fame.

About the Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association

The Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association exists to support and promote the mission of Mississippi University for Women while providing alumni engagement opportunities as the university’s officially affiliated alumni organization.