A Badge Of Honor
STARKVILLE – For most students, graduation is a culmination – an ending. Some may even see it as a new beginning. But it's not nearly as often considered a homecoming.
That's what made Friday afternoon especially sweet for MaKayla Waldner, who returned to her alma mater nearly five years after she played her final match for the Mississippi State soccer program. A lot has changed since then. For one, she's MaKayla Jennings now after marrying a fellow former Bulldog athlete. But amidst the backdrop of an ever-evolving campus – new faces, new buildings, new programs – it was the things that stayed the same that stood out the most.
Jennings was in Starkville to cross the graduation stage after earning her MBA this fall, with help from the Southeastern Conference's H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship. It was a busy day that started with a trip to pick up her robes and regalia before crossing campus to the athletic village to revisit fond memories and familiar faces.
"When I think about home, I think about Mississippi State," Jennings said. "This place is just comfortable to me. It holds a special place in my heart. The scholarship I had, I could use it anywhere, but there was never a second thought of not using it at Mississippi State. I don't know, I think the university is just like a badge of honor that I get to come here and graduate from here."
A badge of honor. That mentality really is a key to understanding Jennings and her journey. She takes immense pride in everything that she does, something that she credits her time at MSU for instilling in her. The same pride and honor were what led her back to campus after an at-times-disappointing start to her professional career outside of athletics.
Jennings' first job out of college was in the government sector where she said the slower pace left her wanting more.
"I didn't feel challenged really, so I spent two years doing that and then ended up switching jobs, to a more challenging job," she said. "There was always kind of wanting more education or just, like, something to, like, grind for."
One of the key moments was when she recognized there was a process that could be made more efficient and her manager told her it had been done that way for 20 years and wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
"I realized that the grind kind of isn't always there for people. Some people just want to have an 8-to-5 job and clock in, clock out," Jennings said. "I think being an athlete all my life, it instilled in me the desire to want more or to be better. I think that's the translation from taking athletics into the workforce is really just the motivation, I think, to better things."
So Jennings re-enrolled at Mississippi State. She decided to push herself and give herself something she could grind for. As she strolled back through the Drill Field and passed by the MSU Soccer Field, she reflected on how her soccer career made her who she is today.
Looking back on her playing days and her resume, it's easy to see that the desire to grind – even off the field – is nothing new. Jennings was the soccer team's representative on State's Student-Athlete Advisory Council, and her senior year saw her earn multiple awards both on and off the field. She was the SEC Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2019 and was named to the SEC Community Service Team. She never missed being named to the conference's honor roll and earned State's Newsom Award given to the athlete with the highest GPA on each team.
On the field, she closed her career ranked second in program history with 28 career goals, including a school-record 11 game-winners. Both of those marks still stand, but perhaps more importantly, Jennings witnessed and helped jumpstart the beginning of a transformational era in the program's history.
Consider this. In Jennings' freshman year, the Bulldogs lost 10 SEC games. In 2024, State posted a 10-0-0 record in conference and won the SEC title. When she was named First Team All-SEC as a senior after leading MSU back to the conference tournament, she was just the fourth player in program history to earn the honor. This year alone, four players were named to the league's First Team.
"I think it was hard for me to keep up with them for the first probably two years I was out of school. Not because I didn't want to, but I think there's a part of me that was almost like a little envious of the people that were still here." Jennings said. "It's been amazing to watch the program grow. From the time I was a freshman in 2016 to where it is now, it is night and day difference, and I am extremely proud to say that I played soccer at Mississippi State."
Jennings has always had a unique interest in the timeline of MSU soccer and her individual thread in that larger tapestry. In her final season on the field, that interest grew even more. As she chased down records, she wanted to know more about the players that had held them before her.
Recently she ran into someone who hadn't even attended Mississippi State but knew a former soccer player. While he couldn't remember the player's last name, he offered up Shelby and a timeframe he remembered her being there. Jennings immediately suggested that it may have been Shelby Jordan, jogging the man's memory and prompting him to ask if they'd played together.
They hadn't. But Jennings knew of Jordan despite never meeting her because she had worn Jennings' No. 10 jersey the season before Jennings arrived on campus. Ironically, Jordan too had earned the SEC's McWhorter Scholarship in her senior season.
"It was just really cool to think about I stepped into her jersey, and then after I graduated, someone else stepped into No. 10," Jennings said. "I think playing for the jersey and playing for the team you're representing is huge. I remember looking back at some of the 90s teams and I just remember looking at the jerseys. They're a completely different style, but someone was wearing No. 10. However small that could be, there is something that connects us."
The connection with the campus and the MSU soccer community is one thing, but it was more than memories that drew Jennings back to Starkville last week. It would've been easy to simply accept her degree in the mail. Many students, particularly online graduate students, do. Walking across that stage meant something more though.
"Graduating during COVID, I never really got that chance to walk across the stage," she said. "I didn't get that full graduation feel, and I just love coming back to Starkville. I love sharing it with my husband and building new memories, coming through and just walking through campus and thinking about the things that I did during my undergrad and how much I've grown since then."
Despite growing up and living in Missouri for 18 years, Jennings considers Starkville, Mississippi, to be her home. She comes back twice a year, and every single time she has a chance to look back on how she's grown. When she does, she also takes a moment to look at how the Bulldogs have grown in that time as well. And a smile beaming with pride takes over her face.
That's what made Friday afternoon especially sweet for MaKayla Waldner, who returned to her alma mater nearly five years after she played her final match for the Mississippi State soccer program. A lot has changed since then. For one, she's MaKayla Jennings now after marrying a fellow former Bulldog athlete. But amidst the backdrop of an ever-evolving campus – new faces, new buildings, new programs – it was the things that stayed the same that stood out the most.
Jennings was in Starkville to cross the graduation stage after earning her MBA this fall, with help from the Southeastern Conference's H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship. It was a busy day that started with a trip to pick up her robes and regalia before crossing campus to the athletic village to revisit fond memories and familiar faces.
"When I think about home, I think about Mississippi State," Jennings said. "This place is just comfortable to me. It holds a special place in my heart. The scholarship I had, I could use it anywhere, but there was never a second thought of not using it at Mississippi State. I don't know, I think the university is just like a badge of honor that I get to come here and graduate from here."
A badge of honor. That mentality really is a key to understanding Jennings and her journey. She takes immense pride in everything that she does, something that she credits her time at MSU for instilling in her. The same pride and honor were what led her back to campus after an at-times-disappointing start to her professional career outside of athletics.
Jennings' first job out of college was in the government sector where she said the slower pace left her wanting more.
"I didn't feel challenged really, so I spent two years doing that and then ended up switching jobs, to a more challenging job," she said. "There was always kind of wanting more education or just, like, something to, like, grind for."
One of the key moments was when she recognized there was a process that could be made more efficient and her manager told her it had been done that way for 20 years and wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
"I realized that the grind kind of isn't always there for people. Some people just want to have an 8-to-5 job and clock in, clock out," Jennings said. "I think being an athlete all my life, it instilled in me the desire to want more or to be better. I think that's the translation from taking athletics into the workforce is really just the motivation, I think, to better things."
So Jennings re-enrolled at Mississippi State. She decided to push herself and give herself something she could grind for. As she strolled back through the Drill Field and passed by the MSU Soccer Field, she reflected on how her soccer career made her who she is today.
Looking back on her playing days and her resume, it's easy to see that the desire to grind – even off the field – is nothing new. Jennings was the soccer team's representative on State's Student-Athlete Advisory Council, and her senior year saw her earn multiple awards both on and off the field. She was the SEC Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2019 and was named to the SEC Community Service Team. She never missed being named to the conference's honor roll and earned State's Newsom Award given to the athlete with the highest GPA on each team.
On the field, she closed her career ranked second in program history with 28 career goals, including a school-record 11 game-winners. Both of those marks still stand, but perhaps more importantly, Jennings witnessed and helped jumpstart the beginning of a transformational era in the program's history.
Consider this. In Jennings' freshman year, the Bulldogs lost 10 SEC games. In 2024, State posted a 10-0-0 record in conference and won the SEC title. When she was named First Team All-SEC as a senior after leading MSU back to the conference tournament, she was just the fourth player in program history to earn the honor. This year alone, four players were named to the league's First Team.
"I think it was hard for me to keep up with them for the first probably two years I was out of school. Not because I didn't want to, but I think there's a part of me that was almost like a little envious of the people that were still here." Jennings said. "It's been amazing to watch the program grow. From the time I was a freshman in 2016 to where it is now, it is night and day difference, and I am extremely proud to say that I played soccer at Mississippi State."
Jennings has always had a unique interest in the timeline of MSU soccer and her individual thread in that larger tapestry. In her final season on the field, that interest grew even more. As she chased down records, she wanted to know more about the players that had held them before her.
Recently she ran into someone who hadn't even attended Mississippi State but knew a former soccer player. While he couldn't remember the player's last name, he offered up Shelby and a timeframe he remembered her being there. Jennings immediately suggested that it may have been Shelby Jordan, jogging the man's memory and prompting him to ask if they'd played together.
They hadn't. But Jennings knew of Jordan despite never meeting her because she had worn Jennings' No. 10 jersey the season before Jennings arrived on campus. Ironically, Jordan too had earned the SEC's McWhorter Scholarship in her senior season.
"It was just really cool to think about I stepped into her jersey, and then after I graduated, someone else stepped into No. 10," Jennings said. "I think playing for the jersey and playing for the team you're representing is huge. I remember looking back at some of the 90s teams and I just remember looking at the jerseys. They're a completely different style, but someone was wearing No. 10. However small that could be, there is something that connects us."
The connection with the campus and the MSU soccer community is one thing, but it was more than memories that drew Jennings back to Starkville last week. It would've been easy to simply accept her degree in the mail. Many students, particularly online graduate students, do. Walking across that stage meant something more though.
"Graduating during COVID, I never really got that chance to walk across the stage," she said. "I didn't get that full graduation feel, and I just love coming back to Starkville. I love sharing it with my husband and building new memories, coming through and just walking through campus and thinking about the things that I did during my undergrad and how much I've grown since then."
Despite growing up and living in Missouri for 18 years, Jennings considers Starkville, Mississippi, to be her home. She comes back twice a year, and every single time she has a chance to look back on how she's grown. When she does, she also takes a moment to look at how the Bulldogs have grown in that time as well. And a smile beaming with pride takes over her face.
