Being in Starkville for four years now, I have seen an almost indescribable cast of characters come and go, each leaving their perspective mark on me. What has always bothered me most, however, is how rare it is to see people stay.

Not long into my freshman year, I sat down with my mom, my brother, his girlfriend and her mom at Arepas on Main Street. My brother had grown to love the place through quarantine, and the owner waited our table. During the meal, the mother of my now sister-in-law stated that Starkville was her favorite place to sit down, relax and grab a bite to eat. The passion behind the craft of all of the local restaurants remained extremely evident to her and made her love spending time in Starkville every visit.

I feel like Starkville, as it stands today, is full of potential. The students are passionate and not afraid to chase their ambitions, and programs like the E-Center, which has given out over 6 million dollars in endowments and private donations, incentivize them. Yet, it is extremely rare to hear that a young graduate has come back to invest in this town.

In the fall, back-to-school concerts put on by local bars echo throughout the streets. Restaurants fill tables with families of new students, discovering Bulldog Burger, Bin 612, Two Brothers and more Starkvegas classics. Events are announced, and everyone in a 50-mile radius gets antsy awaiting the first football game. Even so, I still hear Starkville called a “highway town.”

The students here make Starkville during the year. Whether it is on-campus events like Battle of The Bands or off-campus events like Bulldog Bash, opportunities to see the excellence Starkville has to offer are not few and far between. Even still, every four years a new group of students come in and the prior leaves.

According to The Clarion-Ledger, students at both Mississippi State University and Ole Miss are most likely to look outside of Mississippi for employment after graduation. This perplexes me to no end.

Starkville is not a perfect town. Many focus on and point out things that would improve this town or would be just nice to have, and while I agree on some, I also find this a little exciting. Starkville feels like a clean slate.

Going through business classes, it is so common to hear students say they want to own their own business. Come graduation though, it never seems to materialize. The reasons are often fear, a lack of initiative or simply a want to leave and go elsewhere. However, I believe staying in Starkville could be the motivation these students need to create new opportunities for themselves.

Dave Hood, Mississippi State Alumnus and owner of Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern cares deeply about the passions of students and giving them an outlet to pursue them.

“At a micro level, my tavern (Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern) has developed into a venue where aspiring students, artists and musicians feel comfortable exploring their mediums or discussing the topic of the day. And closer to the end of the night, our fellow industry folk find it as an enjoyable oasis away from The District.,” Hood said. “Personally, I am constantly amazed by the amount of local musical talent that shows up on Monday and Tuesday open mics.”

“I encourage everyone to follow their dreams,” Hood said. “There is a lot of support on campus for entrepreneurship and there are experienced and well-educated people in almost every field available to talk to.”

Events put on by students, like last spring’s Starkville Flea, different artists showing off their talent through the Cotton District Arts Festival and student vendors running their small businesses at The Starkville Derby and Bulldog Bash all go to show how much the community appreciates the creativity of young minds. Getting more of that would only further prove this.

Students at Mississippi State constantly show their passions, and if a few were to pursue them after graduation, a void in Starkville could easily be filled. Be it vintage clothing stores, art studios, hole-in-the-wall sports bars or even just another place to sit down and enjoy a meal with family, I believe Starkville may just be the perfect place for graduates to build something new.