Ole Miss Sophomore Earns Spot in National Leadership Program

The first-generation student from Robinsonville is looking for opportunities to make himself and his community a better place, and The Institute for Responsible Citizenship is one of those opportunities.

A two-summer program based in Washington, D.C., the institute offers opportunities for African American male college students. Those opportunities include internships, seminars on economic and constitutional principles and ethics, meetings with prominent leaders, and personal and professional development workshops.

"(Participants) will learn a tremendous amount over the next two summers in Washington, and throughout their careers will impact countless patients, clients, constituents, colleagues and community members," said William A. Keyes IV, the institute's president and founder. "That impact, which extends to every life they touch personally and professionally, is the power of the institute."

Stringer said he is looking forward to meeting members of his cohort.

"Since they are from around the country, I want to learn from them and bring back what I learn to my university and community," he said.

He also hopes to share Mississippi with his cohort.

"I hope they learn from me the story of Mississippi – our unwillingness to give up, our courage, our resiliency, our commitment towards making a better change in our communities even when so many obstacles are against us," Stringer said. "We continue to fight to overcome those obstacles."

The Provost and Chancellor's Scholar wants to give back to his community through education or the criminal justice system by becoming a lawyer. Accordingly, he is double majoring in legal studies and political science on the pre-law track.

Feleica Wilson, a Department of Justice attorney and Ole Miss adjunct professor, recommended Stringer for the institute. Stringer stood out to Wilson in her criminal law and procedure class.

"He was engaged in class and had very insightful answers to the critical thinking questions posed," she said. "Like me, he is from the Mississippi Delta, and I admired his striving to be the best person he could be. He has a lot of tenacity.

"By participating in the institute, I hope the other participants will inspire Demetrick to be the best version of himself and show him that there are other students like him who are striving to positively impact their communities."

Rhodes Scholar and Mississippi Delta native Arielle Hudson serves as Stringer's mentor. She said that Demetrick is different because of his view of education.

"He, like myself, believes that education is not only an opportunity to make things better for ourselves but also for our community back home," she said. "He is passionate about changing the circumstances of those who are not as privileged as him and showing others how they can gain access to certain opportunities that they otherwise think are impossible."

Stringer is already influencing his community and wants to do more.

Inspired by the quote "Never be limited by a limited imagination," Stringer created the D.R.E.A.M. initiative, which stands for Debt Reduction Educational Achievement Method.

Through this program, he guides high school seniors at his alma mater, Rosa Fort High School, and helps them learn about colleges, apply for scholarships and grants, and connect with mentors. He received the 2024-25 James H. Meredith Community Transformation Award for this work.

"This has spread to other high schools in the Mississippi Delta and students have accrued over $7 million in college funding assistance," he said.

Stringer is also a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and was named to the Stanford Law Scholars Institute. However, he said that his biggest personal accomplishment involves his mom.

"I actually convinced my mother to go back to school," he said. "She's going back because she said she's going to be my paralegal one day."

Top: Demetrick Stringer, a sophomore from Robinsonville, helps high school seniors in his hometown learn about colleges and apply for scholarships and grant. The legal studies and political science major has been selected for this year's class in The Institute for Responsible Citizenship. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services