Student Success
Spark Sophomore Program
What Is Spark?
Spark is a program just for sophomores at Southern Miss, designed to help tackle the “sophomore slump.” Instead of your feeling stuck, lost or confused during your time at USM, we want to help you thrive! Participating in Spark can ease the transition from freshman to sophomore to junior year by encouraging students to make the most of their second year.
Who Can Participate?
Any sophomore student can participate just by attending events on campus! These events will help you gain direction for your future; make a connection to Southern Miss, your peers and the community; and gain awareness about your own strengths and skills. Our goal is to assist you in becoming a more involved and informed student, so you’ll feel confident and prepared to enter your last two years of college.
To complete the Spark program you must be a sophomore, or second year college student. (If you started college in Fall 2019, this program is for you)!
What Is Required (and What Do You Get)?
Simply attend at least one event from each of the following 4 categories, and be sure to track your progress. Once you’ve attended an event from each of the four categories, complete the Spark audit form. At the end of the semester, we’ll confirm your participation and award you with a $200 textbook stipend to be used on textbooks from Barnes and Noble the following semester.
All event attendance will be tracked and verified through Eaglelink. Don’t forget to swipe your USM ID at each event in order to receive credit.
Spring 2021 Events
Leadership |
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Tuesday, February 23 |
Black History Month Panel Hear from former student leaders about their experiences as we celebrate Black History Month together! |
Zoom |
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Wednesday, March 24 |
Student Involvement Fair Interested in getting involved, but don’t know where to start? Come find your match at the student organization involvement fair! |
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On your own time in the Spring ’21 semester, deadline is 4/23/21
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Sophomore Service Give back to the Hattiesburg community by participating in a service project with the Center for Community Engagement! Complete a service consultation with CCE, then log your service hours with them! You must complete 3 service hours to complete this task. Visit usm.edu/community-engagement for more information. |
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| On your own time in the Spring ’21 semester, deadline is 4/23/21 |
Complete a meeting with a Student Involvement Ambassador Meet with an involvement ambassador and find your perfect fit for a student organization! To set an appointment, click here. |
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Career Focus |
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Tuesday, March 9 |
Live with M & M Join Mary Beard and Mary Maner from Career Services as they interview successful former students who found their career success at Southern Miss. |
Register on Handshake here: usm.joinhandshake.com Click "Events" and sign up for Live with M&M! |
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Wednesday, April 14 |
Professional Promise Workshop Make the most of your interactions with faculty and future employers by implementing helpful professional tips. |
Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84375752351?pwd=Z2NrVDJoWHFIVHpkenVBM1pHT0twdz09 Meeting ID: 843 7575 2351 Passcode: 432201 |
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Ongoing on your own time in the Spring ’21 semester, deadline is 4/23/21 |
Complete a resume review with Career Services Do you need help with your resume? Visit career services and meet with a career counselor to get real time feedback on how to make your resume stand out. Visit usm.edu/career-services for more information. |
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Ongoing on your own time in the Spring ’21 semester, deadline is 4/23/21 |
Join Southern Miss Connections Southern Miss Connections is an online mentoring platform designed to connect students to successful alumni across the country. Create an account using your USM login credentials and reach out to connect to at least two alumni through the platform. Then send screenshots of the outreach to Makalah Roseberry at Makalah.WandFREEMississippi. |
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Social |
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Tuesday, March 16 |
SMAC Cultural Food Fair Celebrate our cultural differences with the Southern Miss Activities Council (SMAC) at the cultural food fair! Take a picture of your food and send it to us to let us know you attended! L.BridgesFREEMississippi |
Fresh Food Company |
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Monday, March 22-Friday, March 26 |
The Big Event Join Southern Miss students and SGA for a day of service for our campus and greater Hattiesburg community! Check back for the link to sign up to participate in The Big Event. |
Sign up here: https://volunteer.usm.edu/need/index?need_init_id=3751&s=1 |
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Thursday, April 22 |
Halfway There Celebration Celebrate being halfway through with your college career! |
Location: TBD |
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Ongoing during the Spring ’21 semester, deadline is 4/23/21 |
Southern Miss Spirit Post a photo of you in one of your favorite places on campus during the spring semester and share your favorite Southern Miss memory on Instagram! Tag @USM_success and use the hashtag #SouthernMissSpark. *Note: We will only be able to see your photo if your profile is set to public or if you are being followed by the @USM_success Instagram account. Follow us, and we'll follow back! |
Social Media |
Academics |
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Thursday, February 25 |
Career Research Resources If you're interested in exploring new career opportunities and fields, come learn more about how you can complete research on career resources! |
If you missed this event, you can still get credit for it by watching the recording and completing a worksheet! Click here to complete this session. |
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Tuesday, March 23 |
Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism Learn how to avoid accidental plagiarism when writing your next paper with USM librarians. |
Zoom Meeting ID: 820 3303 2502 |
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Ongoing on your own time in the Spring ’21 semester, deadline is 4/23/21 |
Complete an appointment with The Center for Student Success Struggling with time management or study skills? Visit our website and make an appointment with one of our staff members for one-on-one assistance. |
Cook Library or Zoom |
| Ongoing on your own time in the Spring ’21 semester, deadline is 4/23/21 |
Complete an appointment with the Writing or Speaking Center The Writing and Speaking Centers are a free, valuable resource for all students, be sure to take advantage of their services. |
Cook Library |
Verifying Your Participation
Once you have completed the requirements of the Spark program, you must complete the Spark audit form. The Center for Student Success will verify your attendance and eligibility for the textbook stipend only after you have completed this form.
Spark audit forms will be reviewed the week after Spring 2021 exams and you will be notified of your Spark status before you return to classes in August 2021. Stipends will be awarded and loaded on to your student account by August 23, 2021 to use toward textbooks purchased for Fall 2021 classes.
The textbook stipend is only redeemable at Barnes and Noble on the Southern Miss campus.
Click here to complete the Spark Audit Form by May 7, 2021.