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 2020, 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. Don’t forget to check in at each event in order to receive credit.
Fall 2021 Events
Leadership |
||
|
Tuesday, September 21 |
Student Involvement Fair Interested in getting involved, but don’t know where to start? Come find your match at the student organization involvement fair! Visit usm.edu/LSI for more information. Be sure to check in at the LSI table for Spark credit! |
South Endzone of the Football Stadium |
|
Tuesday, September 28 |
Sophomore September: Ask An Eagle Student Panel Learn from the experiences of other Southern Miss students on how to navigate your sophomore year. |
|
|
Friday, October 15
|
Sophomore Day of Service Give back to the Hattiesburg community by participating in a service project with the other sophomores! |
Meet in the Cook Library Courtyard |
|
Friday, October 29 |
Sophomore Strengths Summit Are you interested in learning more about your strengths and how to apply them as a leader? Apply to attend the Strengths Summit! All students participating will take the Clifton StrengthsQuest assessment and attend a half day training on how to name, claim and aim your unique strengths! |
Trent Lott Center Apply to participate in the Strengths Summit here: https://forms.usm.edu/fyi/view.php?id=291826 |
| On your own time in the Fall ’21 semester, deadline is 11/5/21 |
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. |
LSI Office |
Career Focus |
||
|
Thursday, September 16 |
Sophomore September: Explore Your Skills Learn about the soft skills you need to find a part-time job or internship with Career Services in this hour long workshop. Dinner will be provided at the end of the session! |
Union Room B |
|
Wednesday, October 27 |
Career and Internship Expo Learn more about your internship and career opportunities with Career Services while engaging with potential employers. Bring a resume and come dressed for success! For more information visit the Career Services website. |
Thad Cochran Center |
|
Tuesday, November 16 |
Finding Your Pathway Internships are an important part of your college experience. Come learn about how you can begin your career pathway with an internship from previous USM students. |
Location: TBA |
|
Ongoing on your own time in the Fall '21 semester, deadline is 11/12/21 |
Complete a Resume Review 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 Career Services website for more information. |
Career Services McLemore Hall first floor |
|
Ongoing on your own time in the Fall ’21 semester, deadline is 11/19/21 |
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 Lauren Bridges at L.BridgesFREEMississippi. |
|
Social |
||
|
Thursday, September 2 |
Sophomore September: Kickoff Party Join other sophomores for a sophomore only tailgate style lunch as we kick off the new school year! We’ll have snacks and sophomore t-shirts to give away while supplies last! |
Union Plaza |
|
Thursday, September 9 |
SMAC Movie Night Join SMAC as they host a movie viewing of "Shark Tale" in the Joe Paul Theater on campus! |
Joe Paul Student Theater |
|
Wednesday, October 13 |
USM Has Talent Join SMAC at the USM Has Talent annual event as they showcase the many talents of your fellow Southern Miss students! |
Location: TBA |
|
Tuesday, November 9 |
SMAC Game Night Join SMAC as they host a game night and see how you can win! |
Location: TBA |
|
Ongoing during the Fall ’21 semester, deadline is 11/19/21 |
Southern Miss Eagle Spirit Attend at least one Southern Miss Athletics fall sporting event, take a picture of yourself at the game, and post it to Instagram using 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 |
||
|
Wednesday, September 8 |
Sophomore September: Library Escape Room Get familiar with everything you need to know about the USM library in this escape room experience! No need to come with a team, we'll pair you into groups upon arrival. Prizes are up for grabs to the winning groups! |
Cook Library Lobby |
|
Monday, September 13 |
McNair Music Roundtable Learn more about the McNair Scholars program while discussing the wonders of music! Attendance is limited at this event, and pre-registration is required. Click here to register. |
JB George 142 |
|
Thursday, October 14 |
Citation Management Workshop Join us for a citation management workshop to become a pro at citing all your sources for your next paper. |
Cook Library 209A |
|
Ongoing on your own time in the Fall ’21 semester, deadline is 11/19/21 |
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 |
| Ongoing on your own time in the Fall ’21 semester, deadline is 11/19/21 |
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 Fall 2021 exams and you will be notified of your Spark status before you return to classes in January 2022. Stipends will be awarded and loaded on to your student account by the first day of spring classes to use toward textbooks purchased for Spring 2022 classes.
The textbook stipend is only redeemable at Barnes and Noble on the Southern Miss campus and is compatible with the Eagle Direct program.
Click here to complete the Spark Audit Form by December 3, 2021.