Ridgeland High grad receives med scholarship

Torrye Evans II was one of only eight students at Mississippi State University to receive a $30,000 scholarship to the University Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson as part of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship, and only one of two students selected for the UMMC-GTEC Scholars program.

Torrye graduated from Ridgeland High School in 2016, and attended Mississippi State University, where he received the scholarship with seven other students in his field. While attending MSU, he served as the ambassador for Mississippi State University Biological Science, Foundation, and the College of Arts and Sciences. When he was asked to describe MSU in one word, he chose “opportunity,” and according to him, “MSU provides the opportunity to achieve dreams and reach a level of success that few schools provide.”  

“It’s awesome that he got this scholarship, since medical school is very expensive,” said Kathy Evans, Torrye’s mother. “He went through a very grueling process of prerequisites, such as filling out applications, writing essays, receiving letters of recommendation from his professors, and job shadowing doctors. He ended up shadowing a doctor all the way in Ohio.”

Evans said Torrye has been and still is a high achiever.

“Each summer, Toyrre would make sure that he was involved in something that would give him an edge in applying for medical school scholarships,” she said. “When he called and told us he was awarded the scholarship, we were elated that his hard work and many hours of study paid off.”

Torrye himself was honored and excited to receive the scholarship.

“I was very elated, especially after I found out my interviews, which were the hardest part of the whole process, went well,” he said. “This scholarship will provide me an opportunity to excel in the field I’m interested in while not having to worry much about the cost of medical school.”

Evans felt the most difficult part of the interviewing process was overcoming his nervousness and being comfortable during each interview.

“I was really nervous because I knew this was a huge opportunity to be able to do something I love without a big financial burden on my back, and I didn’t know what to expect from each person I interviewed with,” he said. “I was able to overcome it by being myself, and my faith in God played a huge part, too.”

Evans said he’ll be taking classes in biochemistry, anatomy, and histology to start out his first year at UMMC.

“I’m just really grateful for the opportunity and to my family for being so supportive,” he said. “My parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family always made sure to remind me and make sure I was prepared for my interviews and had all my forms and applications up to date, along with checking to see if I was eating and getting enough sleep. I can’t thank them enough for the help and support.”

Evans is set to start at UMMC this fall and will be part of the graduating class of 2024.