Student Spotlight: John Barry Boldin
Nineteen-year-old Meridian Community College student John Barry Boldin has his sights set on a future in pharmaceutical sales, a career he plans to pursue after transferring to the University of Southern Mississippi to study healthcare marketing.
Boldin said a high school counselor first suggested the field. “She told me it would be the perfect career for me,” he said. “I looked into it and liked the idea. I think that’s what I really want to do.”
He also has a dream location in mind. “I would love to live in Florida,” he said. “I love Mississippi — I’ve lived here all my life — but I’m a big beach guy. Florida is my dream place.”
A Clarkdale High School graduate, Boldin chose MCC because of the Tuition Guarantee Program. “All the benefits are too good to pass up,” he said. “Why not find my wings here?”
He stays active on campus as a member of the Ivy League, an Eagle Influencer, and Phi Theta Kappa. He also works in the MCC Bookstore. Getting involved, he said, helps give his time more purpose. “I don’t want to just come here, go to class, and go home,” he said. “I want to really do something up here and make my time worthwhile.”
Boldin umpires youth baseball in the Clarkdale Rec League and enjoys golf and hunting in his free time.
What stands out most to him about MCC is the close-knit atmosphere. “It’s nice and small, which I like,” he said. “I know my teachers, and they know me. I’m not walking into a big classroom with 500 people. I’m not just a statistic. A lot of my friends are here, and I’ve made a lot of new friends, too. It’s just a real nice community.”
As he works toward his goals, Boldin said MCC has been the right place to start his path forward.
For more information, visit meridiancc.edu.