Mitsi Blaylock Tigrett’s (1973) Hinds roots are both deep and wide.
A Brandon native, she headed to Hinds after graduating from a
small high school, St. Joseph Catholic School, “and felt I wasn’t
ready to go to a big university. The best decision I ever made was
to come to Hinds. I had a great time and made great friends.”
She was also heavily involved as a Hi-Stepper, class favorite
and Miss Hinds Community College in 1974. “I tried to do
everything,” she said.
She has fond memories of Anna Bee, who was Director of the Hi-
Steppers and the Miss Hinds pageant. “She just took me in and
did everything for me and made me who I am. All the people –
the teachers, the staff – everybody just takes you in and loves you.”
Her husband Travis (1972), who was her junior high sweetheart,
came to Hinds, as did two of their three children. Many of their
other family members are Hinds alumni. Both she and her
husband still have ties with friends they made at Hinds.
Over the years she has remained active with Hinds, serving
as an Alumni Association board member and working golf
tournaments that are fund-raisers for Hinds Community College
Foundation scholarships.
Now she has a new role, as a first-year member of the Foundation
board. She is particularly excited about the new Health Sciences
Complex coming to the Rankin Campus in 2026.
“That building is going to do so much for so many – and it’s in
Rankin County. I felt like I needed to help because I know so
many people in Rankin County. I need to be active and help that
building come to fruition,” said Tigrett, who still works part-time
in the Rankin County Chancery Clerk’s office.
Nick Olier (1998) is not new to the Hinds Community College
Foundation Board of Directors. After a short recess from the
board, he has rejoined it for another term, this time as president
of the Alumni Association.
He assumed that leadership role from Larry Swales, who has been
appointed by the Rankin County Board of Supervisors to serve on
the Hinds Board of Trustees.
A native of Crystal Springs, Olier sees his new role with the Alumni
Association as making connections. “I think that’s probably the
most important thing we can do within the Alumni Association:
Find out who’s interested in supporting Hinds, get in contact with
those people and kind of cement relationships that we might not
have had the opportunity to do.
“The more people you know within the state that have a connection
to Hinds that we’ve not spoken with, perhaps they can help us, or
there is something positive they can do for Hinds, or perhaps they
can just introduce us to someone else. Just knowing those people
is extremely important,” he said.
Hinds was his first stop after high school. He played on the
golf team and sharpened his study habits before transferring to
Mississippi State University, where he completed his business
administration degree with an emphasis in insurance, risk
management, and financial planning with an overall GPA of 3.25.
“I was a member of Phi Theta Kappa. That wasn’t an individual
effort because I had instructors that took an active interest in me.
What Hinds did for me was invaluable. Serving on the board is
the least I can do to give back in whatever way they’ll have me,”
he said.
When he was asked to return to the Foundation board, “that was
something that I was more than happy to do and was honored
once again to be nominated.”
Olier is an agent with Gallagher Insurance, which recently
acquired Southern Insurance Group where he has worked for a
number of years.