White Receives Taylor Medal, University of Mississippi’s Highest Award

Kaitlyn White, of Pelahatchie, MS, majoring in Elementary Education, was among the more than 90 University of Mississippi students to receive a 2026 Marcus Elvis Taylor Memorial Medal, the university’s highest academic award. The honorees were recognized for their achievements on April 9, with a dinner at The Inn at Ole Miss Ballroom followed by a ceremony at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The Taylor Medals were established at UM in 1904 by Dr. William A. Taylor, of Booneville, in memory of his son, an honored 1871 alumnus of the university. The award recognizes no more than 1% of the student body each year.