āWe need more Hollysā: Ļć½¶Ö±²„celebrates alumnaās selfless, lifesaving act for her student
Contact: Mary Pollitz
STARKVILLE, Miss.āHolly Allgood was in her classroom at Tupeloās Early Childhood Education Center with her student, Bowen Dorr, when the phone call cameāshe was a match.
Allgood, a Ļć½¶Ö±²„ alumna and Tupelo Public School District special education teacher, donated 30% of her liver to Bowen, a young student battling carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I deficiency, or CPS1, a rare and life-threatening metabolic condition.
āĻć½¶Ö±²„alumna Holly Allgoodās selfless act of love and concern for one of her students reflects what I believe is a core value of our university, which is service,ā said Ļć½¶Ö±²„President Mark E. Keenum. āWe try to instill in our College of Education graduates the sense that they are stewards of the future in teaching and impacting the lives of their students. Certainly, Holly has taken that to an entirely new level, and all of us in the Mississippi State family admire and applaud her sacrifice and devotion to her student.ā
Both Allgood and Bowen are recovering well after the August transplant and have gained national attention for their story. Recently, Jamie Dorr, Bowenās mother, and Allgood were featured on the āā during this weekās national Teacher Appreciation Week. The duo shared Bowenās story, and Allgood received a $10,000 gift from PaperMate.
āHeās a completely different kid now,ā Jamie said in the interview. āā¦To have someone so close to home that was willing to lay down her life for [my child] when I couldnātāitās a gift I canāt put words to. We need more Hollys.ā
Allgood, a Tupelo native and 2005 Ļć½¶Ö±²„College of Education graduate, has spent nearly two decades teaching special education.Ā
āI knew I would be a match,ā Allgood said in the interview. āā¦If you see a need, act on it. There is so much kindness and goodness, and we donāt hear enough about it.ā
MSUās teacher education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, which sets rigorous national standards for teacher preparation. As part of MSUās programs, 100% of teacher education students are placed in a student-teaching internship prior to graduation, and they gain hands-on experience through intensive field placements in elementary and secondary schools before their internship.Ā During field placements, students now can observe and teach at the Partnership Middle School on the Ļć½¶Ö±²„campus, one of the nationās only public middle schools housed at a university.
āHolly Allgood exemplifies the heart of what we strive to instill in every future educatorācompassion, courage and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of students,ā College of Education Dean Teresa Jayroe said. āHer extraordinary act of generosity and kindness reflects not only the spirit of service we value at Ļć½¶Ö±²„, but the profound impact a dedicated teacher can have on a childās life. We are incredibly proud to call Holly one of our own.ā
Ļć½¶Ö±²„ is taking care of what matters. Learn more atĀ