Like most Mississippians who grew up in a small town and left it, I have a complicated relationship with the place where I grew up. I went to public school from kindergarten through 12th grade in Wayne County, which I’ve gotten used to telling people is “an hour south of Meridian and an hour east of Hattiesburg,” since most of my fellow Jacksonians have never heard of it and don’t know where it is.
On paper, I should have no reason to have such a complicated relationship with my hometown: I was valedictorian of my graduating class; my parents and grandparents are well-respected in the community; and I even taught middle school there for a year after college. I think it was my year of teaching junior high in Wayne County that really solidified for me all the reasons that I could not live there permanently.
Early on that year, I heard a student gasp when I mentioned that I’d spent the weekend with college friends in Hattiesburg, which was less than an hour away from the school. “I’ve never been there,” she exclaimed. “To Hattiesburg?” I asked in disbelief, blinded by my own privilege. “No,” she said enviously. “I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve heard they have a mall there.” She said “a mall” with the same awe I would use to refer to the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum.
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Taylor McKay Hathorn, who graduated from Wayne County High School as valedictorian of her class in 2015, returned to the Wayne County School District to teach middle school for a year after she earned her bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College. Photo courtesy Taylor Hathorn ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=780%2C519&ssl=1″ alt=”A young woman speaking at a graduation ceremony wearing a black cap and gown” class=”wp-image-331950″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor_McKay_at_graduation_courtesy-1024×682.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px”>Taylor McKay Hathorn, who graduated from Wayne County High School as valedictorian of her class in 2015, returned to the Wayne County School District
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