Missy Belcher, Residence Hall Supervisor of Bryan and New Women’s residence halls at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston Campus, recently won two awards for her presentation “Can You Escape?”

Belcher presented at the Mississippi Association of Housing Officers (MAHO) in November and the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO) conference in February, winning Best of Mississippi at MAHO and Best of SEAHO at SEAHO. Belcher is the first person from a community college to win the SEAHO award.

In July, she will go to Seattle, Washington, to present the topic at the Association of College and University Housing Officers, International (ACUHO-I).

“I’m very excited about how the presentation turned out at both MAHO and SEAHO, and I am honored to present at the international conference in July,” Belcher said.

The premise behind the “Can You Escape?” presentation is the Escape the Room games that are designed as part scavenger hunt and puzzle game. Participants have a limited time to figure out the clues and escape the locked room. The scenarios for each room vary.

“It is a wonderful team-building and problem-solving game and is perfect for corporate, educational and social venues,” Belcher said.

An alumna of MGCCC, Belcher said that she has had so many opportunities at Gulf Coast. “Beginning with my time here as a student, at the Perkinston Campus, I have had so many occasions for growth and to gain leadership experience,” she said. “As a student, I was encouraged to get involved in campus activities, and now, as an employee, I am constantly given support and encouragement to grow. These awards would not have been possible without the support of my supervisors, Heather Edwards, and the other great administrators at the college.”

Belcher was a Perkette, president of the Baptist Student Union, served on the newspaper staff and a member of Phi Theta Kappa while a student at Perkinston.

Belcher, who is from Ocean Springs, attended The University of Southern Mississippi after graduating from MGCCC. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre. While at USM, she served as a resident assistant and as a hall director. After finishing college, she worked for McDonald’s (Descher Organziation).

“I loved what I was doing at McDonalds, and I had the best of bosses – Pat Descher,” she said. “But my passion has always been for working with college students and helping them learn both leadership and independence. In August, when this job came open, I decided to go for it. I love working at MGCCC. I guess you could say that I’ve come full circle.”