Female student wearing a long dress while sitting on a park bench

My name is Jane Mays and I am the mother of Natalie Mays. She was born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio, but fell in love with the mountain West and Montana. Natalie was a lifeguard, a gymnast, a diver and she was passionate about becoming an English teacher one day. She dreamed of serving in the Peace Corps. In 2024, Natalie was named the Outstanding Freshman in the English Department at MSU after achieving a 4.0 GPA. She had a great sense of humor, was kind and funny and a talented writer. She loved animals and traveling. Natalie wanted to make the world a better place and believed she could do that as a teacher. She was our families brightest light.