Starting today, the Oxford EAGLE will feature work from University of Mississippi journalism students.

Our two staff writers, LaReeca Rucker and Lyndy Berryhill, are both taking courses at the university, and LaReeca even teaches as part of her graduate work. We also use stringers regularly to help us fill the papers with relevant stories.

However, this semester we are partnering with a journalism class and will print the students’ work. As a young journalism student, that’s one of the more exciting things — to see your work in print in a professional daily paper. Not only will printing their work give these students bylines in a paper and something for their portfolio and resume, but it also will excite them about the profession and hopefully encourage them to make print journalism a top career choice. Residents anywhere benefit from young, energetic and eager reporters who are up to date with current trends and know how to reach generations across the board. New reporters also are savvy with social media and can find new, creative ways to get the news out to the world.

The work we will feature in the coming weeks are mainly features on fellow students, graduates and staff at the university.

This will help you put a face with a name, and you might even run into a student reporter or student featured at Walmart or around town. Some of the students at Ole Miss are doing great things, have eclectic interests and want to make a difference.

Our upcoming Sunday business story also is one from a student, who wrote about two UM graduates who created a website that helps an employer get to know a job applicant personally through a series of questions to see if they are a match professionally.

It helps save not only time, but also money while looking to fill positions. And, it also doesn’t waste an applicant’s time by bringing him or her in for an interview and getting his or her hopes up for employment.

The EAGLE thanks both LaReeca for encouraging her students to submit their work to us and thanks the students for their hard work.