The cheerleading career for Jada Martin and AnnElise Elrod will continue on beyond Southwest after the duo recently signed to cheer for Southern Miss.

For Martin, signing to cheer for the Golden Eagles is something that took a bit of time to process.

"I'm still actually pinching my arm and saying 'is this really happening', because I've come a long way," she said. "I'm not the traditional cheerleader. To get to this point is a dream."

Signing with Southern Miss not only gives Martin the chance to cheer at a Division I school but also one that is right down the road from her native Magnolia.

"I think that it obviously won't be as convenient as going to Southwest because I live 10 minutes from here," she said. "But I'm looking forward to being in a community that is not far from home, one that I can call home. Even with the couple of visits, I'm knowing that I have people I can lean on, that I am familiar with like AnnElise. I do have family up there. I am grateful that my parents aren't too far from me."

Martin looks back at her time at Southwest and believes that she made the most of it. She was not only named Cheer Captain but also the 2022 Homecoming Queen. In addition, she also became a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honors
Society. Now that her time at Southwest is coming to an end, she says that if she could give her younger self some advice, it would be to trust the process.

"I remember crying tears of joy knowing that there would be so much success ahead. I didn't think that it would be this great or it would look like this and my story would go down this path," she said. "I guess I would tell her, Jada Martin at 18 years old, to fall in love with the process. Don't give up on the premises God has given you. He will see you through every single time."

For Elrod, her journey to Hattiesburg was a bit different coming out of high school in her native Long Beach as she had her sights set on softball and was a member of the Lady Bears Sotball Team during her freshman year. However, after one year, she decided to pursue another love that she had and another activity that she did in high school in cheerleading. Looking back on her last year and now getting a chance to continue on at a four-year school, she is very grateful.

"I never would have expected this especially coming here in a totally different sport," she said. "It is a blessing."

She had the chance to attend clinics at Southern Miss and she admits that it was very intimidating for her but it didn't take long for her to find a level of comfort.

"I was very nervous about it going in and when I went to the first clinic, I was like 'these girls are just like me, so I am going to be ok'," she said.

Elrod also expressed her gratitude of attending Southwest as she believes it bettered her in multiple ways.

"I could never picture my life without Southwest being a stepping stone," she said. "I'm very grateful to have had this experience and this will be a big part of me."

Southwest Cheer head coach Cindy Henderson was very happy to see two of her young ladies get the opportunity to continue their academics and cheer career at the next level.

"I believe that they worked really hard and pushed themselves to be the best they can be at the sport," she said. "(For Martin) cheer has been in her heart. She has stepped up and been an amazing captain this year. You couldn't have asked for a better athlete. AnnElise was originally a softball player and then came and wanted to cheer. She has stepped up and done a great job. I am very proud of both of them."