Classmates and friends at the University of Southern Mississippi are remembering Chelsi Nakyla Hilliard, who passed away in January 2026, as a vibrant student whose personality and involvement left a lasting mark on campus.
Hilliard attended Southern Miss from 2021 to 2024 and participated in several student organizations, such as the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, Eagle Connection, Gospel choir, Diamond Darlings and more. Friends said she built connections across campus and made people feel welcome wherever she went.
“She definitely was my family. She was my sister,” said Azaria McDowell, Hilliard’s friend and sorority sister.
McDowell described Hilliard as someone whose presence was impossible to miss.
“Very lively, very bubbly, just a big personality in general,” McDowell said. “You were never going to leave a space without knowing Chelsi was there.”
Hilliard served as a member of Eagle Connection, a group that gives campus tours to prospective students. McDowell worked with her in the organization and said Hilliard’s outgoing personality made her a natural fit for the role.
“Very authentic, very outgoing,” McDowell said. “These are people who are not at USM yet, and they already want to come. It just takes one person. When you give a good tour and have good energy, people feel welcomed, and she did a good job of making people feel that way in everything she was in.”
Hilliard also joined Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., where McDowell mentored her during the membership process. Once she became a member, friends said her presence quickly stood out.
“It was an infectious energy,” McDowell said. “If she’s happy, I’m bound to be happy because she just has that type of spirit about her.”
Friends said Hilliard remained involved in multiple organizations and enjoyed trying new experiences during her time at Southern Miss.
“She was just really passionate, just a passionate person who loved to try new things and loved to stay involved,” McDowell said.
Even during difficult moments, Hilliard maintained a positive outlook that inspired those around her.
“To see that side of Chelsi but to know she still chose to go out in public and be happy — I think that’s an encouragement for me and anyone who reads this,” McDowell said. “Regardless of what your circumstances look like, (whether) that’s finances, school situations, personal life, at-home life, you have the choice to not let the circumstances define you, and I think she did that beautifully.”
Hilliard’s influence also extended to her sorority line sister, Mozan Ibrahim, who said Hilliard continues to motivate her.
“I want to keep going and being successful and excelling because she doesn’t have the opportunity to do that,” Ibrahim said. “So, I’m kind of living for her.”
Ibrahim said Hilliard uplifted every space she entered and quickly became beloved among their peers.
“She was really the light of our line,” Ibrahim said. “She was everyone’s favorite and she was definitely my favorite.”
USM organizations say Hilliard’s legacy continues through the people she inspired and the organizations she helped shape during her time at Southern Miss.
They describe her as someone who embodied joy, kindness and community — qualities they say will continue to influence the campus long after her passing.