When Madilynn Stephens grows up, she wants to be like Oprah Winfrey and inspire others with her own television show. 

“She wanted to help people realize who they are,” said Stephens, a fourth grader at Crestwood Elementary School whose class visited The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience Wednesday morning.

The tour was part of an arts integration program called Mississippi to The MAX, a collaboration of teaching artists, teachers and students. It’s made possible through the Any Given Child Initiative in Meridian, a matching grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council and funding from The MAX and East Mississippi Community Foundation. 

Since October, Meridian Public School District students have learned about Mississippi’s many contributions to the fields of visual arts, drama, music and dance. Once they completed their  classroom lessons, students from the six elementary schools took field trips to The MAX. 

During Crestwood’s trip on Wednesday, Stephens learned more about Winfrey’s life and impact on popular culture. She gave the MAX a good review after seeing the center’s many exhibits.  

“It was really impressive to me and I really like it,” Stephens said.

Pearl Huggins, a tutor at Crestwood, said visiting The MAX, with its interactive displays, gave students the opportunity to learn beyond the textbook. 

“I think it was a wonderful experience for them,” Huggins said. “I saw the expressions of joy and excitement.”

One of those students, Cardale Moore, said his favorite part of the trip was the Jim Henson exhibit. He enjoyed creating his own puppet, describing how Big Bird is his favorite character. 

For Stephens, she hopes to return to the MAX with her family, so they can have the same experience she had. 

“I really want them to see what people did for us in the past, to let us have what’s here now,” she said.