Daniel Kees of Vicksburg, a 2016 graduate of Millsaps College, will spend a year studying in Mexico, thanks to a Fulbright Fellowship awarded by the U.S. Department of State.

Kees’ mother, Janice Kees of Vicksburg, said Sunday she is proud of her son’s accomplishments, which include being valedictorian of his 2012 graduating class at Vicksburg High School.

“Daniel is dedicated and tenacious and unyielding. He can also be stubborn and compassionate. He is a strong believer in higher education. If he takes it upon himself to do a task, it will be done right,” she said.

Kees, who is also a Millsaps graduate, worked in the Vicksburg Warren School District and at Hinds Community College as a teacher. She said Daniel is likely headed to law school.

Daniel’s brother, Joshua, 22, recently graduated from Mississippi College with a nursing degree. He is studying to take the examination to become a registered nurse.

“Daniel always tries to find the best in other people. His most visual trait is that he’s not afraid to step out of his comfort zone,” Joshua Kees said.

Kees’ father, the late Dr. Stewart Kees, who earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University, died when Kees was young.

Kees will teach at Plantel Aeronáutico, which is part of the country’s public vocational training high school system known as CONALEP.

Plantel Aeronáutico focuses on STEM subjects as well as aeronautics.

“I’ll live in Querétaro, where the Aerobatics University also happens to be located,” he said.

Kees is among an estimated 1,600 students to receive Fulbright Fellowships this year. The awards offer recent graduates, postgraduate candidates, and developing professionals and artists opportunities to conduct study and research abroad.

Millsaps President Rob Pearigen said Kees represents the best of a Millsaps education.

“Daniel  thrived in the classroom and was deeply connected to the broader community through volunteer and internship experiences,” Pearigen said. “ It was a pleasure having Daniel in the constitutional law course that I teach each year, and I have no doubt Daniel will excel during his time in Mexico and beyond.”

Kees graduated Phi Beta Kappa and received a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leader for the Foundations program that assists new students in becoming part of the campus community, and a presidential ambassador for the Admissions Office.

He served as president of the freshman honorary Phi Eta Sigma and student body treasurer, and participated in the Wellspring Living and Learning Community. Kees completed an internship with the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Kees traveled to South Korea in 2015 as part of a “Parallels of Peace, Pathways to Justice” delegation of college students from the United Methodist Mississippi and South Carolina conferences. He returned to South Korea in May to attend an international policy-oriented ecumenical workshop. The Fulbright Program, which is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, aims to increase mutual understanding and strong ties between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.