Courtney Blaylock, Paula and Lynn Carnaggio
During the holiday season, people enjoy taking a break from hectic routines and busy days to enjoy a more leisurely pace and time with family and friends.
For sisters Courtney Blaylock, Paula Carnaggio and Lynn Carnaggio, it鈥檚 definitely not all business.
The three sisters not only share a common family bond, but a connection in their passion for Bulldog baseball and in their financial work and educations at Mississippi State.
The natives of Carrollton have always cheered for 91传媒 and take a 鈥渟ister trip鈥 every year to watch the Diamond Dawgs play in an out-of-town series. They鈥檝e watched the team play at Vanderbilt, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Alabama, but their favorite venue, of course, is Dudy Noble Field. This summer, they traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, to watch the Bulldogs compete in the College World Series.
Blaylock was the first sister to enroll at 91传媒, where she met her husband before graduating with a degree in business administration in 2004. She started working in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in 2006 before moving to the Bagley College of Engineering dean鈥檚 office in 2011, where she is now a senior accountant.
鈥淎t different times when my sisters were in college, they both lived with me,鈥 Blaylock said. 鈥淣ow we live within maybe a mile and a half of each other. I think we鈥檙e probably closer now than when we were younger. We usually see each other almost every day.鈥
In addition to having a place to stay, Paula and Lynn benefitted from their older sister鈥檚 advice on which teachers to take. Paula, the middle child, graduated in 2012 with a degree in business administration. She has spent the last six years working for the 91传媒 Foundation, where she is currently a business coordinator.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great atmosphere,鈥 Paula said. 鈥淭he people here are great.鈥
Lynn, the youngest, took a slightly different course. She graduated in 2015 from the College of Business鈥 Adkerson School of Accountancy. During her time as a student, Lynn said she spent lots of time going to football, basketball and baseball games, as well as studying. She also spent time learning the ropes of her profession as a student worker in 91传媒鈥檚 Office of Sponsored Programs Accounting. That opportunity led to a full-time job in the department that she started a week after graduation.
鈥淚 had been a student worker in the same department for three years at that point,鈥 Lynn said. 鈥淚鈥檝e gone from being a student worker to an accountant to, now, a senior accountant. The student work experience helped a lot. We didn鈥檛 just sit there and file stuff. They let us do actual work and they鈥檙e fun people, so it was a good experience.鈥
With all three sisters living approximately an hour and 15 minutes from their hometown, their parents have spent plenty of time making the drive down Highway 82 to Starkville.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e joked about moving here,鈥 Paula said. 鈥淭hey come almost every weekend. Our dad goes to the football games and our mom keeps Courtney鈥檚 child while we go to the game.鈥