Mr. Knighten graduated valedictorian as a fellow of the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program from the School of Education at the University of Mississippi.  As a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, Mr. Knighten defended his senior thesis on the need for a coherent high school literature curriculum and the current sources of incoherency that hinder this goal.  During his time at Ole Miss, Mr. Knighten studied abroad at the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary, l'Université Catholique de l'Ouest, and le Lycée Maurice-Genevoix.  Most recently, Mr. Knighten returned from Lincoln College at Oxford University in the United Kingdom where he began his master's degree in English, presented a paper on Jane Austen's presence in the high school English classroom, and saw 17 theatrical productions.  In his temps libre, Mr. Knighten prefers pouring over great books and great authors, patronizing the theatre, and frequenting Missisissippi's best restaurants.