“I realized there are so many types of writing—you can write for a magazine, for essays, for news stories,” said Portia Agyapong, reflecting on her internship in Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office last summer. “Even though I initially struggled because I was stuck with an academic writing mindset, it was an amazing experience to learn different ways of writing during my internship. I really learned a lot from it.”

Wolf joins MSU from the City University of New York, where he held dual appointments as a professor of mathematics at the City College of New York (CCNY) and at the CUNY Graduate Center. Most recently, he led CUNY’s doctoral program in mathematics as executive officer, overseeing more than 100 faculty members and approximately 80 Ph.D. students. He previously chaired CCNY’s Department of Mathematics for five years and served as graduate advisor for three years.

For Mississippi State University graduate Alijah Jones, the road to a Fulbright Scholarship began in the stillness of the pandemic. Feeling a lack of connection, Jones said he “indulged” in internet browsing, happening upon a YouTube video––“Dinner with my Italian Host Family.” Stepping outside the loneliness of isolation, he found not just a glimpse into another culture, but a spark that would one day take him across the world.