As a faculty member in MSU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Jacob Tschume savors the moments his students begin understanding daunting formulas and abstract concepts. “Helping students—being able to see their light bulb click—is what I love most,” he said.

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.

Internationally-acclaimed Nigerian poet, playwright and author Chigozie Obioma will visit Mississippi State University as the Writer-in-Residence next month, bringing his in-depth wisdom of African literature—shaped by his Igbo heritage and Nigerian upbringing––to explore themes of fate, family and the clash between tradition and modernity with the MSU community.