MSU boasts three Rhodes Scholarship finalists

Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Three Mississippi State students are finalists for the prestigious international Rhodes Scholarship.

The finalists are advancing to the last round of interviews Nov. 12-15 in consideration for one of the world’s highest academic honors. Claire Green, a senior biochemistry major concentrating in entomology from North Little Rock, Arkansas, interviews in Kansas City, Missouri; Christopher Jolivette, a senior psychology and English double major from McCalla, Alabama, interviews in Birmingham, Alabama; and Tafada Wright, a senior communication major concentrating in broadcast and digital journalism from Spanish Town, Jamaica, interviews in Kingston, Jamaica.

“It is an incredible testament to the quality of our students and MSU for us to have three competing for the Rhodes this year. Being chosen to interview indicates that each of these students lives up to the extremely high standards and selection criteria of the Rhodes Trust,” said Professor David Hoffman, director of MSU’s Office of Prestigious External Scholarships. “They are not only excellent scholars but also committed to using their talents, energy and character to lead both here at MSU and into the future. It is truly exciting that they will be representing MSU in rooms filled with other future leaders from the world’s most prestigious institutions of higher education.”

The Rhodes Trust, a British charity established in the will of businessman and mining magnate Cecil J. Rhodes, promotes international understanding and provides full financial support for students pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Oxford, the first institution of its kind in the English-speaking world and one of the world’s leading institutions of higher learning.

Green has amassed honors throughout her tenure as an MSU student, including being named the university’s most recent Harry S. Truman Scholarship winner and Udall Scholar last spring. A Louis A. Hurst Jr. Presidential Endowed Scholar in MSU’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, she serves as co-chair of member development for the university’s national champion Speech and Debate Council and works in the university’s Pollinator Health Lab researching honeybees. Green has served as president of Students for a Sustainable Campus. She is involved with the MSU Equestrian Team and is a peer academic mentor for the ACCESS program.

Jolivette also is a Louis A. Hurst Jr. Presidential Endowed Scholar in the Shackouls Honors College. A drum major in the Famous Maroon Band, he has previously been honored with selection in the nationally competitive Fulbright UK Summer Institute scholarship program. Recognized with MSU’s Spirit of State award, Jolivette participates in a variety of leadership and service roles within the university’s Jazz Ensemble, Society for African American Scholars, Undergraduate Research Student Ambassadors, and as a Shackouls Honors College Board of Alumni and Friends student representative and ACCESS program academic and life skills mentor.

President’s List scholar Wright is a member of MSU’s track and field team and is captain of its throws squad. She is vice president of the Black Student-Athlete Alliance, and a member of the Caribbean Student Association, Black Student Association and I.D.E.A.L. Women. Wright also has volunteered with various community service projects and has interned with MSU Athletics in sports broadcasting.

MSU has had 12 Rhodes finalists in 14 years. Learn more about how MSU’s Office of Prestigious External Scholarships supports students at www.honors.msstate.edu/initiatives/office-prestigious-external-scholarships.

For more information about the Rhodes Scholarship, visit www.rhodesscholar.org.

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