"He was a delight to work with," said Susan Glisson, the institute's executive director. "He's intelligent, diligent and resourceful."

In his endorsement of White for the Rhodes, honors college Dean Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez described him as having "perhaps the sharpest intellect in his class and, without a doubt, the most effective leader we had seen in years."

Those who have worked with him tend to echo that message, including UM Chancellor Robert Khayat, who also wrote a letter recommending White.

Though he was born and raised in Mississippi, White chose a road to Ole Miss that was not as straight as many students take. In 2004, he was offered a spot in the freshman class of his dream school, Georgetown University. The papers were signed and mailed. However, recognizing White's potential as a leader, a recruiter from the UM honors college convinced him that the university's honors program was the perfect place for him and offered him a full ride. This scholarship provided enough money for him to send some back home to his family.

"We are just really proud of him," said his father, Charles White. "He would not be here, I believe, without Ole Miss. We owe a great gratitude, and (the university) has really opened and challenged his mind."