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Gideon Rossman Excels in Mathematics at Mississippi College


Mississippi College math major Gideon Rossman, who sports a 4.0 grade point average, recently made a perfect score on a national mathematics exam. The 19-year-old Louisiana resident and his brother Jacob will both graduate from MC in December.

Gideon Rossman beat long-shot odds and achieved a perfect score on a rigorous mathematics exam offered at colleges nationwide.

A Mississippi College senior from Greenwell Springs, Louisiana, Gideon got everything correct on the 50-question Major Field Exam in Mathematics.

Covering topics like geometry, probability and statistics, Algebra, topology, differential equations and calculus, the complex test serves as a good measuring stick for institutions to assess the academic performance of math majors.

Whether they attend Ivy League schools, major research universities like Oregon State or Tennessee or private colleges like Mississippi College and Belmont, only 3 to 4 percent of the math students score a perfect 200 points. Nine Mississippi College students recently took the two-hour exam, up from six a year ago.

Math Department Chairman John Travis says Rossman’s perfect grade is something worth celebrating. Math Department leaders will present Gideon a $100 check as a way to salute his achievement.

A total of 3,470 USA college students took the math exam between September 2012 and June 2014, reports show.

Homeschooled in Louisiana, the 19-year-old son of Charles and Elizabeth Rossman has excelled at mathematics since he was a young child.

“For as long as I can remember, I have possessed a God-given aptitude for understanding, solving and applying mathematics,” Gideon Rossman said.

Initially a physics major on the Clinton campus, Gideon has also developed a high aptitude for computer programming. Six years ago, he and his brother, Jacob, who’s a current MC student, created a Bible memorization program. “We’ve been enhancing it ever since then.”

Gideon doesn’t just thrive in mathematics classrooms. He’s a high achiever no matter what the subject at Mississippi College.

Faculty members like Tommy Leavelle, Gideon’s senior seminar math professor, believe the future looks exceptionally bright for this gifted young man.

He’s encouraged Gideon to go to graduate school, pursue a doctorate in mathematics, and perhaps become a college professor.

When asked, Gideon isn’t really sure what he will be doing career-wise five years from now.

The East Baton Rouge Parish resident says he will leave that answer up to the Lord.

“I am open to whatever path God would have me to take, as He is my Creator and Savior,” Rossman said. “The future is in my Lord’s hands.”