As a high school student in McAlester, Okla., Mario White was eager to find academic challenge and a broader awareness of different cultures. He found both at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM) and is now a circuit court judge in Dane County, Wisconsin. 

Mario heard about OSSM from his mother. After learning more about the school, he decided to attend and subsequently graduated in 1997. Immediately after, he went to Oklahoma State University and earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in History, both with honors.  

He credits OSSM with helping him form the ability to think critically and to pay attention to detail—skills he uses daily when making decisions that affect many lives.  

In addition to the OSSM college-level math and science courses, Mr. White is also impressed with its humanities. 

“I think most people do not realize that OSSM…gives students opportunities to explore language, arts, history, and philosophy. It gives students the tools to be leaders who develop policy that will shape the world in which we live.” 

For a brief time after graduating from OSU, Mario taught math at the School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) in Dallas, Texas. While he loved the job, he knew he wanted to return to school and decided to give law school “a shot.” This direction was based on an internship he had with the National Security Agency during his last summer in college.  

Now, in addition to serving on the circuit court, Mario is a faculty member of the National Criminal Defense College and the Wisconsin Judicial College. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.