{"id":337025,"date":"2026-06-15T13:58:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/337025\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T13:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:58:12","slug":"international-student-found-his-groove-upon-return-to-msu-texas-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/337025\/","title":{"rendered":"International student found his groove upon return to MSU Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Joshua Muroi walked across the stage at Midwestern State University on May 16, 2026, the moment marked more than a graduation\u2014it marked a transformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just a few years earlier, the international student from Saint Lucia had stepped away from college, unsure of his path. Now, with a degree in hand and a job waiting in the energy industry, Muroi leaves as a proud MSU Texas graduate who made the most of his second chance.\u00a0 He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering.<\/p>\n

His mother, Perline Mathurin, traveled from Saint Lucia to\u00a0witness\u00a0the milestone \u2014 one that once felt uncertain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like leaving had broken my mom\u2019s heart,\u201d\u00a0Muroi\u00a0said. \u201cBut the time away was exactly what I needed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

After leaving MSU Texas, Muroi\u00a0returned home and spent two years working a variety of jobs. He taught, drove a taxi, and worked in property management\u2014experiences that gave him perspective but also revealed what was missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I found petroleum\u2014or maybe petroleum engineering found me,\u201d\u00a0Muroi\u00a0said. \u201cI fell in love with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That discovery gave him direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always a good student,\u201d\u00a0said Muroi, who was an honor roll member in 2019 and 2020 in his first stint at MSU Texas and again in 2025 after returning. \u201cBut at that point, good grades\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0enough. I needed meaning and purpose behind it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

With a clear goal in mind, he immersed himself in his studies at the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering. He threw himself into coursework, research, Senior Design, and extracurriculars like the university\u2019s Formula SAE team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Time, he said, suddenly moved much faster as he became more involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I have to give credit to all the faculty, especially those at McCoy,\u201d\u00a0Muroi\u00a0said. \u201cThey can be hard\u00a0on you, but you come<\/p>\n

\"Joshua
\nJoshua Muroi graduated in Spring 2026 from MSU Texas (Dylan Gandy\/MSU Texas) <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Joshua
\nJoshua Muroi and Engineering Professor Mahmoud Omran Elsharafi were honored for their research project. <\/p>\n

\u00a0 to understand why. They expect the best out of us because they want to put out the best. They\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0make it easy\u2014but that makes it\u00a0all the more\u00a0rewarding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One moment, in particular, stuck with him.<\/p>\n

He recalls struggling some, as were many of his classmates, in Salim Azzouz\u2019s class in Spring 2024. But a tough day turned into a turning point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was doing so badly in his class, and then this one day he was so mad at the class because of how we did,\u201d Muroi said. \u201cHe\u2019s not one to waste class time, but he spent an entire class period to get on our butts about it.\u201d
It hit home for Muroi. He was going to do better. That\u2019s why he returned to MSU Texas after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went home and wrote him a letter,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like he was speaking to me. I didn\u2019t sign the letter, but I said that I was going to prove to myself – and to him- that I could do better.\u201d<\/p>\n

He never told Azzouz it was him who wrote the letter, but the results spoke volumes.<\/p>\n

Muroi finished his time at MSU Texas with a flourish, including recognition for research. He was honored for the project, \u201cExploring the Electrochemical Potential of Produced-Water Mud Systems,\u201d at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research 2026 in Virginia.<\/p>\n

Following graduation, Muroi will begin his next chapter with Liberty Energy in Louisiana\u2014an opportunity that reflects both his academic growth and his purpose.<\/p>\n

For Muroi, the journey included a necessary detour, but it ultimately led him exactly where he needed to be. And along the way, both his mother and Azzouz were able to see that success come to life.<\/p>\n

\"Joshua
\nJoshua Muroi, Professor Mahmoud Elsharafi, and Ethan Belcher with Senior Design project: Design of hydraulic fracking model fort tight formation. <\/p>\n

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