Jackson State University professor Mark Henderson received the opportunity of a lifetime, getting the opportunity to appear on the 41st season of the popular syndicated television show “Wheel of Fortune”.  Henderson's episode premiered on September 12 and he was a fixture at the start of the episode, as he answered the first puzzles of the day and had the opportunity to introduce himself. He serves as an assistant professor of speech and theater at the HBCU and won $13,000 as well as a trip to Italy.

When asked about his occupation by Pat Sajak, he said, “I'm a theater professor at Jackson State University and I started my own drama troupe there that's called ‘MADDRAMA' and it's spelled ‘M-A-D-D-R-A-M-A' and it stands for ‘Making A Difference Doing Respectable And Meaningful Art'.”

Going into the show, Henderson's main goal was to not embarrass the university and his family.

“One of my fears is that I don’t want to embarrass Jackson State. I don’t want to embarrass my family. I don’t want to embarrass my friends — especially myself,” he told WAPT reporter Michaila Franklin.

Henderson had the opportunity to appear on “Wheel of Fortune” after receiving a call to apply in 2022. They informed him that, if accepted, he needed to be in Hollywood three weeks before the show taping. He made it happen and got the opportunity to be on the show. According to Henderson, he enjoyed his time.

“It was great. I mean, it was surreal to see all of this stuff you see on television, so it was exciting.”