Success Stories

Two MU students - Jennifer Kimball and Laura Merritt - named 2008 Truman Scholars! more >> opens a new window

MU was one of only 17 institutions across the country whose students received a Truman, Udall, and Goldwater in in the same year (2005).

MU students have higher average ACT scores than our peer institutions.

MU students have been successful with the Fulbright, Gates, Goldwater, NSF, Rhodes, Truman and Udall fellowships, just to name a few! Below are just a few of our successful students.

3rd Annual MU Excels

Students at MU Excels Presented by the Fellowships Office, the Graduate School, and the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies

MU Excels is a celebration of students who have pursued excellence and distinguished themselves by being candidates for nationally competitive awards. These fellowships require applicants to have high GPAs, demonstrated committment to public service, and learning outside of the classroom, among other things. This year MU Vicky Riback Wilson and Dr. Michael Prewitt present awards at MU Excels Excels celebrated 124 MU students, an increase of 63% over 2006 which was a 50% increase over 2005 (295% increase from 2005 to 2007). The 2008 event will be held in mid-April, most likely in Memorial Union. If you know someone who you feel should be honored next year, please contact the Fellowships Office.

Profiles of Fellowship Applicants

Annie Morrison
Truman Scholar

University of Missouri-Columbia junior Annie Morrison hopes to someday make a difference in the lives of less fortunate women. A recently named Truman Scholar, her dream could come true sooner than expected as a result of unique opportunities presented to recipients of this prestigious award.
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Anne Holden
MU's First Gates Scholar

When she was 13-years-old, Anne Holden read a book on human evolution and decided she wanted to work in that field. As a child, she devoured books on the ancient Greeks and Romans. At college parties, she enjoyed people who would chat about subjects such as Plato or Dostoevski.

Jon Coulson
AIIS-India

I graduated in Advertising from the Journalism School in 2005, and am now a 4+1 student studying digital communication. Over the past summer, I traveled to India for just over a month for free. I went with the American Institute of Indian Studies on a State-Sponsored workshop titled “India and Islam” (though we ended up seeing Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Christian and secular sites, as well). The institute chose twelve students from across the nation, and three of them just happened to be from MU - keep this tradition alive! I learned a lot about India, about religion, and about myself, and cherished the life-altering experience.

To apply for the workshop, I had to attend a land-grant institution (MU is one), be a Pell-grant recipient (I was one), and fill out a rather comprehensive application. The application includes three essays, three letters of recommendation, and a letter from the provost. The hardest part about this, of course, was that I had to complete it about two weeks before finals week. But it was totally worth it!

Currently, I am in the process of applying for Teach For America, the Peace Corps, and a Fulbright. All of this will have to wait, however, until after I finish graduate school and write my thesis.

Kaitlyn Faries
Goldwater Applicant

Faries first learned about undergraduate research opportunities during an incoming freshman tour. After volunteering in a DNA extraction lab for a year, Faries received a Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (LS UROP) grant. Faries says the opportunity for undergraduate research played a major role in her choice to attend Mizzou.

"I am really excited to be working on this project because it will be a fantastic learning experience for me. MU really encourages undergraduate participation in research, and I have been fortunate to receive support from the College of Arts and Science, as well as the Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program to conduct this research," Faries said.

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Jared Cole
Two time Udall Recipient

Jared Cole is the founder of a campus organization named Sustain Mizzou. Under Jared's leadership, the organization spear-headed the drive to increase the prevelance of recycling containers on the MU campus. He used his Udall funding to increase environmental awareness.

Jedediah McKee
Boren Scholarship

Jed McKee is a great example of someone who is making the most of a NSEP Boren Scholarship. The Boren Scholarship is designed to help students who profess an interest in a career in government in the future, in National Security in particular. The Scholarship aims to place such students in areas of interest to National Security, and to teach them languages which will come in handy in their future service of their country. Jed is one of 141 students selected this year from the thousands that applied from all over the nation. Jed is studying Political Science, History, and Arabic this year in Amman, Jordan. Having completed multiple tours of duty in the service of his country, Jed now looks forward to working towards his career goal of being an Operations Officer in the CIA. Jed is a man who believes that it's a moral obligation to finish what one starts, and is actively taking part in bridging cultural gaps and solving difficult problems.

Boren Scholarship recipient Jed McKee takes time out of his study schedule to explore and gain an appreciation for the cultural topography of Amman. He is pictured here at a local amphitheater.