Anna Mathis -- a student at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville -- has been awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship for 2023.
Mathis is among 62 students selected across the nation for the Truman Scholarship, which is considered to be the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States. The scholarship provides $30,000 for graduate school. Mathis plans to use the scholarship to pursue a master's degree in global development and agricultural economics, with a focus on food security and rural development.
The 62 new Truman Scholars were selected from 705 candidates nominated by 275 colleges and universities. They were recommended by 17 independent selection panels based on the finalists' academic success and leadership accomplishments, and their likelihood of becoming public service leaders. Regional selection panels included civic leaders, elected officials, university presidents, federal judges and past Truman Scholarship winners.
UA-Fayetteville has had 26 Truman Scholars, which is named in honor of President Harry S. Truman and his commitment to public service.
Mathis, a junior from Valley Springs, a town of less than 200 people near Harrison in Boone County, is pursuing a double major in agricultural communications and agricultural leadership with a minor in global studies.
"Her passion for rural development and community engagement was developed while growing up in an extremely small, rural town in Arkansas," according to a news release from the Truman Scholars program.
She was the 2020-21 National FFA Secretary, engaging with agriculture stakeholders, more than 760,000 FFA members, and more than one million students enrolled in agriculture education classes, according to the Truman Scholars program. Additionally, she has participated in broadband connectivity discussions with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona; the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; White House advisors; and advocacy groups.
Mathis is an inaugural board member for a nonprofit organization called Her Mighty Hands, which empowers women smallholder farmers in Uganda through technology and training.
Heifer International, which is based in Little Rock, describes a smallholder farmer as one who rears livestock, raises fish or cultivates crops on a limited scale, such as a family-owned enterprise operating on up to 24 acres, with most cultivating less than 5 acres of land.
They typically retain a portion of their harvest for household consumption, according to Heifer International.
Farms smaller than 5 acres produce roughly 35% of the world's food, and smallholders provide up to 80% of the food supply in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, according to research cited by Heifer International.
Mathis' interest is in policies that increase food security and rural prosperity, particularly in the American south.
She is pursuing an honors degree in agricultural education, communications and technology in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, according to the U of A. Next semester, the UA said, she plans to add a minor in global studies while studying at the University of Arkansas Rome Center, which has a multi-disciplinary learning environment and is located in the center of the capital city of Italy and in one of its oldest palaces, the Palazzo Taverna.
Mathis plans to pursue a career in rural development and international agriculture development, focusing on food security.
"I would love to work for the USDA or international agricultural organizations because I want to focus on policy work and really think about the big picture when it comes to food security," Mathis said in a UA news release. "I am passionate about addressing childhood food insecurity, and I think that it starts with policy work, especially in rural areas. My goal is to return to Arkansas and work to create equitable food systems in the state."