Samia Ismail, a U of A alumna, and Coleman Warren, a current senior, have been named as finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, the world’s most prestigious scholarship to complete post-graduate study in the United Kingdom. 

Ismail has been named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, and Warren is a finalist for both the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships. 

Ismail graduated summa cum laude in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a minor in Arabic. Warren is a senior honors industrial engineering and political science major in the College of Engineering and Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Both Ismail and Warren are Harry S. Truman Scholars, which recognized them as two of the top future public servants in the nation.

“Samia and Coleman are amazing individuals with stellar academic records and a history of service that makes them both very deserving of this recognition,” said Terry Martin, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “The university could not be prouder of them for this honor, but more importantly, for their commitment to serving Arkansans on important issues like medical care in rural communities and food insecurity in the state. No matter the outcome of these competitions, they will both make an important difference to the state and to our communities.”

Finalists for both awards are selected from hundreds of applicants across the nation each year. The Marshall Scholarship provides for one or two years of post-graduate study at any university in the United Kingdom. The Rhodes Scholarship provides for up to three years of study at Oxford University. Interviews for both awards are taking place this week.

SAMIA ISMAIL

Ismail, a Fort Smith native, was named Outstanding Biomedical Engineering Senior of 2020, received a 2018 Golden Tusk Award, and received a Public Policy Institute Underrepresented Minority Travel Grant from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

She ultimately plans to attend medical school and work as a practitioner in rural Arkansas, while also helping to shape policy that improves access to medical care and health outcomes of rural Arkansans.

“I am incredibly honored to have been chosen as a Rhodes Finalist, and I owe this opportunity in large part to my advisers and mentors at both the University of Arkansas and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy,” she said. “It’s very exciting that attention is being paid not only to my individual efforts, but to the larger subject of rural health disparities in America, especially upon underserved and marginalized people in these communities.”

As a student, Ismail was heavily involved both on campus and in the community. She pursued on-campus research with Jamie Hestekin, professor of chemical engineering, and completed an honors thesis under the direction of Raj Rao, professor of biomedical engineering. After her freshman year, she was accepted to a competitive research position at the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston.

She also held several volunteer and leadership positions on campus, serving as a member of the Honors College’s Special Events Committee, a student representative for the Chancellor’s Commission on Women, chair of the Distinguished Lectures Committee, vice chair of the Office of Student Activities’ Program Allocations Board and co-director of diversity and inclusion for Associated Student Government. 

Outside of campus, she was heavily involved in politics, volunteering for several state-level campaigns. She is currently a Truman-Albright Fellow working for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, where she has co-led a coalition including federal and NGO partners to identify best practices and funding opportunities relative to farmers’ mental health needs, the distributions of ventilators to rural areas during COVID, access to healthcare for diverse communities and other issues affecting rural health.

COLEMAN WARREN

Coleman Warren, a native of Farmington, is the current Associated Student Government president. As an incoming freshman he received the Arkansas Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship, and he is also the recipient of the Industrial Engineering Sophomore Scholar Award, an Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineers Scholarship and the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award. 

Warren plans a career focused on helping to alleviate childhood food insecurity in Arkansas, and he eventually hopes to run for U.S. Congress. 

“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and all of the wonderful people who have supported me in getting to this point in the process,” Coleman said. “The Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to obtain a world-class education with a community of changemakers from around the world. I’m excited to represent Arkansas, and I hope to develop a deeper understanding of how to address what have been intractable issues like food insecurity in the state and in the country.”

Before being elected as president, Warren held several positions within Associated Student Government, including director of policy and director of open education resources. He has also volunteered for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and as a Razorback Food Recovery partner coordinator for the Volunteer Action Center. 

Politically minded, he has volunteered on local campaigns, and in the summer of 2021, he served as a legislative intern for the U.S. House of Representatives. 

After his freshman year, Warren served as an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate for the Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha, Nebraska. While there he developed the idea to create a small business to serve as a revenue source to benefit Northwest Arkansas non-profits working to alleviate food insecurity in children. Upon returning home, he created Simple + Sweet, an artisanal ice cream business that has so far donated over $10,000 to local nonprofits. 

In addition, he founded Simply Feeding, a nonprofit that aims to help rural students sell ice cream to benefit their communities while also gaining valuable entrepreneurial knowledge. 

Students or alumni interested in applying for prestigious scholarships should contact the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at awards@uark.edu.

About the Marshall Scholarship: Beginning with the first twelve Marshall Scholars in 1954, Marshall scholarships were created in order to finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom. Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent and wide-ranging. It allows recipients one to three years of graduate level study at any university in the United Kingdom. The U of A’s first Marshall Scholar was John Edie, selected in 1960. The scholarships recognize the work of U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall and are an expression of the U.K.’s gratitude for economic assistance received through the Marshall Plan after World War II. Marshall Scholarship winners are selected for their potential to excel as scholars, leaders and contributors to improved understanding between the U.S. and the U.K. The University of Arkansas has had eight Marshall Scholars, including Victoria Maloch (2017), Mike Norton (2014), Ben Hood (2002), Megan Ceronsky (2001), Warwick Sabin (1998), Charles King (1990), Lisa Pruitt (1989), and John Edie (1960).

About the Rhodes Scholarship: The Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest international fellowship, was initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902. The scholarship is intended to bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. The first American Scholars were elected in 1904, and Neil Carothers of the University of Arkansas was a Rhodes Scholar that first year. Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at the University of Oxford with the possibility of renewal for a third year. Ten University of Arkansas students have been selected as Rhodes Scholars.  The most recent was Anna Terry (2000).

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.