Junior Amelia Southern Uribe has been selected as a finalist for the 2024 Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Southern Uribe is the 18th Truman finalist to have come from the U of A over the last 10 years and hopes to become the 11th student  to be named a Truman Scholar in the same time frame.

Finalists interview in various regions throughout the month of March. Southern Uribe will interview in Nashville, Tennessee.

“The University of Arkansas has had an amazing track record with students being recognized by the Truman Scholarship Foundation,” said Terry Martin, provost and executive vice chancellor of academic affairs. “And there is a very good reason for it; we have exceptional students like Amelia Southern Uribe, who are talented, energetic and service minded. Congratulations to Amelia, for this national achievement, and to the departments, colleges and faculty who have supported Amelia’s efforts along the way.”

Southern Uribe, a 2023 Udall Scholar from Fayetteville, is an honors student, majoring in political science and journalism with a concentration in advertising and public relations through the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. 

Southern Uribe has been extensively involved in campus and community events and groups, including founding the first Arkansas chapter of This is Zero Hour, a climate justice organization, which has since grown into four different chapters across the state.  

Southern Uribe has also interned with the city of Fayetteville’s Department of Sustainability and is sitting on a variety of statewide environmental boards. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in environmental management with a concentration in community engagement and environmental justice, as well as a career in public service focused on fighting climate change.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected as a 2024 Truman finalist,” Southern Uribe said. "This achievement is not solely my own, but a reflection of the support and guidance provided by my remarkable mentors, advisers, friends and family. In particular, I am profoundly grateful to my mother, whose sacrifices and determination to provide our family with better opportunities have laid the foundation for this journey. This application process has better prepared me to address the environmental issues that rural marginalized communities face.”

Truman Scholars are awarded $30,000 in scholarship funds to attend graduate or professional school. The application process is rigorous, requiring more than 50 hours to complete. This year, 705 students from 275 colleges and universities across the nation applied for Truman Scholarships. Finalists demonstrate outstanding leadership, public service and academic achievement. The foundation will choose 60 Truman Scholars from the pool of finalists.

About U of A Truman Scholars: The U of A has produced 26 Truman Scholars, more than any other university in the Southeastern Conference. In 2002, the U of A was named a Truman Scholarship Honor Institution for student commitment to service and its record with the Truman Scholarship Program. Since 2012, 11 U of A students have been named Truman Scholars:  

• Anna Mathis, agricultural education, communications and leadership, 2023
• Coleman Warren, political science, 2021
• Samia Ismail, biomedical engineering, 2019
• Ryann Alonso, political science and communication, and Sam Harris, agricultural business, 2017
• Victoria Maloch, agricultural business, and Danielle Neighbour, civil engineering, 2016
• Grant Addison, history and political science, 2015
• Cicely Shannon, economics, 2014
• Nathan Coulter, political science, 2013; and
• Mike Norton, agricultural business and poultry science, 2012.

U of A students who are interested in applying for the Truman Scholarship should contact the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at awards@uark.edu or call the office at 575-8673.

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 few 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.