Samantha Black has been announced as the inaugural recipient of the Jenna Rhodes Memorial Scholarship.
Black, who is pursuing a concurrent Master of Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, is a native of Fort Smith, Ark., and graduate of Arkansas State University. Her public service interests include public health and food insecurity.
This summer, Black is partnering with Heifer International on her International Public Service Project, creating a literature review of Heifer’s work around the world.
“I am so honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Jenna Rhodes Memorial Scholarship,” Black said. “It will be a tremendous help in completing my concurrent MPS-MPH studies. I am grateful for the contributions toward this scholarship in honor of a wonderful public servant.”
The scholarship honors the legacy of Jenna Rhodes, a 2014 graduate of the Clinton School who passed away in July 2019. Raised in Grandview, Mo., Rhodes worked as a Program Manager at UAMS and had accepted an offer to lead the Farm to School program for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture before her passing.
A concurrent MPS-MPH graduate, Rhodes’ work as a Clinton School student included developing an organic garden and farmer’s market program in Nicaragua and building stakeholder teams to assist in the visioning process of Metroplan’s Imagine Central Arkansas Campaign.
The scholarship will be presented annually to a Clinton School student enrolled in the concurrent MPS-MPH program, recognizing the important work that lives at the intersection of public service and public health.
Jenna’s mother, Mary Rhodes, said that the spirit of this scholarship captures one of Jenna’s mantras: “The way to get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
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