Student Spotlights
Celebrating National Merit Scholars at the University of Arkansas
Welcome to the University of Arkansas National Merit Student Highlights page! Here, we shine a spotlight on our exceptional students who have earned recognition as National Merit Scholars and Finalists. These outstanding individuals exemplify academic excellence, leadership, and dedication to their communities. Explore their achievements and learn more about the bright future our National Merit students are shaping at the University of Arkansas.
Sabrina Jones
Originally from Russellville, Arkansas, National Merit Scholar Sabrina Jones is a Ph.D. student at Stanford University in the lab of Dr. Jay McClelland, where
she investigates how humans and artificial agents (AI) learn. As an undergraduate,
she was a Bodenhamer Fellow and a Goldwater and Amgen Scholar at the University of
Arkansas.
"I chose to attend the University of Arkansas because I received the Bodenhamer Fellowship,
which I saw as an amazing opportunity to be part of a cohort of highly motivated,
bright individuals. Further, the broader honors college and fellow community also
contributed to this decision as the honors community at UARK is very active and the
faculty and staff associated with the honors college are a stellar group of individuals
who I felt cared about me not only as a student but also as a person. Of course, my
decision was based on personal factors as well, such as proximity to home, the financial
benefits of the fellowship, and the fact that I am a 3rd generation member of senior
walk. Though I’m not privy to all the factors that go into allocating fellowships,
I think that being a National Merit Scholar helped to open some of these opportunities
that drew me to the U of A, and once I was a student, being a National Merit Scholar
continued to open up doors." ~ Sabrina Jones
Jonathan Ivey
Originally from Greenwood, Arkansas, National Merit Scholar Jonathan Ivey is pursuing a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering,
where he will conduct research in natural language processing and artificial intelligence.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics
from the University of Arkansas.
"The University of Arkansas was very influential in shaping my life goals. I was given
the opportunity to try out almost anything that interested me. I did internships in
industry, practiced leadership and policymaking in the student government, did academic
research, and generally had a lot of flexibility in designing the academic experience
that I wanted. Because I was able to have so many experiences, I explored and figured out what I
loved doing. I learned that was research, and I decided to pursue that path in my
Ph.D." ~ Jonathan Ivey
Hailey Hoog
Originally from Jenks, Oklahoma, National Merit Scholar Hailey Hoog is a second-year medical student at Yale School of Medicine, conducting research
in the Pierce Lab within the Vascular Biology & Therapeutics Program. As an undergraduate,
she completed internships with the Arctic Investigations Program at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage,
Alaska. She also participated in the Four Directions Summer Research Program at Harvard
Medical School and served as a Presidential Fellow at the Center for the Study of
the Presidency and Congress.
"The U of A provided me with numerous opportunities that helped me develop personally
and professionally. The greatest of those opportunities was to get involved in the Associated Student
Government, where I started in the Freshman Leadership Forum and then went on to serve
as the Director of Open Access Resources, Director of Academic Affairs, and, eventually,
Student Body Vice President...the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards supported
me in becoming a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, as well as a two-time
Morris K. Udall and Steven L. Udall Foundation Honorable Mention." ~ Hailey Hoog