Story and photo by Logan Jackson
Sitting in a hotel room surrounded by his high school speech and debate teammates earlier this year, Rey Martin received a phone call that left him a bit speechless. The call was from Honors College Dean Catherine Rymph offering Martin the Stamps Scholarship, Mizzou’s premier academic award.
“Getting that call was insane,” said Martin, who is from Raymore, Missouri. “I was so excited and ran around telling everyone that I was not only going to Mizzou, but I was also going to be a Stamps Scholar.”
Mizzou Stamps Scholars have a variety of unique opportunities, including a dedicated mentor, opportunities to connect with campus leadership, alumni networking, funding for study abroad and connections with other students in a larger Stamps Scholarship network. Scholars also participate in research early on in their college journey and are enrolled in the Honors College for all four years, working toward the completion of the Honors Certificate.
“This is an amazing opportunity that I obviously couldn’t turn down,” Martin said. “Columbia is the perfect distance from home, too. It’s a new environment, which was really important to me, but it’s also close to my family. I’m very family-oriented, so it’s great that I can get home and see them.”
Semifinalists for the scholarship are invited to campus for a weekend to interview for the award, meet current Stamps Scholars, participate in an in-depth campus tour and interact with Mizzou leadership. For Martin, the experience was vital. He appreciated the chance to see campus in such a unique way.
“I took business cards from so many people,” Martin said. “I had never experienced networking like that before.”
Martin will study social work at Mizzou. It’s a field he has been passionate about for a long time.
“Growing up, I faced some adversity, and I’ve just always wanted to help others,” Martin said. “It’s really the only thing I could see myself doing. I wanted to be that person who supported those individuals who fall through the cracks of the system. Originally, I thought I would study psychology, but around my junior year I realized it wasn’t the route I wanted to take. I didn’t know what to really do next, but I had a teacher who suggested social work, and it seemed to be the perfect fit.”
Martin added that the program was a big reason that he was interested in Mizzou in the first place.
“That was a major factor in me choosing Mizzou,” Martin said. “It’s such a good program. I’m also excited because one of my professors is someone who I met during the Stamps interview weekend, so I already feel like I have a connection with faculty, which is so cool.”
Through the Stamps Scholarship, Martin will complete research tied to social work. In addition, Martin said he is hoping to get involved in other clubs and organizations on campus.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to conduct research before, so I’m really looking forward to getting involved in that way,” Martin said. “I’m definitely interested in quite a few organizations, too, such as the Legion of Black Collegians. There are also some LGBTQ groups that I’m hoping to get involved with. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to choose.”