Brandon Mathews (’15) has been honored as an Outstanding Young Alum by the School of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Mathews was honored at the school’s Alumni and Friends Reception on Thursday night.
“The HDFS faculty is proud to have Brandon counted among our outstanding alums,” said Timothy S. Killian, Associate Professor and Assistant Director for Human Environmental Sciences. “When I meet with prospective students and advise current HDFS students, it is my hope that those students leave the university and our program to exemplify the same levels of integrity and commitment to purpose exemplified by Brandon.”
Mathews earned his Master of Public Service from the Clinton School in 2015. His field service efforts as a student included work on an initiative with the City of Little Rock to develop greater city-wide connectivity and a health assessment for a village in Vietnam.
“It was an incredible honor to receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for the College of Human Environmental Sciences at University of Arkansas,” Mathews said. “While I am grateful for this recognition, I am reminded of a passage in Philippians 2 that’s says, ‘In humility, counter others more significant than yourself.’ I hope that my accomplishments inspire current students and alums to ground their professional and personal lives in service towards others.”
As an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas, Mathews became active with the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, a passion he carried over into his time as a Clinton School student.
Working with Arkansas Foodbank, Mathews developed a plan for establishing and operating food pantries on college and university campuses in Arkansas. His work resulted in the publishing of a campus food pantry toolkit, covering topics like fundraising, marketing, operations, and more. Mathews oversaw the emergence of multiple food pantries through joint efforts of the Arkansas Foodbank and cooperating campuses, which have since served thousands of food-insecure students.
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