Community Service Guides Ole Miss First Scholar's Career Path

That changed after Henry, a senior from Waynesboro, began devoting more of his time to community service activities in Oxford. A good portion of his involvement in serving others was made possible by his Ole Miss First Scholarship.

"The Ole Miss First Scholarship program encourages its scholars to excel at the university by offering a substantial number of helpful academic resources, such as mentoring services and leadership training," Henry said. "However, the OMF program also makes it clear that it's just as important for its scholars to serve a leading role in assisting the Oxford community."

He quickly embraced any opportunity to help others.

Henry volunteered to serve several community organizations, such as the Leap Frog after school tutoring and enrichment program for at-risk first to third graders in the Oxford and Lafayette County public schools and the St. Peter's Episcopal Church youth program. He was also a youth basketball coach for 7- and 8-year-olds for the Oxford Park Commission.

The university's Division of Access, Opportunity and Community Engagement recognized the many hours Henry has spent serving the community with a "positive, upbeat and kind spirit" in April with its 2024 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. Established by the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, this award is the university's highest for individuals who provide service to others.

"Because of the immense enjoyment that I find in helping others, I feel fortunate to be honored with this award," Henry said. "But another benefit of discovering the personal reward I get from helping community organizations is that I was also fortunate to recognize my passion for helping children of various ages."

Consequently, the biochemistry major plans to pursue a career in pediatric medicine.

Henry has enjoyed academic success, frequently making the Chancellor's Honor Roll. This success, he said, would not have been possible without his Ole Miss First Scholarship, as well as the support of other scholars, OMF graduate assistants and Anna Booth Weems, the program's director.

Ole Miss First Scholars receive a four-year scholarship of $4,500 per year.

Henry credits the program with broadening his social network and making his transition from high school to college a success.

"When I started here at the university, I was uprooted from my familiar environment and quickly found that I was in an unfamiliar place populated with thousands of new people," he recalled. "While the cultural shift was swift and enormous, the OMF Scholarship program helped me make friends and meet supporters who have assisted me in assimilating into this new environment, establishing my identity and helping me to succeed academically."

Henry, like so many other OMF scholars, personifies the transformative nature of this scholarship, Weems said.

"Kaleb's success as a student and his growth as an advocate for the importance of serving others has been inspirational to me and so many others who have come to know him on campus and throughout our community," she said.

"We've been fortunate to have him as a vibrant member of the Ole Miss First Scholarship program and look forward to the positive impact Kaleb will have among Mississippians and within other areas of the state in the future."

Henry said the remarkable journey he has experienced would not have been possible without the generous donors who make OMF scholarships possible.

"Due to this scholarship program, I have been able to join organizations, participate in research, offer my services to my community and so much more without having to struggle with the financial insecurity that impedes the success of many students," he said. "I'm grateful to those who provide the funds vital for students like me and others."

For more information about the Ole Miss First Scholarship program, contact Anna Booth Weems, OMF program manager, at abweems@olemiss.edu or 662-915-3895, or visit the OMF website. For more information about supporting OMF scholarships, contact Brett Barefoot, executive director for central development, at bmbarefo@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2711.

Top: Kaleb Henry (center) accepts the 2024 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the university's highest award for individuals providing service to others. On hand for the presentation are Rosie McDavid (left), the former Ole Miss First program director, and Sarah Morgan Johnson, an OMF graduate assistant. Photo by Mary Knight/UM Development