The UMKC Trustees’ Scholars Program provides a fully funded educational and experiential program for a select group of first-time students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The scholarship is a collaboration between the university and the UMKC Trustees. The program gives students access to UMKC Trustees’ knowledge, experience and mentorship, as well as specialized guidance from key UMKC staff.
UMKC partners with local sponsors to support a Trustees’ Scholar, which provides more than $60,000 over four years. Sponsors can pay $10,000 annually toward a $40,000 pledge or fully endow their scholarship for $300,000. We welcome the opportunity to discuss these opportunities or other possible arrangements with you. Get in touch here about Sponsoring the Program.
This program doesn’t just provide tremendous opportunities for students. It also prepares them to be leaders in their communities and their careers.
Scott Boswell, Board member
Scholars’ Stories
Second-year scholar Grace Yu did a summer internship with Emerson & Company. “My typical payroll duties included processing, onboarding clients, fulfilling HR needs and handling service calls. For bookkeeping, I managed various responsibilities in QuickBooks, such as reconciliation, billing and invoicing. Additionally, I completed small projects on the side. For example, I performed an audit of our payroll platforms to see where the company stood in terms of profit margins and where we could look to improve. Overall, this internship was an amazing opportunity that really opened my eyes to how a successful small business is run.”
Current Trustees’ Scholars
Students are categorized by their expected date of graduation.
Class of 2025
Jaeden Johnson
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Major: Dance
Trustee Mentor: Debby Ballard
Ethan Kauffman
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Major: Music Education
Mentor: Marylou Turner
Z Kemp
Hometown: Blue Springs, MO
Major: Music Civil Engineering
Trustee Mentor: Scott Smith
Maddie Kunz
Hometown: Platte City, MO
Major: Biology (pre-dental)
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Spalitto
Emma Schilling
Hometown: Raytown MO
Major: Business Administration
Trustee Mentor: Steve Bernstein
Class of 2026
Judy Batts
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Major: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Helen Hill
Mauricio Bernal
Hometown: Kansas City, KS
Major: Civil Engineering
Trustee Mentor: Gabriel Hernandez
Chinecherem Ihenacho
Hometown: Raytown. MO
Major: Pre-Nursing
Mentor: Dr. Shayla Sullivant
Vari Patel
Hometown: Lee’s Summit, MO
Major: Business Administration
Trustee Mentor: Suzanne Shank
Elliott Smith
Hometown: Parkville, MO
Major: Urban Planning and Design
Mentor: Dr. Robert Strom
Larry Smith
St. Louis, MO
Biology or Chemistry (pre-dentistry)
Trustee Mentor: Emmet Pierson, Jr.
Taylor Trudell
Hometown: Knob Noster, MO
Major: Earth and Environmental Science
Mentor: Patti Phillips
Class of 2027
Laila Atkins
Hometown: Grandview, MO
Major: Political Science
Trustee Mentor: Donald Maxwell
Maisy Blanton
Hometown: Benton, KS
Major: Communications
Trustee Mentor: Steve Doyal
Andrew Custis
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Major: Earth & Environmental Science
Trustee Mentor: Kyle Vena
Atlas Mallams
Hometown: Liberty, MO
Major: Computer Science
Trustee Mentor: Leigh Anne Taylor Knight
Yasmina Mokhtar
Hometown: Joplin, MO
Major: Sociology
Trustee Mentor: Heather Humphrey
Alexis Reed
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Major: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Reuben
Micaela Richards
Hometown: Lee’s Summit, MO
Major: Business Administration
Trustee Mentor: Donna Ward
Class of 2028
Maryam El-Demerdash
Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Major: Psychology
Trustee Mentor: TBD
Aaria Gandhi
Hometown: Carol Stream, IL
Major: Health Sciences
Trustee Mentor: TBD
Carter Hall
Hometown: Washington, MO
Major: Biology
Trustee Mentor: TBD
Haley Heidbreder
Hometown: Blue Springs, MO
Major: Mathematics & Statistics
Trustee Mentor: TBD
Ann Joseph
Hometown: Chesterfield, MO
Major: Biology
Trustee Mentor: TBD
Audrey Martens
Hometown: Nixa, MO
Major: Psychology
Mentor: TBD
Tiko Tamiru
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Major: Business Administration
Trustee Mentor: TBD
