University of Mississippi

In 2000, Cathy and Al Annexstad, along with their family, created The Annexstad Family Foundation (AFF) to focus on helping young people earn college degrees. They’ve been awarding three to four Leaders for Tomorrow National Scholarships for students at the University of Mississippi since 2015, transforming the lives of these Ole Miss students. Since the beginning of the partnership, 12 students have graduated and the Foundation is actively supporting 11 current students. Annexstad Scholarship program Alumni and Scholars credit AFF and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College (SMBHC) for setting them on their various paths to success.

David Pfaehler ’20 graduated from Ole Miss with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts International Studies Department. Today, he is a third-year medical student at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, where he recently began focusing on radiology as his specialty.

When the Kentucky native first enrolled at Ole Miss, he planned to earn a graduate degree in medicine or law, or perhaps consider a career in diplomacy or health policy. By the time he graduated, he had changed the course of his life, inspired to pursue a career in medicine.

“I have found my educational pursuits in medicine rewarding and intellectually stimulating,” he shares. “I still have a long way to go in my training, but I think my younger self would be very happy to see where I am today.”

Pfaehler knows he wouldn’t be where he is today without the educational opportunities made possible by the financial support provided by The Annexstad Family Foundation and the institutional support he received from SMBHC and the Croft Institute for International Studies at Ole Miss.

“The AFF Leaders for Tomorrow Scholarship gave me the financial peace of mind to embrace my educational pursuits without reservation,” he says. “The additional grant opportunities provided by SMBHC and Croft opened doors I never thought possible.”

Ethan Lambert ’23 graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Liberal Arts Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. He is a second-year graduate student at Florida State University in Tallahassee, studying light-matter interactions as part of his exploration into finding more affordable alternative materials for solar energy conversion.

When the Corinth, Mississippi native first enrolled at Ole Miss, Lambert set out to study chemical engineering, the field he initially envisioned as his future career. It wasn’t long before the plans for his career veered in a different direction.

“I changed my major to chemistry in my freshman year, and then I chose a research group at random, and I never looked back,” he says. “I knew I wanted to do some kind of undergraduate research. The professors and graduate students I met in my research group introduced me to the world of research and, by doing this, they set me up for the next chapter in my life, which was to pursue a scientific career.”

“Aside from the generous monetary support, the AFF Scholarship allowed me to form deeper, more meaningful relationships within the Honors College,” he shares. “Essentially AFF was responsible for introducing me to people who inspired and supported me on my academic journey.”

Rod’Kendrick Harrison ’25 graduated cum laude from the UM School of Applied Sciences as a Public Health and Health Science major with a minor in Chemistry. He is applying to medical school and will participate in the MEDPREP post-baccalaureate academic enhancement program at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

Mississippi-born Harrison shares, "Though the path I selected hasn’t always been easy, I have stayed the course and faced challenges. Becoming a physician is the only future I’ve ever seen, and I’ve never lost sight of that dream.”

“The AFF Scholarship, the Honors College, and the opportunities made available to me within my undergraduate degree program have all played pivotal roles in my growth,” he adds. “They’ve provided me with financial support and academic enrichment, and a community that encourages determination, purpose, and service. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to pursuing medicine and to addressing health disparities in underserved communities.”

Dallas Ford ’25 graduated from the UM College of Liberal Arts Chemistry and Biochemistry Department as a Biochemistry major with minors in Biological Science and Chinese. He has been accepted to the University of Mississippi Medical School.

Ford, who was raised in Jackson, is returning to his hometown to begin the next chapter in his journey toward a career in obstetrics and gynecology. In the future, he hopes to share his knowledge with future generations.

“I’m thrilled and happy to be just where I wanted to be at this point of my academic career,” Ford says. “I am moving back to Jackson and will start medical school at UMMC in July. My hope is to focus my career on and eventually become a professor myself one day.”

Being a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College (SMBHC) and the decision by those within the Honors College to award him an Annexstad Family Foundation Leaders for Tomorrow Scholarship were crucial to his undergraduate success, Ford notes.

“SMBHC created so many unexpected opportunities, such as living in Pittman Hall where I was part of its Living-Learning Community,” he adds. “That experience allowed me to get to know other SMBHC students and solidified some of my most important friendships with its family-like atmosphere of support.

“The AFF Scholarship was life changing. It provided me with the resources to achieve the academic goals I had and to arrive at this remarkable place where I can continue to pursue my dreams.”