St. Joseph native earns prestigious scholarship
Leah Rainwater
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KQTV) — A St. Joseph native and Central High School alumnus has earned one of the world’s most prestigious academic honors.
As the University of Missouri’s newest Marshall Scholar, Josh Donaldson joins a distinguished tradition of Tigers whose curiosity, leadership and drive have reached a global stage.
“I honestly had the time of my life during the interview,” Donaldson said. “We were cracking jokes and the discussion was so conversational. When I received the call that I had received the scholarship, I was speechless. After thanking them over and over, I hung up and just sat there for a bit to process everything. I was smiling from ear to ear.”
Donaldson is a senior biological engineering major in the College of Engineering who is also pursuing the Honors Certificate in Mizzou’s Honors College.
The Marshall Scholarship is a fully funded postgraduate award which allows scholars to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It was first awarded in 1954 and is one of the most prestigious international scholarships for U.S. students.
Nearly 1,000 students apply for the Marshall Scholarship each year and around 200 finalists are interviewed for the award, with up to 50 scholars named. Only 43 scholarships were awarded for 2026.
“We are proud that Josh is among an elite group of students to receive the prestigious Marshall Scholarship,” University of Missouri President Mun Choi said. “This incredible honor recognizes Josh’s hard work, resilience and commitment to serving others. His success also demonstrates the power of a Mizzou education, which prepares all students to achieve excellence and make a global impact.”
Donaldson, a St. Joseph native, plans to spend one year at the University of Leeds, where he will pursue a master’s degree in water sanitation and health engineering.
Donaldson will then travel to the University of Edinburgh to study global environment, politics and society.
“I love my engineering background; I love solving problems from start to finish,” Donaldson said. “I’ve quickly realized that there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that I’ve been missing, though. I want to learn more about the political and social dimensions that make an engineering solution work, specifically tied to water, which has kind of become my obsession.”
Donaldson expressed his excitement and said the scholarship will allow him to continue to pursue his passions in engineering.
Donaldson is Mizzou’s first Marshall Scholar since 2010 and just the fifth Tiger to earn the distinction since the award was created.
“It is an outstanding academic achievement to be named a Marshall Scholar. Josh’s dedication and work ethic serves as an exemplary model for all of our students,” Matthew Martens, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Missouri, said. “This is an extremely proud moment for Mizzou and certainly represents the standard of excellence students find when they choose our university.”
The Marshall Scholarship is the latest in a long list of awards and honors for Donaldson. He was named a Truman Scholar earlier this year, a prestigious award named in honor of Missouri’s only president, Harry S. Truman, that identifies aspiring leaders and rewards students who are committed to careers in public service.
Donaldson studied Swahili in Tanzania last year through the Critical Language Scholarship and was recently one of four Tigers to receive the Remington R. Williams Award from the Board of Curators, which is the highest student leadership award bestowed on students across the UM System.
Donaldson was also a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the oldest and most prestigious international scholarships that allows scholars from around the world to study at the University of Oxford.
He worked with the Mizzou Office of Global and National Fellowships on nearly all his award applications.
“The team has been instrumental in aligning my career progression and helping make everything come together,” Donaldson said. “You come into their office with an idea or a thought on how to change the world, and they do an incredible job of guiding you as you chase your goals. They are so great at finding unique avenues, and my work with them has been life-changing.”
Donaldson has conducted research at Mizzou through the School of Medicine and is currently a research fellow with the Missouri Water Center.
He is the president of the Mizzou chapter of Engineers Without Borders and serves as the basic needs officer for the Missouri Students Association, where he coordinates the Midwest Food Pantry Alliance.
