Matthew A.B. Dormus, junior ministerial theology major, serves as a 2024 White House HBCU Scholar. In this role, he works with NASA, meets with senior officials from the White House and U.S. government, advocates for issues that matter, and more. Matthew is pleased to function in this capacity because it is his personal mission to live a life of service.
Notably, Matthew was crowned the 11th Mister Oakwood University for the 2024-2025 academic year. His platform, We Choose Hope, focuses on providing hope to students through mental health resources. Matthew created “Crown Talk,” a video series to start off his reign with a bang. He interviewed 33 campus kings and queens from 26 HBCUs about their HBCU experience. Fifteen episodes and over 145,000 views later, Matthew believes it’s beautiful when HBCU students come together.
He also co-founded and co-hosted Good Morning OU (GMOU), Oakwood’s student-produced show, during the 2023-2024 academic year. Ten episodes and other videos received over 185,000 views in the show’s first year, and twenty episodes were filmed for a later release. It has been Matthew’s privilege to share the stories of Oakwood students through GMOU.
Additionally, he is a 2024 inductee into the Carson Scholars Fund Hall of Fame, founded by Dr. Ben Carson, a world-renowned neurosurgeon. This honor comes after being recognized as a Carson Scholar seven consecutive times from 2016-2022 for academic excellence and exemplary community service.
