Credit: Miss Arkansas Pageant

“So many of these professors who have prestigious backgrounds in whatever field they work in are willing to work with you and help you become the best version of yourself,” Mitchell said of her student experience in a 2019 interview.

With this win, Mitchell reportedly won a $30,000 scholarship and over $75,000 in other awards and gifts. Her social impact is “A Responsible Digital You,” a platform which she will promote as she travels the state supporting the Miss Arkansas and Miss America organizations.

Mitchell currently works as a marketing specialist for Conway Regional Health Systems and will represent the state of Arkansas at the Miss America event in Connecticut.

Dr. Horpedahl won the prize for his policy and data analysis on pandemic-related economic topics such as coronavirus precautions, tolls and trends, vaccination development and distribution, unemployment, as well as local, national, and worldwide financial impacts.

“Part of what motivated me was simply to understand the pandemic better myself, and I was glad to help others navigate the same questions that I had about the state of the world,” said Dr. Horpedahl.

Horpedahl was also a co-recipient of another award from the Mercatus Center for the blog , where he is a weekly contributor.

“Dr. Horpedahl’s efforts to communicate complex topics in a more approachable way has helped inform and educate others about economic policy. This is important work during an already confusing and stressful time, and we are proud of his effort and impact,” added Dr. Michael Hargis, Dean of the UCA College of Business.

Almost daily, Horpedahl continues to release his analysis through local and national newspaper articles, podcasts, panel discussions, online blogs, and social media posts.

George Mason University’s Mercatus Center launched the awards initiative through its Emergent Ventures program in March 2020 for entrepreneurs and innovators who work to improve society in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Awards from the program range between $50,000 to $100,000.

Dr. Horpedahl is an associate professor of economics at the UCA College of Business and a scholar with the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University in 2009, concentrating on public choice, public finance, and economic history. His research, policy briefs, and op-eds have been widely published in regional and national publications.

For more information about Dr. Horpedahl’s work and the UCA College of Business, visit .