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Public health student Matilin “Mati” Rigsby named student regent
The newest member of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents is known as a servant leader who is passionate about public service
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Matilin “Mati” Rigsby student regent to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. She will serve a one-year term from June 1, 2021, through May 31, 2022. One student regent is appointed annually to the Board of Regents.
Rigsby is enrolled in a 3+2 program where she will earn in five years both a Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) and Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Epidemiology & Biostatistics from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. This summer, she is interning with the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). She is passionate about public service and volunteers with Aggie ACHIEVEMates, a program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She serves as a Health and Wellness Ambassador and engages with faculty as the student representative on the School of Public Health Curriculum Committee.
“I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to serve the Texas A&M University System community. Without its resources and support, especially from Dr. Don Curtis, I would have never had the opportunity to invest my time into the fulfilling work I do now.” Rigsby said. “I recognize that it is a blessing to be an Aggie, which is why I felt compelled to apply for the Board of Regents in the first place.”
“Mati was one of our prize recruits to the BSPH program in 2019, and she has exceeded all expectations. She is a member of the Broad Street Society, an honor’s learning community for the school’s best and brightest students, and is the definition of a servant leader,” said Don Curtis, PhD, assistant dean of undergraduate studies.
Rigsby said the Broad Street Society has been a highlight of her time at Texas A&M. Notably, she analyzed the relationship between public health and human trafficking in the United States and Europe, an experience that led to her internship this summer in Washington D.C.
“Mati’s appointment as a student regent is first and foremost an acknowledgment of all of her hard work and accomplishments, but it also recognizes the importance of public health at Texas A&M,” said School of Public Health Dean Shawn Gibbs, PhD, MBA, CIH. “Public health impacts everyone’s life, in ways that are often unseen, and goes well beyond the current pandemic. We are proud of Mati’s appointment and know she will do well as a student regent.”
Media contact: media@tamu.edu