Auburn’s Marshall Scholarship winner working to find solutions

There are moments in life that change and define your future — it happened to Cameron Tice the day he met a woman with active addiction. Tice, Auburn University’s newest Marshall Scholarship awardee, found himself face-to-face with a person who would eventually lead him to not only winning two national prestigious scholarship awards, but finding his passion to one day create and implement rehabilitation systems that work for individuals struggling with addiction and their families.  

While volunteering in the detox unit at the Elmore Community Hospital in Wetumpka, Alabama, Tice met a patient who told him a story of addiction, family trauma, cyclical failings and an overall lack of medical resources when dealing with substance abuse. At that moment, Tice knew he needed to be part of the solution. This chance meeting led Tice to his current role as a researcher for a national campaign with adults in the criminal justice system who are dealing with substance abuse disorders.

Honored to win

A two-time national prestigious scholarship winner, with his first being the Barry W. Goldwater award in the spring of 2023 and now as a 2024 Marshall Scholar, Tice is currently a senior Honors College student majoring in biomedical sciences (pre-med) within the College of Sciences and Mathematics and minoring in psychology with the College of Liberal Arts. A native of Auburn, Tice will pursue an MPhil in medical science (psychiatry) at the University of Cambridge upon graduation from Auburn this spring.

“I am honored to have been selected for the Marshall Scholarship, and I look forward to beginning graduate studies at Cambridge University. I firmly believe that no other university in the world could have better prepared me for this path than Auburn,” noted Tice. 

Once in Cambridge, Tice will be working with a professor to look at new ways to treat people with substance abuse disorders. Specifically, he will study the effect of social intervention methods in individuals with cocaine user disorder. According to Tice, there are limited treatment options for cocaine users to find a path to sobriety, and he hopes that this new research will shed some insight into finding better ways to treat this addiction around the world.

With between 30 and 40 scholars selected each year to study at the graduate level at a UK institution in any field of study, and with the number of university-endorsed applicants approaching 1,000, it is one of the most selective graduate scholarships for Americans. It is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious scholarships for U.S. citizens. Tice hopes that his research will ultimately make an impact on society by finding ways to end the cycle of addiction.

“I have the opportunity to work hard for others, and that’s what keeps me going. I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing work — this research — so other people don’t have to suffer in the future like they are right now,” said Tice.

Working to find solutions

While in the UK, Tice is looking forward to becoming part of the international community. “Addiction is a global problem and by working together, we can find solutions quicker and easier,” added Tice.  According to Tice, there are many countries that are suffering from the same problems as the U.S., and on the other side of the coin, there are many countries that have amazing substance abuse programs. Tice hopes that his time in Cambridge will result in great success by “working on shared problems.”

Recognizing the role of luck in his own position, Tice intends to limit his yearly spending to the U.S. median household income, donating or investing any additional income received to organizations that serve those in need. “I encourage the Auburn Family to hold me to this promise, as we lead the world to a kinder and more forgiving place,” announced Tice.

Created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1953 as a living gift to the United States in recognition of the generosity of Secretary of State George C. Marshall and the Marshall Plan in the wake of World War II, the goal of the scholarship is to strengthen the special relationship between the two countries. Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. 

For students looking to get involved in national prestigious scholarships like the Marshall, Tice suggests starting early, putting in the work and finding assistance through previous scholarship winners and on-campus partners like those in the Honors College.

“If you really want to get a scholarship like this to help the world become a better place, it takes a bit of sacrifice, but knowing that it will pay off in the end, it's worth everything,” said Tice.

According to Tice, numerous faculty, staff and former Auburn students helped him achieve this award. Laura Whatley, Kelli Thompson, Paul Harris and Jon Waggoner, as well as past prestigious scholarship winners Ashton Richardson, Matthew Rogers, Jordan Anderson and Patrick and Alyssa Donnan played an instrumental part in Tice’s recent accomplishment.

After his time in Cambridge, Tice plans to attend medical school to become a physician and a scientist. He hopes to shorten the gap between clinical and research-based work.

For more information on National Prestigious Scholarships, contact the Honors College at honors@auburn.edu