Bolton, who is professor emeritus of history at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, was surprised as he had won this award once before in 1999. The Booker Worthen Literacy Prize was originally awarded to the best books in nonfiction that were history-related to Arkansas. Now, the literacy prize is given to the best published book by an Arkansan.

鈥淚 was particularly excited,鈥� said Bolton, 鈥渢o win a prize that applied to all Arkansans and was open to fiction and nonfiction. That鈥檚 a really big deal for me.鈥�

His book focuses on the topic of being a fugitive and escaping slavery. He got this idea when he was working on other research for the National Park Service. He found that he was interested in runaway slave advertisements, especially how slave owners were portraying these advertisements as wanting to get their property back.

鈥淔ugitivism: Escaping Slavery in the Lower Mississippi Valley, 1820-1860鈥� was a project that took Bolton eight to nine years to write. He was working on it before he retired from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2009. The book was published Aug. 22 2019 by the University of Arkansas Press. He strived to make his book as full of information as possible but also wanted to avoid making it too technical. Bolton described the book.

鈥淲hat I was trying to do,鈥� said Bolton, 鈥渨as write a book that would appeal to a broad segment of the population who might be interested in not only African-American issues but racial justice…at the same time you have to write a book that will be accepted by professional historians.鈥�

He hoped his book would be able to enter the conversations about race that are happening today. Bolton tried to denounce the myth that most escaped slaves ran to the north. Escaped slaves escaped for a variety of reasons.

鈥淟ots of times they wanted to go to a city,” Bolton said. “People in the lower Mississippi Valley escaped to go to New Orleans. I mean they鈥檙e just like me and you. They鈥檙e attracted to cities.鈥�

The book received positive reviews and is now the winner of the Booker Worthen Literacy Prize. Bolton enjoyed the positive parts of writing, like spending time learning and researching new topics and new places. He described how much easier technology makes research. The accessibility makes it easier to find information about the topics he was interested in. There are more learning opportunities now than before.

Bolton gave advice to students that are interested in academic research and writing.

“Take all the courses, professors want you to write,” Bolton said. “The history department you now have at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is as good now as it ever has been.鈥�

He continued, 鈥淚f you want to write, you鈥檝e got to write. Work with the best people you can work with. Look for people who are going to give you solid criticism, you have to learn to accept that. It鈥檚 not that your critics are always going to be right. But, your stuff is going to be better if you do.鈥�

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Heath鈥檚 extensive knowledge of astronomy has heightened by volunteering with the Jet Propulsion program at NASA, which explores the galaxy and it’s unexplained mysteries. 

Heath is a producer and host of the 鈥淭he Night Sky,” which is a monthly program that Heath uses to connect the general public to the cosmos. Each episode of 鈥淭he Night Sky鈥� thoroughly explains the scientific and mythological meaning of the multiverse. Astrology plays a hidden role in our lives. Knowing about retrogrades and astrological placements can help you in ways you could never imagine. For instance, mercury retrograde involves the planet that governs communication and technology. Knowing about mercury retrograde would help all 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students be proactive and complete assignments, exams and projects early to avoid WiFi and computer glitches during mercury retrograde.

 As a communications major, I use mercury retrograde as a personal guide to know when not to verbally participate in discussions to avoid miscommunication and when to complete assignments early in case technical difficulties may occur.  Birth charts are important to know because they thoroughly explain each astrological placement, which helps you gain a better understanding of yourself. For example, my sun is in Taurus but my moon is in Aries. Because of my sun sign I am logical and analytical but another part of me is spontaneous and unpredictable because of my moon sign. You can learn a lot about yourself through these signs.

Astronomy is great for all 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students to learn because it allows the curious mind to ask questions about the world around them. You can join Heath and other avid astronomy buffs to discuss astrological events at the next Central Arkansas Astronomical Society meeting.

 Heath currently serves as the president and outreach chair at the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society. The CAAS offers affordable student memberships for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Students, with rates starting at $7.50 per month. If you are interested in the 鈥淭he Night Sky,” CAAS student memberships, mercury retrograde or astrological birth charts 鈥� check out the links below for further details.

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Aisosa Osaretin, a third-year concurrent Juris Doctor student at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, was crowned Miss Nigeria International at the 2nd annual Miss Nigeria International Pageant in Minneapolis over winter break.

Miss Nigeria International Pageant (MNI) is a pageant based in Minnesota that seeks to empower women beyond just natural beauty. The organization’s mission is to celebrate beauty in diverse forms, uplift intellect and promote corporate social responsibility in the community. Anyone from any part of the world can participate as long as they are of Nigerian decent, meaning they have at least one parent who is Nigerian.

Osaretin first heard about the pageant from a family friend who gave them the number of the pageant director.

“At first, I refused without even thinking twice,” Osaretin said. “My mum encouraged me to speak with the contact and that was how I decided to participate.”

Osaretin, along with the contestants, had three months of pre-pageant activities which included phone interviews, pre-pageant judging and appearances at a variety of events. This gave the judges an opportunity to access the contestants’ communication skills, team work, self and mutual respect as well as their professionalism. The actual pageant itself included five different rounds. The first round was the contestants’ introductions, which included them stating the state of Nigeria they were representing as well as the slogan of that state. Osaretin represented Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in which its slogan is “Centre for Unity”. The second round was the “beachwear” portion of the competition. The contestants didn’t wear tradition bikini swimsuits and were instead scored based on their confidence and physical fitness. The third round had the contestants wearing traditional attire that represented the culture of the state they were representing while dancing to a traditional song. The fourth round was the talent portion of the competition where Osaretin performed the song “Great Nation” by Nigerian singer Timi Dakolo. The fifth and final round was the evening gown portion, where the contestants are judged on their pose, grace, catwalk and intelligence.

“I told myself that I was going to have fun and at the same time, I will do my best to win,” Osaretin said. “I resolved to do my best, but was also aware that all contestants came to win and I may not be the winner.”

Osaretin won three separate awards at the pageant before being crowned Miss Nigeria International; Best Traditional Attire, Best Beachwear (both decided by the judges), and Miss Congeniality (decided on by her fellow contestants).

“I was in so much shock for the rest of the week,” she said. “My parents and some friends were at the event and they ran up front screaming in jubilation the moment I was announced as Queen. My entire family and friends, both at home and abroad, were elated and I spent a good amount of time responding to congratulatory messages. I was most grateful for winning because it was a way of telling those who had supported and encouraged me from the start that their confidence and trust in me was not misplaced.”

It means a lot to Osaretin as a Nigerian living in the U.S. to be crowned Miss Nigeria International.

“As a Nigerian in the United States, I have always been aware of the fact that I represent my country in so many aspects, in the sense that people gain a perception on Nigeria just from interacting with me,” she said. “However, as the Queen, I take it more seriously and it feels more official. Also, it makes me proud to know that I embody all the values MNI supports enough to be an ambassador of the values of Nigeria.”

Because of her win, Osaretin must now participate in at least four hours of community service every month and must represent Nigeria in another pageant.

“For my community service, I try as much as possible to focus on human rights advocacy because I am most passionate about issues pertaining to human rights,” she said.

Osaretin has volunteered for a variety of different organizations and participated with some human rights organizations such as Write for Rights in Amnesty International, which is the world鈥檚 biggest human rights event that has people write millions of letters for those whose basic human rights are being attacked. She will also be appearing at events aimed at boosting the Nigerian culture and will be visiting the Nigerian consulate in New York. For personal reasons outside of the pageant, she is also in collaboration with her sisters, who are in the medical field, to start a group aimed at sensitizing children in her hometown of Benin City, Nigeria, on sex education.

“As through my research, this is very much needed to address issues on sex-related violence in my hometown,” she said.

Osaretin got her Bachelors in Philosophy from the University of Benin in Benin City, Nigeria and is currently a third-year student at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and concurrently pursuing a masters in Public Service at the Clinton School of Public Service. She is also a Post-Baccalaureate student at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock main campus for biology and chemistry classes.

“My goal after graduating is to be the lawyer you want to represent you,” she said. “The one who gives you hope that something can be done and it’s not time to give up yet. I plan to apply myself as a human rights advocate, specifically in relation to women and children. I am also working towards becoming a patent attorney, hence my post-baccalaureate status.”

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Alan Webb is a record-holder and an Olympian, but he has recently moved to Arkansas to take over an associate head cross country and assistant track coach position for athletics here at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

In 2007, Webb ran his best season professionally. He beat the previous American record in the mile in July of that year, with a time of 3:46.91, breaking the previously held 25-year-old record of 3:47.69. He also ran the 4th fastest 1500 meter time by an American at the time, with a time of 3:30.54.

Webb knew he loved running from a young age, but wanted to keep working to get better. 

鈥淚 got into running in elementary school, when they had the mile run, and I did well, and I liked seeing myself improve,” he said. “I felt like when I would prepare and practice, I grew and got better. I fell in love with the improvement part of it.鈥�

When Webb was able to run in high school, he jumped to take advantage of the opportunity. 

鈥淚 wanted to get better and once I got to high school, I fully committed to running,” he said. “I succeeded a lot in high school and set some records I never dreamt of setting when I started running. Still, I didn鈥檛 set goals until they were realistic and achievable.鈥�

The journey to the Olympics for Webb was different than that of other Olympians.

鈥淕oing to the Olympics was accomplishing one of my lifetime goals,” he said. “I struggled some after high school, but I felt like I persevered and really put my head down the fall of 2003 and worked harder than I鈥檇 ever worked before. I did more than I鈥檇 ever done. By the time I got to the trials, I had improved in mental toughness, speed and strength. I was proud to overcome that down part of my life.鈥�

Being an Olympian is not the only part of his life that Webb is proud of.

鈥淚 would say what I鈥檓 most proud of is that once my running career ended, I had the perspective to recognize what is most important to me,” he said. “Having my faith and becoming much stronger in my faith in God led me to be a better husband, better father and I hope a better coach, too. It helped me recognize the high, high value in helping others. My new calling as a coach has come from that. I realized I have all these experiences as a runner, and I can give all that back to other athletes.鈥�

Once Webb knew he wanted to be a coach, he started seeking out opportunities to be a full-time coach.

鈥淚 was living in Portland before Little Rock and we didn鈥檛 want to move, but I knew being a collegiate coach would require that,” he said. “That just led me to realize I wasn鈥檛 doing what I should be doing. I missed being fully into track and field, I didn鈥檛 want running to be part time. I applied [at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock]. I felt like coming here was a place that very much interested me, because I felt like I could win here. The program as a whole is being built up and I felt like I could move things in the right direction with the distance runners. It goes back to wanting to improve with running, it鈥檚 the same with coaching.鈥�

His care for his athletes and the students he works with shows in each and every one of his interactions and words.

鈥淚 love the athletes, getting to know them and getting to know what they need as athletes, and trying my 100 percent best to help guide them so they can accomplish their goals is my favorite part [of campus],” he said. “If I can help them get better at running, I know it can help in other areas. There鈥檚 a genuine need to have a coach be an objective servant of an athlete. It鈥檚 proven that the most successful athletes have a coach. I benefited greatly from my coaches, and I want to be that for them.鈥�   

Webb has high hopes for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 running program in the future.

鈥淭he first thing is that I want everyone to get better,” he said. “Everyone should leave better than they came, and if we can do that, I鈥檇 like to win some championships with the team and individually. It鈥檇 be nice to get people their own wins. The process to get there is to create the right culture where everybody is here to work hard and give 100 percent effort on and off the track.鈥�

Every piece of advice Webb gives about running to his athletes is peppered with the passion he has for the sport and coaching.

鈥淒on鈥檛 focus too much on the end result, focus more on the process of pushing yourself and set realistic, intermediate goals,” he said. “Nobody can guarantee an end result, but you can control how you go about each day. You have to enjoy the work and pushing yourself. You won鈥檛 get anywhere without that. Love the work that you do. If you enjoy working hard, you will get better.鈥�

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