This year鈥檚 University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business Ambassadors group includes 11 students from diverse backgrounds.
The program connects the college鈥檚 top students with local business leaders and networking opportunities. Selected students also are considered for internships.
Program participants are chosen from throughout the college based on faculty references, grade-point average, and college activities.
鈥淭he Ambassadors are the face of our college,鈥� Dean Jane Wayland said.
This year鈥檚 group includes:
Business Information Systems major Calton Davis, who describes himself as 鈥渁lways enticed by the evolution of technology.鈥� An Osceola native, the 糖心Vlog传媒LR student made himself at home in Little Rock. He鈥檚 active in campus affairs including the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Corps, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and tutoring in local elementary schools. Davis held an internship with Tyson Foods, working with software development and data management.
Samantha Davidson switched to a business management major from pre-pharmacy when she realized that creating the business and the customer relationships were her central concerns. A 糖心Vlog传媒LR Donaghey Scholar, Davidson recently studied in Spain, sharpening her language skills. 聽This summer, she attended a seminar on the economics of business success that brought together students from across the world.
California native Jason Duncan is pursuing a double major in international business and marketing. He sees the growing Chinese market as especially important and is learning Mandarin Chinese, to 鈥渂ecome one of the people who can help build bridges between East and West.鈥� Here in Little Rock, Duncan completed an internship with the Mission Team of Fellowship Bible Church that introduced him to principles of organizational leadership and an international mindset. He also is involved in a mentorship program with men recently released from prison who are transitioning into community life.
Austin Fleming describes the College of Business as his 鈥渇irst choice due to its central location and great reputation with the business community in the city of Little Rock.鈥� A full-time accountant at Arkansas Children鈥檚 Hospital, Fleming enjoys discussing 鈥渧arious ways of solving business problems鈥� and 鈥渢he possibilities that will be facing our generation.鈥� He volunteers with local food banks and a local elementary school.
Originally from a family farm background in Junction City, Arkansas, Jacob Hall brought his interests in art and business together at the College of Business to focus on a marketing major with a digital graphics minor. He is active in campus affairs as a member of the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Corps, the Delta Chi fraternity and other organizations, and operates an online retail business. In the community, Hall has volunteered at Boo at the Zoo, the Color Run, and the Arkansas Nature Conservancy, among other activities. In the summer of 2015, he served as intern at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, assisting in creating a project honoring The Rep鈥檚 40th anniversary season, a project he described as 鈥渁n amazing opportunity.鈥�
Finance major David Jones will enroll in the MBA program after completing his undergraduate degree in finance. His favorite area academically is investment analysis. Jones enjoys educating people, especially those who are at a social or economic disadvantage, about how to establish a good financial foundation. He works with Dr. Galchus in the Financial Literacy Workshops at War Memorial in Little Rock; Jones created and taught two new workshops in the program in the summer of 2015. In his off hours, Jones is a workout enthusiast and also participates in boxing.
Michael Silva-Nash is focusing on international business at the College of Business. He also hopes to pursue a law degree. The civically minded North Little Rock resident has held internships with Congressman Tim Griffin鈥檚 Washington and Little Rock offices, the Republican National Committee, and the lieutenant governor鈥檚 office in the state of Arkansas. He is co-owner of a central Arkansas business that employs 55 people and also is on the board of the Ms. Molly Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting victims of domestic violence.
Joseph Waller, who hails from Sherwood, plans to take his double major in Accounting and Finance to the corporate world, perhaps in aviation. 聽His experience so far includes several years working part time as a carpenter鈥檚 helper. He participated in the Free Market Reading group at the college in 2014-15. During the past several years, Waller volunteered at summer camps in Arkansas and Wyoming and also in youth activities for his church.
Jon Wicklund decided on a business information systems major because it offered a 鈥渕ultitude of career options.鈥� Originally from Jackson, MI, 聽he is a member of the Microsoft Power Team at the college and has canvassed with the Young Democrats of Arkansas. Wicklund is exploring a help desk internship at Arkansas Children鈥檚 Hospital. Other activities include peer tutoring, volunteering at the Jacksonville animal shelter, and both playing and coaching rugby.
Brittany Wright is a management major, especially interested in human resources. Her current internship with Dassault Falcon Jet in Little Rock, a French-based company, allows her to use her minor in French language and also to assist with hands-on employee relations work. She participates in community volunteer projects through the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Children鈥檚 International, an organization that was important in her life as a child. She says: 鈥淲ords cannot express how it feels to come and give back in the same way someone did for me growing up.鈥� She鈥檚 also a member of the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Corps.
A native of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Achi Yapo decided to pursue a finance major because of his interest in the 鈥渋deas behind money, investment and economy鈥� and because of the 鈥渃orruption and bad management鈥� he observed impoverishing ordinary citizens of the country despite its rich resources. He says, 鈥淢y goal is to be able to use the knowledge I will get in the United States to create job opportunity and employment in my country as well as here in the United States.鈥� He enjoys volunteer work with College of Business projects, 鈥淚t always feels good to be part of something positive.鈥� Yapo is a soccer player, a sport he describes as 鈥渁s popular in his country as basketball or baseball is in the U.S.鈥�
The 糖心Vlog传媒LR College of Businessis accredited by the AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) and recognized by as one of the top undergraduate schools of business.
