糖心Vlog传媒

New student success coach hopes to inspire students through work with Student Affairs Diversity Initiatives

As 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 newest student success coach, Dominque 鈥淒.J.鈥� Thomas is helping inspire the next generation of Trojans through his work with the Student Affairs Diversity Initiatives (SADI). 鈥淚鈥檝e always had a passion for working with college students,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲hen I was an undergrad, I was part of a mentorship program known as the African American Male Initiative. I served as a mentee, and then I became a mentor while I was older. I love sharing my story to inspire and motivate and encourage those who come after me.鈥� Thomas mentors students in SADI, a student success and retention mentoring program that includes the African American Male Initiative, African American Female Initiative, and the Hispanic/Latinx Initiative. 鈥淚 help students with time management, organization skills, and any challenges that may arise and could hurt them academically or personally,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲e figure out a plan of action that can keep them on pace, so they can complete and have a successful semester.鈥� As a coach and mentor, Thomas believes it鈥檚 important to be an active listener to better understand how he can help students. 鈥淭here have been cases when students come to me just to talk. It also gives me the opportunity to work on my active listening skills,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淚 try to be that safe space and place for people to come to my office to talk, get homework done, or have a coaching meeting. I show them ways they can succeed. Not by trying to conform them to a student I want them to be, but by making some minor adjustments that can help them be a better version of themselves.鈥� Additionally, Thomas teaches one of the聽First Year Experience courses at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,聽 where students learn about the university and student resources, study strategies, and career prep. 鈥淭he First Year Experience course is a class for incoming freshmen where we equip them with knowledge, tools, and insight that can help them have not just a good semester but overall a good undergrad experience,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淲e hope that the knowledge and skills that we teach them help them graduate, and we hope that they are transferable to their personal and social lives as well.鈥� While an undergrad, Thomas encountered many obstacles before successfully completing his bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice. According to Thomas, his experiences have only made him a stronger person and better mentor for minority college students. 鈥淚 do understand the needs of African American students in higher education,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淚 definitely feel the need to be here so that the minority students can have someone they can identify with and who can understand the things they go through on a day-to-day basis outside of college. Having a support group of officials and peers is what strengthened me to persevere through all of the challenges I faced as an undergraduate student.鈥� After completing his undergraduate degree, Thomas has pursued many more opportunities to advance his education. He earned a master鈥檚 degree in higher education at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock while working as a graduate assistant for the Chancellor鈥檚 office and the Green Dot Program. Next, Thomas moved to Memphis to earn his Ed.D in higher and adult education from the University of Memphis, where he worked in the university鈥檚 Disability Resource Center. Now, he is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, which he plans to complete by 2023. 鈥淚 am also an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Pi Lambda Chapter, and I serve as the on-campus advisor,鈥� Thomas added. 鈥淚鈥檓 also a proud member of St. Mark Baptist Church.鈥�