- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Mother of Six Earns Fourth Degree from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Mon, 09 May 2022 13:23:51 +0000

Cassandra Dean, a mother of six, is set to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in sociology May 14, marking the fourth degree she’s earned from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dean has a tried-and-true history with the university. A native of Little Rock, Dean first enrolled at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1998 after graduating from high school. “I started out fresh out of high school and life happened,” Dean said. “The big picture is that I am leading by example. My children are watching me, and it’s good that they see me going to college. My children are my biggest motivation to pursue my education.” Dean returned to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2014 to continue her education. She graduated in 2016 with an associate degree in general studies, an associate degree in law enforcement, and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. In 2017, Dean moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she is a property manager for a senior community. When she decided to earn a second bachelor’s degree in sociology to help with her work with seniors, Dean was determined to earn her degree from her beloved alma mater and became an online student. “I love ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Dean said. “That’s the best school. This is the only school I want my name to be on any degree.” Dean’s return to college also created an interesting family dynamic. She started her sociology degree during the pandemic in 2020, when all six of her children were also taking online classes at home. Dean thanked her oldest child, Rose, now 19 and a college student herself, for being “my biggest support system while helping me to help her siblings.” Dean insists that this is indeed her last foray into college. “I have a daughter in college now, so it’s time to be done, but I am excited for my children to see me graduate,” Dean said. “My mom was also big on education, and I know she will be there in spirit. I would tell new college students to remember your purpose for going to college. That is what got me through, remembering my children. If I can do it with six children, I think anybody can.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Grad Fulfills Dream of Becoming a Nurse

John Hill — Thu, 05 May 2022 15:39:04 +0000

Lauren Klempel, of Austin, Arkansas, has dreamed of becoming a nurse ever since she was a little girl.�� The mother of three is now getting the chance to work her dream career after graduating this month with an associate degree in nursing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “I believe my peers would agree that we are taking so much more from nursing school than a degree in nursing,” Klempel said. “Even through the struggles and tears, I will forever cherish the experiences I was blessed with.” As a child, Klempel became such a natural caretaker that her family “referred to me as a little mom.” “I was very independent in taking care of myself and taking care of others was very important to me,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to take care of people. I jumped from wanting to be a doctor, then a pediatrician, and then a nurse.” After being diagnosed with asthma as a young child, Klempel learned just how important nurses can be in lifting the spirits of patients. “I spent more time in hospitals than any child should. I didn’t spend a Christmas at home until I was 5,” Klempel said. “I remember those nurses who would make everything okay. As a kid, you don’t understand why you are in the hospital and why you can’t do all the things that other kids are doing. Those men and women treated me like I was a superstar. I’ve had those standout people who have made such a difference in my life. If I can be that for one person, it will make all the tears and the struggle to get here worth it in the end.” After finishing high school at 17, Klempel moved out of her parents’ home and started college. But the cost of living on her own and going to college quickly added up, and Klempel decided to take time off from school to save money. “Needless to say, here I am quite a few years later,” Klempel said. “I met my husband when I was 20, and the next thing we knew we got married and had a baby on the way, and he joined the Air Force. College became a dream, and I thought that’s all it would ever be.” Since she got married in 2010, Klempel and her husband and three children have lived all around the country – Texas, Florida, and Virginia. In 2017, the family was supposed to move to South Korea. Just two weeks before her husband was deployed, word came that Klempel and her children couldn’t move to South Korea after all. The family instead moved to Austin, just north of Little Rock Air Force Base, where Zach Klempel was assigned when he returned to the United States. As a military spouse, Klempel was an active volunteer and healthcare advocate for military families. After her son was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at 18 months, Klempel volunteered extensively with the Kawasaki Disease Foundation. “I was blessed with amazing opportunities to speak,” she said. “I actually sat on a board that spoke with President Trump about the challenges faced by military families. I’d thrown myself into that role. I am all about standing up for what I believe in. I think one voice can make a difference.” Her efforts were recognized in the 2018 Military Spouse of the Year competition, where she was named one of the top three military spouses of the year for the U.S. Air Force. In May 2020, Klempel joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s School of Nursing to finish her long-held goal of becoming a nurse. “Throughout this process, I may or may not have had more mentor meetings than any of my peers, given my incredible self-doubt,” she said. “I have spent most of my life thinking that I was not good enough or that I would never be able to do anything that would allow me to stand on my own two feet. Here I am today a better person, all thanks to not only my family and friends that have supported this journey, but because of the amazing instructors and peers that have helped me along the way.” After graduation, Klempel and her family will move back to Texas, where she will be working as a nurse in the emergency department in Medical City North Hills Hospital, just outside of Dallas. “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to go into a field I love,” she said. “I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to celebrate 2020 graduates with Dec. 19 virtual commencement ceremony

John Hill — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 16:41:29 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will honor it’s spring, summer, and fall 2020 graduates with a virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 19. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock 2020 virtual commencement video experience that safely honors the achievements of graduating students will be posted for viewing at 9:30 a.m. on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock commencement website. The ceremony will include announcements and photos of spring, summer, and fall graduates who confirmed their participation this fall. Approximately 800 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students are expected to graduate during the fall 2020 semester.

Bowen grad dedicates career to immigration law and public service

John Hill — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 15:11:46 +0000

A fall 2020 graduate of the William H. Bowen of School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a passion for public service plans to put her law degree to use in immigration law and a life of service.�� “The legal process is already challenging for U.S. citizens,” said Edith Chavez De Oseguera, who is earning a Juris Doctor from Bowen this month. “It’s much more challenging for those who are newcomers. There is such a need for immigration attorneys, especially for those who speak other languages. After graduation and passing the bar, I plan to fulfill my vocation as an immigration attorney, and I plan to continue giving back to my community by doing pro bono work for vulnerable clients.” A native of Cancun, Mexico, Chavez De Oseguera is a 2016 graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in international business. She said her family’s experience with immigration is what motivated her to work in this area of law. “My desire to study law stemmed from my vocation to service, my grandfather’s influence as an attorney, my family’s political persecution, and my own personal experiences as an immigrant,” Chavez De Oseguera said. “My mother is from Nicaragua, I’m from Mexico, and now I live in the U.S. I’m a third culture kid. My mom moved to Mexico as a refugee of the Nicaraguan Revolution. My grandfather was an attorney in Nicaragua and my mother’s family suffered persecution. I think that is what draws me to pursue humanitarian law.” Chavez De Oseguera lives in Bella Vista, Arkansas, with her husband and two daughters. She entered Bowen as a part-time law student in 2017 while also working as a law clerk and interpreter at an immigration law firm. “As I reflect upon my life as a law student, I recognize each and every person who helped me throughout my law school journey,” she said. “Law school is highly demanding, but it is even more rewarding because with one single action, we have the power to instantly improve someone else’s life and effect change.” While at Bowen, Chavez De Oseguera served as president and secretary of the Hispanic Law Students Association. A large part of her life has been dedicated to public service. Her public service has included serving as an interpreter for the Mexican Consulate, volunteering for efforts to encourage voter participation with Indivisible Little Rock, and serving as a panelist to promote diversity in education for groups. In 2019, she received the Dean’s Certificate of Public Service from Bowen. “The emphasis of my career has been helping out people and doing any kind of humanitarian work,” Chavez De Oseguera said. “I truly believe that we live in a community where we all need to help each other. I want to leave a better world for my children.” Chavez De Oseguera has volunteered with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services and a couple of Bowen law clinics that have shown her the need for more lawyers in rural areas and the vulnerabilities in the legal system.�� “From my Bowen professors, I take their passion for the law, their vast knowledge, and their commitment to diversity and inclusion,” she said. “From the many learning experiences, my favorite one was representing low-income clients as a Rule XV law student for the Delta Clinic. Through this experience, I saw the need for attorneys, judges, and non-profit organizations in rural areas. At the beginning of November, I helped a client get a divorce, and she was immensely grateful. Sometimes, people wait 10 or 15 or even more to get a divorce because they can’t afford it. Some of them are victims of domestic abuse and haven’t been able to get away to be free to start a new life.” Chavez De Oseguera hopes her story will inspire others to pursue a career in law. “Although as a newcomer I had self-doubts about entering law school, I was able to overcome them with passion and perseverance,” she said. “Thus, my only advice to potential law students is trust yourself and give it your best.”

Graduate Spotlight on Tyra Robinson

John Hill — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 14:47:08 +0000

Tyra Robinson will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in health education and promotion and a minor in health and exercise science. After graduation, she plans to go to graduate school to become a licensed physical therapist. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am from McGehee, Arkansas, and graduated from McGehee High School in 2015. I played basketball in junior high and high school, and I was also a majorette.�� My mom and the majority of my family still live in McGehee, and my dad lives in Little Rock. Moving to Little Rock was a huge change for me. My hometown only has only one stoplight, and it seems like Little Rock has one million. How did you develop an interest in physical therapy? My mother was a beautician for many years. While she was studying to get her education degree in 2010, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and had to have her wrist replaced. I went to all the physical therapy sessions with her, and that’s when I decided I wanted to become a physical therapist. I like to help people and watch them grow. Why did you choose ��Vlog��ý Little Rock? I transferred here from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff because ��Vlog��ý Little Rock had more opportunities in my chosen field. What were some of your favorite courses? My all time favorite course was anatomy. I love studying the human body and how it works. It was a difficult class, but that’s what made it enjoyable. Did you work while you were going to school? Previously, I worked at Walmart, and now I work as a physical therapy technician at Physical Therapy Institute, which is an outpatient clinic. A PT technician walks patients through their exercises after the physical therapist evaluates them. Basically, we are “baby” physical therapists. Who were some of your mentors? Dr. Janea Snyder was a huge help during my academic career. She helped me transfer credits, schedule my classes, and advised me on what to do to continue my education. What is your favorite memory of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock? I enjoyed watching Little Rock Trojans basketball (both men’s and women’s) teams and attended all home games.�� How are you going to celebrate your graduation? My family is going to have a cookout for me. Then we are going to watch the McGehee High School football team play at War Memorial Stadium. Right now, we are undefeated and #1 in the state for AAA division! What is your advice for new students? No matter what life throws at you, go with it. School can be an obstacle course, but if you stay the course you will succeed. You have to motivate yourself along the way. You are your biggest cheerleader. This commencement story was compiled by Toni Boyer Stewart.

Wilson is thankful for powerful experiences for future law career

John Hill — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 19:50:05 +0000

Jerome Wilson Jr., of Little Rock, will graduate this month with a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law as well as a Master of Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.�� A military veteran, Wilson decided to enter the joint JD/MPS program after nearly a decade of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. “The joint program is worth it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of experience,” Wilson said. “When I left the Marine Corps, I knew I wanted to continue my work in public service. I had heard about the Clinton School, and I had an interest in the law. I came and watched Dean John DiPippa’s class at Bowen, and I loved the level of instruction and the interaction with the students.” After completing the bar exam in February, Wilson is planning a career in either criminal law, constitutional law, or program management after gaining valuable experience as an extern with the Little Rock City Attorney’s Office, as a law clerk with the Sixth Judicial District Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, and as a consultant through his International Public Service Project with African Prisons Project. “My experience with the Little Rock City Attorney’s Office was a unique experience for me,” Wilson said. “I got to work with different areas of law, including criminal law, tax law, and municipality law. It was good to see how all the attorneys worked together to provide legal advice for the city of Little Rock.” During his time with the Sixth Judicial District Office, Wilson obtained a Rule XV certificate, which allowed him to practice law under the supervision of a licensed attorney. He also saw how COVID-19 impacted criminal law.�� “I worked in the Pulaski County District Court under two great supervising attorneys,” Wilson said. “I completed a lot of the discovery work and assisted with pleas and arraignments. This happened right as COVID-19 started, and then the court shut down. Once the court opened back up, it was like a waterfall. Things were backed up. We would meet outside the courthouse to discuss potential pleas prior to bringing citizens in front of the judge. It was a great process. I got to see how a prosecutor handles their caseload and how a prosecutor works with public defenders.”�� Through the Clinton School, Wilson completed an International Public Service Project with African Prisons Project, now known as Justice Defenders, in Uganda. The nonprofit organization provides legal education and access to justice in overcrowded Ugandan prisons, where much of the population is poor. They also train prisoners and prison staff on how to be legal advocates as an extension of their legal services. “A big part of why I was there was to do an evaluation of their program and its effectiveness,” Wilson said. “I interviewed all the participants of their programs, interviewed their families, and discussed the effects of incarceration on the prisoners and the family they left behind.” While in Uganda, Wilson interviewed people who were accused of murder, former child soldiers, domestic abuse survivors, and more. He realized that there is a desperate need for access to lawyers and legal knowledge and resources in the Ugandan prison system. “It boils down to need,” Wilson said. “The crimes the organization is willing to defend is vast and varied. It wasn’t about what they did to get in there; it was about giving them the defense they deserve. In Uganda, the courts are overfilled and backed up. There are few attorneys available, especially in the rural areas. People don’t have the representation they need, so they can sit in remand for years. Justice Defenders’ role is to provide people with representation so they can have their cases dismissed if they are innocent or get a fair trial.” Now that he’s graduated, Wilson is thankful for the lessons he learned from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the Clinton School that have prepared him for a successful law career. “The Clinton School prepares students for careers in the public service world including program management and development, philanthropy, and other areas. Both programs are focused on preparing people through experience,” Wilson said. “At Bowen, they strive to make sure every graduate knows what to expect in the legal profession and how to act as a professional in this career field,” Wilson said. “As you complete your clerkships and experiential course requirements, you see how much of what you learned in the classroom will be used in the real world. You don’t realize how valuable that information is until you are required to recall it in a real-world setting and talk to other attorneys about the basis of a case. The professors and staff at Bowen are preparing students for the bar exam, but also for careers afterward, and you can’t beat that.”

Osaretin will advocate for human rights in future law career

John Hill — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 18:57:17 +0000

Aisosa Osaretin will graduate this month with a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law as well as a Master of Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.�� A native of Nigeria, Osaretin moved to Minnesota with her family in 2016. She started law school at Bowen in 2017 and is now one step closer to fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer. “I was really happy to be in law school. It felt like the beginning of a dream come true,” Osaretin said. “I always enjoyed reading the cases just to see how the judge would rule. I enjoy the experience of learning new things.” Once she takes the bar exam in February, Osaretin is planning a career in international law and human rights. “I am very interested in human rights on the international scale,” Osaretin said. “I am looking at firms that practice international law in immigration, refugees, and international trade and commerce. My end goal is to work for the United Nations.” Outside of her law career, Osaretin is also advocating for human rights during her reign as Miss Nigeria International. “I won Miss Nigeria International during the holiday break last year,” Osaretin said. “COVID has heavily restricted the duties that I have, but it has made me queen for two years, so I have an opportunity to make a bigger impact. I am advocating for human rights. With the help of my sisters, I am giving health awareness and education to students at the secondary level in Nigeria.” While at Bowen, Osaretin has gained an incredible amount of legal experience. She’s served as a law clerk for Destiny Law Firm, Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Sanford Law Firm, and Windstream Communications. This semester, she served as an extern with the Office of Professional Conduct for the Arkansas Supreme Court while also being a law clerk with the Arkansas Department of Health, which has proved to be an interesting experience during a global pandemic. “With the Arkansas Department of Health, I am assisting the attorneys with FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests,” she said. “Lots of people want to know how the department is dealing with COVID. There is a lot of legal research that is related to COVID rules. You have to look at the legal framework to see if the restrictions interfere with any fundamental or constitutional rights. It was a new experience to see the whole side of checks and balances and to see all the stages that a rule has to go through to get approved.” While at Bowen, Osaretin said she learned the value of public service. Her volunteer work has included serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate and a fair housing tester with the Legal Aid Corps of Arkansas. “My entire academic life at Bowen has been a combination of academics and practical knowledge. I’ve been given the opportunity to put into practice the things I’ve learned,” she said. “One thing that is stuck in my head is public service. It can’t be overemphasized. Being a lawyer means giving back to the public. I think it would make me be a better lawyer to know that I am serving other people and not just myself. Having those core values in me will make me a good lawyer.”

Bassett finds new love of learning, second chance at college degree with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 18:54:28 +0000

Julian Bassett, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication this month, said coming to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock made him a more independent learner and gave him a second chance to earn his college degree. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Bassett first attended Henderson State University and played on the men’s basketball team. Bassett admits he didn’t take college as seriously as he should have the first time around. After deciding to return to college, Bassett began taking classes part-time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2017 while also working full-time as an assistant store manager at AT&T. “This school really pushed me to learn how to not give up,” Bassett said. “I had to argue for my grades, build a portfolio, come up with my own research project, and use communication theories to support my research questions. The Applied Communication department pushed me into becoming comfortable being uncomfortable. It took lots of patience from my professors to help me through this transformation I was going through.” He found dedicated mentors in Dr. Kristen McIntyre, professor of applied communication, and Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter, chair of the Department of Communication, who taught him about the value of positive communication. “Positive communication does change your world,” Bassett said. “If someone who is a doctor says you are smart, it makes you work harder. When you are told most of your life that all you are meant to do is play basketball, it can make it challenging when it comes to school. They really reshaped how I saw myself as a student, when there were times when I saw myself in a negative light. They became my mentors because they had such a positive impact on my life.” Bassett also credited the tutors at the Communication Skill Center for helping him develop great public speaking skills. “Dr. McIntyre and Dr. April (Chatham-Carpenter) introduced me to the Communication Skill Center,” Bassett said. “When it comes to speeches, the center helped me by giving me a trainer to help with research, writing, and public speaking. They give lots of positive feedback through the sandwich method.” Bassett’s professors credit his amazing work effort for his success at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Julian is an amazing young man,” Chatham-Carpenter said. “He has continued to work towards completing his degree part-time, while working full-time over the last few years. He has shown resilience in overcoming challenges that would lead many to quit. I admire Julian’s persistence and dedication to his learning!” Now that he has achieved his goal of completing his undergraduate degree, Bassett is looking forward to a career in human resources and eventually plans to get his MBA. “Me coming to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock made me a better student,” Bassett said. “It made me more independent. The biggest thing I had to learn was to be resilient. I was a quitter. I quit when assignments were hard. I didn’t know how to manage my own time. I wasn’t organized. When it came to big projects, I felt overwhelmed. The only way I was able to overcome that was to change my circle. Most of the people in my circle did not do well at school. I started hanging out with people who were really good at school. We didn’t have much in common at first, but we began to find things in common. Now I make sure that the company I keep includes quality, positive communicators.”

Wilkerson fulfills dream of earning college degree 55 years after graduating high school

John Hill — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 17:03:33 +0000

At 73, Carolyn Wilkerson has completed her lifelong dream of earning a bachelor’s degree.�� “My journey has been one the most rewarding personal decisions that I’ve ever made,” Wilkerson said. “This is probably the only major milestone that I have ever established for myself. I’ve done some things that I think are monumental but nothing of this magnitude, especially at my age. This has been quite rewarding. It’s been a phenomenal journey.” The Little Rock native will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication and a minor in sociology this month from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Wilkerson joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2016, fulfilling a promise she made to herself many years ago. “I didn’t go to college when I graduated high school,” she said. “I always said to myself that when I retire, I am going to go to college. After I retired, my daughter opened a daycare, and I started helping her. Then my children reminded me that I said I was going to go. I always wanted a college degree.” Having graduated from Little Rock’s Horace Mann High School in 1965, Wilkerson is the third of her high school classmates who have graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in recent years, including Philip Bryant in 2016 and Vivian Littrell in 2019. “When I came out of high school, I went to vocational school and I ended up with a very nice job,” Wilkerson said. “Once you get into the job market and you make good money, it’s hard to quit to go to school, especially as a mother and wife. I had a friend who encouraged me to go, Philip Bryant.” Being the eldest of eight children and only the second to earn a college degree, Wilkerson said her extended family has mixed views on her decision to pursue a college degree at 68.�� “Needless to say, every possible mental reason not to attend surfaced, reminding me of the time span, the young students on campus, and that real loud voice that said ‘You’re a grandmother,’” she said. “A couple of my sisters and some of my family members think I am crazy. They couldn’t believe I would do this at my age. This is something I wanted to do for me, not for anybody else.” Wilkerson and her husband, Ronald, pastor of Faith Temple Deliverance Church of God in Christ, have a blended family with a total of seven children, 24 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. “My husband has been the greatest supporter anyone could have asked for. He got his master’s degree three or four years ago, so whatever I needed to do to make the grade was okay with him,” Wilkerson said. “My children all graduated college and quite well, but I never saw that for myself. They said, ‘Momma, we got it from somewhere. I did not ever think that I would make the Chancellor’s List or the Dean’s List, but I’ve done that nine times and will graduate Cum Laude.”

Carolyn Wilkerson

Wilkerson has found several mentors on her road to success. “In applied communication, I would say my mentors are Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter and Dr. Kristen McIntyre,” Wilkerson said. “They were both phenomenal. Dr. McIntyre was the biggest cheerleader you could ever have. They just don’t get any better than Dr. David Briscoe in sociology. When I hit a slump, Ida Humphrey (senior instructor in mathematics and statistics) was my go-to professor.” McIntyre, professor of applied communication and director of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communication Skill Center, said that Wilkerson helped many students find confidence during her time as an intern at the center. “Carolyn’s joy and enthusiasm for learning is contagious,” McIntyre said. “She’s always willing to try new things, tackling whatever challenges cross her path with grace and humor. She’s an amazing support to her classmates. During her time as a CSC intern, she was a favorite among students seeking help on their ACOM 1300 assignments. So much so, Carolyn inspired one of the incredibly anxious ACOM 1300 students she helped to join the CSC staff so she could continue building her communication skills and pass on that same support she received from Carolyn to others.” Now that her education is complete, Wilkerson will use her education to help students who attend the city-sponsored youth program, , which she has been helping to run since her husband started the program in 2011. The program serves at-risk youth ages 13-19 in Little Rock. She also wants to use her degree to help people and “do something that will make a difference in the community.” As she reflects on her long road to a college degree, Wilkerson has the following advice for college students. “I would say, especially for young people, that it is a mistake to doubt your capabilities,” Wilkerson said. “As a young woman, I doubted my ability to get into a college arena and really excel. As a senior citizen, I would say that it’s never too late to learn. I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t dared myself to take an adventure that most normally don’t take at my age. I don’t think anyone that wants a degree can’t get it. If I can do it, I believe anyone can do it.”

Graduating student-athlete returns to Germany to pursue professional soccer career

John Hill — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 16:53:00 +0000

After graduating with two bachelor’s degrees, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock soccer star has returned home to Germany with her sights set on a professional soccer career.�� Dorothea Greulich, a native of Potsdam, Germany, graduates this month with bachelor’s degrees in mass communication and political science. She joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2016 after playing two years for the soccer team, FFC Turbine Potsdam. “When I was in my senior year in high school, I decided I wanted to study in the states and play soccer at the same time,” Greulich said. “I got in contact with the coaches at Little Rock. I really liked the coaches and the team, and I decided to come here. It was very nice for an international student. I automatically had 20 friends. It’s like having a second family.” Having played soccer for the past 15 years, Greulich developed a love for the sport and team camaraderie at a young age. “I started playing soccer when I was 8 years old,” Greulich said. “I fell in love with it and never stopped. I think it’s about being around people and trying to accomplish something together.” During her career as a Trojan, Greulich experienced some major highs and lows. One of the highlights of her career was when the soccer team won the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time in program history and earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018. Greulich was selected for the All-Sun Belt First Team for the second year in a row. “It was a really good team that year, and it was very nice winning,” she said. “It was so much hard work that we felt had really paid off. We got so much support from campus and from people who we didn’t even know cared about us.” In her senior year, Greulich experienced two devastating injuries that she had to overcome to make it back on the field. “I tore my ACL late in the season my junior year, and then I came back 10 months later and tore it again my second game back during my senior year,” Greulich said. “Because of the injuries, I was eligible for another year of college soccer. It took almost 10 months, and then I played the rest of this season.” In addition to her career as a student-athlete, Greulich has coached youth soccer teams, participated in the Model Arab League, and interned with the Little Rock Athletic Communications Department in 2020.

Doro Greulich

“Doro came to Little Rock from Germany and was a key member of our soccer team for five years,” said Rand Champion, assistant athletic director for communications. “An All-Sun Belt player, she was a major factor in helping the Trojans win the program’s first ever Sun Belt title and NCAA tournament appearance, facing Arkansas in the first round in 2018. She also suffered a major knee injury and fought back to play her final season this year. She has also been an intern in our office and a great ambassador for our university, earning all-academic honors in each of her five seasons.” With two degrees in hand, Greulich has moved back to Germany, where she is looking forward to spending time with the family she hasn’t seen in a year, as well as pursue opportunities in professional soccer. Since Greulich came to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock not knowing what she wanted to study, her advice for fellow students to be successful is to be open to new possibilities. “If you come in and don’t know what you want to study, it’s important to try different classes and see what fits. You should always be open minded to what the professors throw at you, because you don’t always know what will help you in the long-term.”

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Mother of Six Earns Fourth Degree from ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Grad Fulfills Dream of Becoming a Nurse

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to celebrate 2020 graduates with Dec. 19 virtual commencement ceremony