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

Triple graduate on road to fulfill dream of becoming a doctor

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 14 May 2019 14:52:42 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior who graduated with three bachelor’s degrees has been accepted to medical school and is on her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor. Erica Olson, of Gassville, Arkansas, graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on May 11 with bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, and Spanish. The budding doctor, who received a $7,500 Class of 1954 Scholarship from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will begin taking classes at ��Vlog��ýMS in the fall with plans to become a family physician. “It has been my dream for almost a decade that I would like to become a family physician,” Olson said. “Everyone is excited about specializing in surgical processes, but for me, I like the appeal of growing with the patients. I like the consistency of establishing bonds and being able to work with people throughout their life and their children’s lives. I’m open to looking at other specialties in medical school, but I think that is where my heart lies.” After graduating high school with just 40 people in her senior class, Olson was excited to see what the world had to offer. “I was naturally excited to get out of the rural area and explore what else the world had to offer,” she said. “I knew ��Vlog��ý Little Rock had a lot of scholarships available, and I remembered visiting this campus during seventh grade, walking down the brick pathways, and finding it beautiful. After I was accepted into the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, I was very glad I decided to attend ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. My mom is a single mom who works as a waitress, and she did a great job of providing for me. We’ve experienced financial hardships, and getting to graduate debt free is a privilege.” While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Olson joined the University Science Scholars Program, Biology Club, American Chemical Society, Wesley Foundation, Wind Ensemble, and became a student ambassador for the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. She worked as a resident assistant for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, a research assistant for the ��Vlog��ýMS Emergency Department, and volunteered in the Intensive Care Unit at ��Vlog��ýMS. Olson is also dedicated to helping other students get a head start in their careers. In 2017, she founded the university’s Pre-Health Club for students planning to work in the health industry as doctors, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, pharmacists, and physician’s assistants. During summer 2017, Olson had an experience that altered her plans. She studied abroad in Spain, taking a one-week trip to Madrid with Dr. Edna Delgado, professor of Spanish, followed by a month living with a host family while taking classes at the University of Granada. Originally set to graduate in 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology, Olson delayed graduation for a year so she could spend the fall 2018 studying in Spain. It also gave Olson the time to earn a third bachelor’s degree in Spanish. “At first, I just wanted to learn Spanish to have a baseline because it’s the second most spoken language in the U.S.,” she said. “As a future physician, I want to be able to communicate with my Spanish-speaking patients. If you don’t speak the language, you feel isolated and alone. I knew this is what my patients who couldn’t speak English would feel. I planned to apply to medical school a year ago, but I didn’t want to go with any regrets.” Olson owes much of her success to the biology and chemistry faculty members at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, especially those who helped her prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). “I adore both the chemistry and biology department faculty. I’ve had incredible experiences with the faculty,” she said. “They challenge you, and that in turn makes you a better student. With regards to chemistry, to me that was the most challenging discipline I chose. While I did not make an A in every single chemistry course, it helped me to succeed in the real world because I scored in the 92 percentile on my MCAT. Both departments really care about your success.”

Donaghey Scholar readies for next step in her future

Fri, 10 May 2019 14:07:08 +0000

When Julie O’Hara graduates on May 11, she will leave behind a legacy of success at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With an acceptance to the University of Pittsburgh in hand, her energy is focused on a future in international politics. O’Hara, a political science major from Little Rock, has been involved in local politics since she was a teenager. “I actually started volunteering with the Democratic Party or Arkansas when I was 14,” O’Hara said. “I worked with various campaigns. Through those interactions, I realized how much I enjoyed getting to talk to the community.” As a high schooler, O’Hara decided to attend ��Vlog��ý Little Rock after hearing about her older sister’s experience as a Donaghey Scholar. “My oldest sister went through the Donaghey program, so I had a really good idea about what I would get out of it,” O’Hara said. “One of my favorite things about it was the Socratic-style classes that let you actually discuss the material rather than have it lectured to you.” O’Hara has had the opportunity to present her research at multiple national conferences. “I attended the Southern Political Science Association’s conference twice, once to present research that I worked on in a methods course and again to present my final project for the Donaghey Scholars Program,” O’Hara said.

Julia O’Hara, who is graduating from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in political science, stands outside the Senate chambers in the Arkansas State Capitol building. Photo by Ben Krain.

Throughout her time as a student, O’Hara has continued to be active in state politics, thanks to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s location in Arkansas’s capital city. “Having grown up in Little Rock, I knew the opportunities for studying politics that I would get here,” O’Hara said. “I had built up connections through volunteering and internships.” When reflecting on her time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, O’Hara points to her interactions with its non-traditional student body as one of the university’s biggest strengths. “We have such a nontraditional student body,” she said. “At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, you get diversity in ideas and experiences.” After finishing her Ph.D. in political science, O’Hara plans to continue her research in international politics at a professional level.

Great-grandmother earns bachelor’s degree after leaving high school at 15

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 10 May 2019 12:41:07 +0000

At age 15, Vickie Austin left high school in Wynne, Arkansas, after becoming pregnant with her first child, though she always intended to finish her education. Fast forward 41 years, and Austin, 61, will graduate May 11 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and a minor in psychology and a strong desire to help others. In the fall, she will begin a master’s degree program in rehabilitation counseling at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, but Austin doesn’t intend to wait until she finishes her master’s degree to start helping others. “As I work on my master’s degree, I want to do some things with my bachelor’s degree,” Austin said. “I really want to focus on volunteering. My concern is with children and older citizens, but my passion is helping the entire family.” The mother of four, grandmother of 10, and great-grandmother of one developed a deep desire to help troubled families. She will also do some volunteering with people living in nursing homes after her younger sister spent three years living in a nursing home while she fought breast cancer. “I talked to a lot of the other nursing home residents. One man told me that my sister was lucky to have siblings who visited her so often. He had brothers and sisters who lived within 35 miles, and they never visited him,” she said. “I’m concerned about helping people. I may not be the person who can make decisions for the people living in nursing homes, but I can still be there to listen.” After raising her children on her own and babysitting many grandchildren, Austin’s return to education started in 2008. At age 50, she left the only town she ever lived in to move to Little Rock to enroll in the Little Rock School District’s Adult Education program, a move that served as a large inspiration to her family. “Our mother decided it was time to put herself first and set out to accomplish everything that others told her she wouldn’t be able to because of being a teen mother, high school dropout, and being legally blind,” said La’Tasha Ursery, Austin’s daughter. “It wasn’t easy for her in the beginning. Once she got the swing of being in school, she got access to larger print items and anything that could help with her eyesight. She began to soar in the program and overcome barriers she had been denied.” Once her oldest grandchild entered high school, Austin decided she wanted to finish her long-term goal of earning her GED certificate before her grandchild graduated. “Everyone in my family had a high school diploma, even my mom. It was a struggle, but I did everything I could to make sure my kids got a high school diploma,” she said. “I had a grandson in high school, and I told him I was going to finish high school before him. I got my GED in 2010, and he graduated high school in 2011.” Although she originally intended to just get her GED, Austin saw the value in pursuing higher education. She received her associate degree from University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in 2014 before enrolling at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, where three of her four children went to college. “A high school diploma was all I was looking for, and, Lord, look at me now,” Austin said. “There are a lot of people my age who think they are too old to go back and get a GED, and I had friends who told me I was too old to get my GED, but I made it.” While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Austin said she was particularly inspired by Dr. David Briscoe, a professor of sociology who encouraged her to major in sociology. “He inspired me to go into sociology,” she said. “I’m concerned about family matters, people who have been abused, and people affected by crime. Dr. Briscoe is the one who told me that if you look at everyone as a person who has feelings and needs, you learn how to communicate better.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock commencement set for May 11

Janea Snyder — Wed, 08 May 2019 20:03:04 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host three Spring 2019 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 11, in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jack Stephens Center, located at South University Avenue and 28th Street. A total of 1,518 students are eligible to participate in the Spring 2019 commencement ceremonies. Of those, 1,032 are undergraduates, 410 are graduate students, and 76 are post-baccalaureate students. The first ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. for the College of Education and Health Professions and the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (with Graduate School). A second ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. for students in the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences; College of Business; and the College of Social Sciences and Communication (with Graduate School). The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Commencement Brass Ensemble and Concert Choir will perform at both ceremonies, along with bagpiper Roy Eggensperger. Nicole Ursin, the 2019 Edward Lynn Whitbeck Memorial Award recipient, will provide greetings at the daytime ceremonies and will be joined by ��Vlog��ý System President Dr. Don Bobbitt at the afternoon ceremony. Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be the keynote speaker for the William H. Bowen School of Law commencement, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center. Of the 105 law students who applied for graduation, approximately 90 plan to participate in the ceremony. The Jack Stephens Center will open to guests at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony; 1:30 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony; and 6 p.m. for the Bowen School of Law commencement. Guests are encouraged to arrive early to park closest to the Jack Stephens Center. More information is available on the commencement website. There’s also an , and a site for students participating in Bowen Law commencement. Graduating students should arrive one hour prior to the ceremony. A offers more information.

From mowing grass to NASA: Siratt finds success at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 06 May 2019 12:59:29 +0000

Five years ago, John Siratt, of Malvern, began classes at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as a non-traditional transfer student with no “master plan,” but a desire to see how much he could achieve. Now, Siratt will graduate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on May 11 with a Master of Science in mathematical sciences as well as two prestigious graduate fellowships to earn his Ph.D. in mathematics at one of the best universities in the country. In 2014, he struggled to support himself through college while working full-time as a groundskeeper at the College of the Ouachitas. It wasn’t his first attempt at college, having attended the University of Arkansas right after high school and later Henderson State University, but Siratt was determined to make this time a success. “I originally decided to come back to school because we lost my little brother in 2010, and it made me reassess my life priorities,” Siratt said. “It made me see what a loss it was, considering how much good he could have done in the world. After a year and a half, I took that job at a community college mowing grass just so I could go back to school.” After graduating from the College of the Ouachitas in 2014, Siratt began his studies as a part-time student at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He became a full-time student after Dr. Allen Thomas, a former ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, hired Siratt to work as a research assistant in 2015. “I call myself a second-chance student. I wasn’t successful in college when I was younger because I didn’t have clear goals,” he said. “Growing up, most people around me didn’t understand the concept of going to school for math if you weren’t going to become a school teacher.” At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Siratt has found great success in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. He completed two internships with the Formal Methods Research Program at the in Norfolk, Virginia, in summer 2017 and 2018. Siratt has been recognized by the department with the Outstanding Achievement by an Undergraduate and Outstanding Senior awards. Last year, Siratt received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The fellowship provides three years of financial support through a $34,000 annual stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the student’s graduate institution.

John Siratt works on algebraic equations in his office at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Photo by Ben Krain.

Siratt also received the Richard and Peggy Notebaert Premier Fellowship from the University of Notre Dame, where he will pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics. Siratt was one of eight recipients selected from more than 5,000 applicants for the fellowship, Notre Dame’s most prestigious scholarship. The fellowship is a five-year renewable scholarship that covers full tuition at Notre Dame and includes a $40,000 yearly stipend. Looking back on his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Siratt is thankful to his wife, Chassidy, who is studying drawing in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, Dr. Lakeshia Jones, assistant professor of mathematics, and Dr. Steven Minsker, professor of computer science, for keeping him motivated and encouraging him to pursue new opportunities. “You have to look for other experiences, like mentors, internships, and research projects,” Siratt said. “These experiences help you grow into success. No one should expect to come out of their education as the same person as when they started because education has completely transformed myself and who I am. It helped me explore areas of myself and opportunities that would not have been available otherwise. I mean, how many guys on a lawnmower get to go to NASA? It’s been a really cool experience after all.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock commencement ceremonies set for Dec. 15

Janea Snyder — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 21:20:20 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host the Fall 2018 commencement ceremony on Dec. 15, 2018, in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jack Stephens Center, located at South University Avenue and 28th Street. An estimated 1,234 students who completed degree requirements in the summer or fall are eligible to participate in commencement. The commencement ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last about 90 minutes. Lynn Foster, Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor of Law at William H. Bowen School of Law and winner of the 2018 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Excellence Award For Teaching, will be the guest speaker. The Jack Stephens Center will open to guests at 8 a.m. The center is accessible off 28th Street via Fair Park Boulevard or University Avenue. Guests are encouraged to park in the lots nearest the center — Lot 13, Lot 14, and Lot 16. All interior campus parking lots will be open during commencement. A special seating area in the Jack Stephens Center is available for guests with disabilities. For more information, please visit the Disability Resource Center. Photo by Benjamin Krain

��Vlog��ý Little Rock graduate gets new lease on life after major heart problems

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 11 May 2018 15:19:55 +0000

On Valentine’s Day, 2013, Clarissa Coleman’s life would be forever changed. While attending choir rehearsal at Second Baptist Church, she started to feel hot and dizzy. After telling her friends she was headed to the bathroom to splash water on her face, she collapsed in the middle of heart failure and was rushed to the hospital fighting for her life. “God worked a miracle, and I didn’t have to have open heart surgery,” she said. “My doctor told me, ‘Name three things you want to do because you are going to live.’ I said, ‘lose weight, finishing writing my book, and I want to go back to college.’” Coleman says that she is thankful to God for giving her another opportunity to live and spread joy. And so Coleman got to work on her list, getting healthy, writing, and making plans to return to college decades after she started. Coleman will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication May 12 in the Jack Stephens Center – 34 years after the first time she set foot in a classroom at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Coleman grew up as one of 11 children, the daughter of a prominent pastor who wanted a good education for his children. “My father always wanted us to go to school,” she said. Two years later in 1984, Coleman got the chance to pursue higher education when Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, her employer since 1973, offered to pay for employees to attend college classes. She took classes part time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock until 1986, when both her son and husband got sick. She later took classes at Philander Smith College from 1999 to 2002 when she worked in the college’s Office of Admissions. In 2014, Coleman started at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for the second time and explored business and criminal justice as majors before landing in the Department of Applied Communication, where Chair April Chatham-Carpenter called Coleman a “keeper.” “Clarissa Coleman is one of the most amazing people I have known,” Chatham-Carpenter said. “As a senior citizen who had her dreams of getting her bachelor’s degree delayed by life circumstances, such as having a family and starting her own business, her resilience and fortitude to see her degree through to the end in these past three years has been amazing. Clarissa is an inspiration to all who meet her, and I often call her into my office to speak words of encouragement to other students who are struggling with finding their own ways through to achieve their dreams.” At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Coleman made the Dean’s List, Chancellor’s List, and became a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society. The focus of much of Coleman’s recent life has been about bringing joy to others. Her motto is, “Blessed people are doing things, going place, helping one another!” She even named her company, Happy People Productions, which promotes her books, plays, and other original works. Her dedication to spreading happiness to others stems from her decision to turn a painful past into her motivation for doing the right thing. Coleman admonished people to spread joy and live. Coleman remains a woman of many hidden talents. She has worked as a radio announcer and television host and is an active member of multiple choirs. She is the author of two books, “Good About Me” and “Inspiration in His Image,” and the owner of Clarissa’s Elegant Fashions and Gifts Boutique. She and her late husband Joe have two sons and seven grandchildren. After graduation, Coleman will work as an underwriter at K��Vlog��ýR radio station and is in the middle of writing a third book. She also is considering going to graduate school so she can become a school counselor.

Rwandan student fulfills dream of earning college degree

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 11 May 2018 13:30:47 +0000

When Enatha Ntirandekura was a little girl growing up in Rwanda, she would have been happy to finish her high school education. The chance to go to college, and later graduate school, seemed wholly out of reach. Ntirandekura was accepted to , a secondary school that empowers girls with the training and leadership skills they need to make a lasting impact on their world. After she scored high enough on her standardized science tests, she earned the Rwandan Government Presidential Scholarship, which allowed her to come to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “I never used to think about going to college,” she said. “After high school back home, we normally take the standardized tests in science. If you do well enough, they give you a scholarship. I never thought I could score high enough to come here. I was the first person in my family to go to high school and college. For me, dreaming about college was never there. All of a sudden, I ended up landing the scholarship that I never expected and here I am.” She will graduate May 12 with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in psychology. Life in Rwanda, where she left behind her parents, nine siblings, and around 25 nieces and nephews, was quite different than living in the United States. “I remember when I came here, I was so lost, and the accent was so different. It was so hard being away from my parents and siblings. In Rwanda, we walk three or four hours to get to the market. Everyone drives everywhere here. Sometimes, I just want to get out of the car and walk,” she said. “There is just so much of everything here. The language, the food, the way everyone is moving so fast – that is not what I was used to back home.” She arrived in the U.S. in May 2014 and took three months of English-language classes at Hendrix College before starting at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the fall 2014 semester. “Thank you to Cicero’s family in Conway, who let me stay with them and their three beautiful kids as I was taking the English classes. And thank you to all the other American families and friends that have opened their homes to me during my stay in the USA,” she said. While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Ntirandekura has served as president of the Rwandan Student Association and was a member of the Campus Garden Club. She received the ��Vlog��ýLRworks Perseverance Award and was on the Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List. As a part of ��Vlog��ýLRworks, she has worked in Student Affairs and Testing Services. “I love ��Vlog��ýLRworks,” Ntirandekura said. “It has been a great experience. It gives you the opportunity to be exposed to professional study, and it gave me the courage to keep going. This is one of the most amazing experiences about this school.” In the fall, Ntirandekura will begin the applied science Ph.D. program with an emphasis on applied biosciences at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. She eventually wants to research genetic disorders after a personal health discovery. “Last year, I kept getting sick,” she said. “I kept going to the doctor, and they would say nothing is wrong.” Ntirandekura was later diagnosed with anemia and sickle cell trait, a relatively mild condition caused by the presence of a single gene for sickle cell anemia. “I’m from Rwanda, and most parents, when their children are born, they do not think to check for genetic disorders,” she said. “Because I have sickle cell trait, I am a carrier, and my children are more likely to have sickle cell anemia. I want to help other people know what genetic diseases they are susceptible to.” Ntirandekura had a chance to get some first-hand experience in the lab when she researched Alzheimer’s disease while doing a summer internship in 2016 at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. She is thankful to Dr. Scott Woolbright from the Department of Biology and her other professors for making her experience as an international student better. “Being an international student in a new country is challenging, but having those professors who are willing to understand and keep pushing is amazing,” she said. “That relationship you develop with professors and coworkers is something I will always remember about this school. That is just so amazing.” Ntirandekura’s journey to graduation has also been filmed by her high school. Ntirandekura is one of the first students from the Gashora Girls Academy to come to the United States and graduate from college. Since she arrived in the U.S., she has served as an advocate to help raise money for the Rwanda Girls Initiative, which runs the Gashora Girls Academy. Ntirandekura wants to give other girls from her country the same opportunity to get a college education. “If I didn’t finish school, I would have just ended up working in the fields. My mom pushed me to finish school,” Ntirandekura said. “Through the failures and challenges, we always have someone who pushes us. I think the person who pushed me the most is my mom. My mom was always willing to give me what she never had. My mom didn’t have much education. I will always attribute my success to my mom who has always worked to given me what she couldn’t have.”

Graduating student wants to be a mentor for others like him

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 11 May 2018 13:09:54 +0000

For Nigel Spears, serving as a mentor has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. He understands how important it is for young people to have positive role models in their lives, so he has volunteered as a mentor for the African American Male Initiative and Charles W. Donaldson Scholars Academy at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “My dad was in the U.S. Army for 22 years and wasn’t really around when I was growing up,” he said. “He was gone for months and years at a time. I didn’t have any male figures that I felt comfortable looking up to. I want to give back to those who are in the same situation as me. I understand that feeling like you have no male to live up to is hard, especially for African-American men. There are a lot of things you miss out on. If I can be the one that an African-American male wants to model themselves after, if I am able to influence them in any positive way, I want to be that person.” Spears, a native of Fort Smith and a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve, will graduate May 12 from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication. After graduation, he plans to earn a master’s degree in applied communication from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and then attend seminary school. Spears plans to work as a motivational speaker, trainer, and consultant for mediation conflict, social media, conflict management, and customer service. “I want to see everybody be successful in life,” he said. “I want to give back to my community.” In 2017, Nigel Spears found himself at a point in life where nothing seemed to be going right. “I wasn’t talking to my family. The relationship I was in was going south. I didn’t have a job, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my life. I was in a horrible space,” he said. He credits Dr. Gerald Driskill’s class with giving him a new lease on life. “I took Dr. Driskill’s Human Communications Concepts class, and it saved my life,” he said. “Taking his class made me realize how much I needed to grow. It gave me a reality check. I learned the foundations and the principles of self-reflecting, being able to look at yourself and be honest with yourself, and how to fix the problems going forward. His class is what laid the foundation of how I operate my relationships today. I say it saved my life because without those core principles, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

Photo of Nigel Spears by Ben Krain.

Spears funneled his new life lessons into a motivational video series called SELFISH, which stands for Self, Expand, Language, Forgiveness, Invest, Strategy, and Hone. “In the period between me dropping business finance as a major and finding applied communication, I had to reevaluate myself,” Spears said. “I had to figure out who I was. There are a lot of people, especially students, who live their lives for other people. You have to be able to know who you are, what you want to do, and how to accomplish that.” Spears’ project caught the attention of his applied communication professors. “Nigel won our departmental Making a Difference award in 2017 for his work in developing a video series focusing on showing teens and young adults how to incorporate positive communication into their relationships and their environment,” said Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter, chair of the Department of Applied Communication. “His messages impart practical advice about the impact of such things as word choice in dealing with conflicts.” The catch phrase of Spears’ video series is “Salute Your Struggle.” He believes that every struggle in his life has helped him become the person he is today and wants to help others to embrace their struggles as well. Spears started at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the Summer Bridge Academy, a three-week residential program aimed at preparing incoming freshmen for college-level work by eliminating the need for them to take remedial math and English courses. He built good relationships with Jonathon Bobo and Kalan Horton. He also worked as an aide for the Green Dot Program and interned as a patient advocate at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He also credits his fraternity brothers in Alpha Phi Alpha for helping him become a leader and providing a support system. Spears is also thankful to his “school mom,” Kristen McIntyre, Chatham-Carpenter, Mia Phillips, Melissa Johnston, and girlfriend, Marqueashia Thompson, for helping him through his ��Vlog��ý Little Rock journey.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock commencement ceremonies set for May 12

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 10 May 2018 15:28:25 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host three Spring 2018 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 12, in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jack Stephens Center, located at South University Avenue and 28th Street.

An estimated 1,500 students have applied for graduation for spring and summer 2018.

The first ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. for the College of Education and Health Professions and the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology.

A second ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. for students in the College of Arts, Letters and Sciences; College of Business; and the College of Social Sciences and Communication.

The Commencement Brass Ensemble, the Ozark Highlanders Pipe Band, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Concert Choir will perform at both ceremonies.

Commencement for students in the William H. Bowen School of Law will begin at 7 p.m. Of the 105 law students who applied for graduation, approximately 90 will be participating in the ceremony. The Commencement Brass Ensemble will also perform at this ceremony. The Honorable Cody Hiland, the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, will be the keynote speaker.

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Alumni Association will host a commencement celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bailey Alumni and Friends for all graduates and their guests.

The Jack Stephens Center will open to guests at 8 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m. prior to the daytime ceremonies and at 6 p.m. for the Bowen School of Law commencement. Guests are urged to arrive early to secure parking closest to the Jack Stephens Center.

More information is available on the Commencement website. There’s also an online site for guests, and a site for students participating in the Bowen commencement.

Graduating students should arrive one hour prior to the ceremony. A video for students offers more information.

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

Triple graduate on road to fulfill dream of becoming a doctor

Donaghey Scholar readies for next step in her future

Great-grandmother earns bachelor’s degree after leaving high school at 15

����Vlog��ý Little Rock commencement set for May 11

From mowing grass to NASA: Siratt finds success at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock commencement ceremonies set for Dec. 15

����Vlog��ý Little Rock graduate gets new lease on life after major heart problems