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

Graduating veteran plans to become social worker to continue helping recovering veterans

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:56:29 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate is continuing his education to become a social worker so that he can help other veterans who are facing recovery and mental health issues.�� John “Chris” Short of Little Rock graduated Dec. 14 with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree and a minor in psychology. The Bachelor of Applied Science program is designed for working adults who have completed 40 hours of technical military credits. Short started college at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2001. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Short wanted to serve his country and joined the U.S. Army in 2002. He completed basic training and infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia, and then was stationed in Hawaii until he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2004. “I got promoted to team leader, and right after I got promoted I got caught in an IED on March 29, 2005,” Short said. “I lost my leg below the knee and had a traumatic brain injury. There was a time in my life when I had to learn how to walk and read and write again. I spent the next two years at Walter Reed Medical Center recovering.” Short retired from the military in 2007 as an E5 sergeant and a recipient of the Purple Heart, two Army Commendation Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and a host of additional commendations. He moved to Fayetteville, where he enrolled at the University of Arkansas atFayetteville for a few years and also worked in construction and as a fly fishing guide.�� During this time, Short suffered from untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and recalls that his life took some “dark turns” before he sought treatment at the Veterans Affairs hospital in 2014 and got on the road to recovery. It was after he began working at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System that he decided to finish his college degree.�� “My boss, Dr. Estella Morris, who is the director of the healthcare for homeless veterans program, kept asking me why I hadn’t reenrolled in school,” Short said. “She is a big advocate for the social work program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. She thought I would really be able to help people by pursuing my education. After I started as a peer support specialist in 2016, me going back to school inspired a lot of other veterans.” As a certified peer support specialist, Short works with veterans who are recovering from a variety of issues, including PTSD, addiction, and depression.�� “I love my job. I help people move their life in a positive direction and recover from what they are struggling with,” Short said. “I get to work with veterans and people in recovery, and I am passionate about that because I am a veteran. It helps that I am able to relate to what many of the veterans have gone through. Watching people get into recovery and make positive changes in their lives is a very powerful experience. To me, there’s nothing better.”�� Now that he’s graduated, Short plans to apply to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s graduate program in social work. He wants to become a social worker so he can continue helping veterans. “I’d like to do what I do now but with a license,” Short said. “Continuing education is very important to me. I didn’t value it when I was younger, but today I recognize how important education is. When I had a TBI, I forgot so much of what I learned in school. When I went back to college, it was a healing process for me.” He also hopes that finishing college has inspired his 10-year-old daughter. “It’s been almost 20 years since I started here in 2001,” Short said. “It’s been an awesome experience that my daughter Caroline has seen me finish college in the last few years,” Short said. “She sees that education is important to me. It’s not something I’m just saying. It’s something she’s seeing me do.”

Relationships defined the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock experience for international student ambassador

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 15:49:31 +0000

Het Adhvaryu, an international student ambassador and fall 2019 graduate, spent his undergraduate years at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock extending friendship and assisting in research to address breast cancer with the aid of nanotechnology.�� As ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s international student ambassador, Adhvaryu emphasized communication, friendship, and making people feel at home. “When an international student arrives to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, distinctions make them feel different,” Adhvaryu said. “Communication is key. We should treat international students like they are no different from our other friends. Use actions to show them you are friendly. If you are going grocery shopping or out to eat with friends, invite them along.” Adhvaryu said that as an ambassador, he often helped international students acquire transportation and get settled in the U.S. “Relationships are what will matter at the end,” Adhvaryu said. “Each person contributes to our constant learning experience of life skills that define us and guide our future. Our path is indirectly shaped through friendships and relationships we develop along the way.” Adhvaryu also played intramural soccer and ultimate frisbee during his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “The best thing about the intramural sports program is that it brings people together from all over the campus to have a good time and play games,” Adhvaryu said. Adhvaryu said that he observed anxiety and depression in college culture.�� “It’s important to surround ourselves with people who have the right attitude,” Adhvaryu said. “Some people enter college with a mindset that they have to get As because life depends on it and that’s all that matters. I disagree a little. We should be sincere in our studies, but also enjoy the college experience by having a good balance of hard work and fun time.” Studying biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock turned out to be a strategic move that created opportunities for Adhvaryu. Because of his intense science studies while growing up in India, Adhvaryu was prepared to demonstrate to biology professor Dr. Ali Nawab his understanding of biology.�� “I’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside doctoral students in lab research that explores the use of nanotechnology to address breast cancer,” Adhvaryu said. “I’m very thankful to Dr. Nawab, Bryan White, and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for allowing me that opportunity.” Adhvaryu said that when he looks back on his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, his memories will be a reminder of what people can do in your life. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty are phenomenal,” Adhvaryu said. “You can always count on them for guidance and knowledgeable options. They have our best interests at heart.” Adhvaryu plans to continue focusing on molecular biotechnology and pursue graduate and doctoral degrees, possibly with an interdisciplinary focus. First, he hopes to gain some practical work experience in research focusing in a related field. “Graduating is bittersweet,” Adhvaryu said. “I feel excited about the future, and I’m taking with me the positive lessons that people have contributed to my life.”

Tell-Hall explores reasons for removal of West Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 15:23:22 +0000

A graduating student is shedding light on the removal of one of Little Rock’s first working class African-American suburbs, West Rock, as part of the city’s urban renewal efforts of the 1950s and 60s.�� Nancy Tell-Hall, who will graduate Dec. 14 with a master’s degree in public history, studied the city’s removal of the neighborhood for her master’s thesis, “Urban Renewal PROJECT-ARK-4: The Demise of West Rock, Arkansas: 1884-1960.” West Rock was a part of what is now the Riverdale neighborhood near Fred Allsopp Park and downhill from present day Hillcrest. West Rock provided affordable housing and accessibility to many people who had domestic, service, and labor jobs. The Slum Clearance Referendum of 1950 allowed Little Rock to accept federal assistance to remove dilapidated urban housing under the guise of “urban renewal.” “The Little Rock Housing Authority and city leaders had all of them removed by 1960,” Tell-Hall said. “The plan to remove West Rock started in 1926 because the city needed to open the westward corridor to make room for segregated western suburbs and to expand Highway 10. They knew the property would be very valuable one day.” When Little Rock bought West Rock, the city estimated the land was worth about $59 per acre. The city purchased the property at that price and sold it for $12,380.03 per acre. The residents were relocated to other areas of the city. Just this spring, some of the land in the area sold for more than $475,000 per acre. “Today, that area is prime, commercially zoned land,” Tell-Hall said. “I often think about the residents forced to move. Some families owned West Rock land for generations. There are those who say the Housing Authority did them a favor by providing the residents a better place to live. However, a 1960 newspaper article wrote the Little Rock Housing Authority was about rehabilitating neighborhoods. I wonder why they didn’t upgrade the housing that was already there. Removal was not rehabilitation.” Tell-Hall researched primary historical documents from the time to tell the story of West Rock’s creation to its removal in 1960. She has also created an educational website about West Rock public use.�� In addition to telling the story of West Rock, Tell-Hall has been involved in promoting the history of racial justice in Arkansas. In 2018, Tell-Hall won second place in the F. Hampton Roy Award competition for her paper revealing the unusual circumstances surrounding the desegregation of Fisher’s Bar-B-Q in Little Rock in 1962. Unlike many sit-ins and Freedom Rider protests that targeted white-owned or white-controlled operations, the protesters targeted an African-American owned business that segregated its customers.�� Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of History recognized Tell-Hall’s civil rights research earlier this year when she was awarded the department’s $5,000 Little Rock Nine Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to a graduate student focused on race relations and community development. One lesson Tell-Hall wants to emphasize to all college students is that it’s never too late to complete your education. “I find it very exciting,” said Tell-Hall, 58. “I’ve heard people say that 50 is the new 30. I talk to a lot of people who wish they had gone to school, and I recommend to anyone who is older to go to college. I was often older than my professors, and I found that younger students appreciate having older students who have lived through some of the experiences you talk about in class. I remember studying about the night the Berlin Wall fell. I watched it all on CNN! I think people appreciate hearing living history.”

Nancy Tell-Hall at Allsopp Park. Photo by Ben Krain

Tell-Hall left college in 1979 to concentrate on raising her son. The two family members coincidentally graduated together from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2017, both having earned bachelor’s degrees. Four decades after leaving college, Tell-Hall’s college education is now complete after earning a master’s degree. “Originally, I considered 2017 the year my academic journey ended,” Tell-Hall said. “I never considered going to grad school. While it is true that grad school can be intense, it was rewarding beyond imagination. To be considered a ‘master’ in the field of racial and ethnic American history is quite satisfying and exciting.” After graduation, Tell-Hall and her husband of 37 years, Jeffrey, plan to move to Okmulgee, Oklahoma, the capital of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Tell-Hall became a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in 2012 after discovering her father’s unknown lineage. There, she plans to put her history research skills to work for the tribe. While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Tell-Hall has worked as a graduate assistant with the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, interned with the City of Little Rock Planning and Development Department, the Sequoyah National Research Center, and volunteered with the National Register of Historic Places. “Nancy flourished as a graduate assistant at the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, which provided the hands-on experience that will help her land what she describes as her ‘dream job’ upon graduation,” said Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History.

Grad believes ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has prepared him for future career of public service

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 18:28:53 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate is grateful for the personalized yet flexible college education he received that helped him gain experience in politics, public policy, and nonprofits that will be invaluable to his future career.�� Dylan Wright of Little Rock will graduate Dec. 14 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in economics, math, and creative writing. “I think the biggest reason that I attended ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is that I got the Donaghey scholarship,” Wright said. Donaghey Scholars receive a financial package that includes full tuition and fees, a housing subsidy, a stipend, a study abroad experience, and a new laptop computer. “I knew I would have a lot of opportunities to be flexible in my education,” Wright said. “I got to study abroad and take a bunch of classes in different areas. Dr. Jessica Scott and Dr. Simon Hawkins from the Donaghey Scholars Program have been amazing and helped me through any problems I’ve had.” The Little Rock native has also studied human rights and social movements at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. During his study abroad trip, Wright researched queer cinema in Argentina and the role it plays in citizen’s LGBTQ rights under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and assistant professor of Spanish. He presented his research at the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies conference in Mexico in March.�� In another research project, Wright is working with Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, to study the implementation of more than 1,000 recommendations of truth commissions in 13 Latin American countries. The truth commissions investigated histories of human rights violations. Wright and Wiebelhaus-Brahm have presented their research at the Law and Society Association conference and will present at the Midwest Political Science Association meeting in Chicago next year with support from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s presidential Studies Program. “Dylan has done some amazing things at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “He’s�� supported some of the most important nonprofits in our community. He’s worked on several election campaigns, ranging from mayoral to presidential. There are great things in his future.” Wright remains thankful to the research opportunities he had with his mentors. “Dr. Brahm and Dr. Finzer have been the two professors who have been the most active in guiding my interests and helping me explore the topics I’ve been interested in, including human rights, international relations, and social justice,” Wright said. “The professors here have done a really great job of providing me with guidance and resources and passion for different areas that I am now interested in and want to pursue.” During his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Wright has become an active volunteer in the Little Rock nonprofit world. He has served on the advisory board for Lucie’s Place and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Diversity Council. He has also volunteered with El Zócalo Immigrant Resource Center, Heifer International, and the Clinton Presidential Library.�� “I started out as an English major, but I didn’t feel fulfilled,” Wright said. “I switched my major to political science. As I became more politically aware, I wanted to become more active in local organizations who are doing important work. I tried to dedicate as much of my time as I could to volunteering.” In the political arena, Wright has interned for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, the Clinton Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign: Project One America, and two political campaigns. After graduation, Wright plans to attend a joint graduate program where he will attend law school while studying public policy. While he’s keeping his options open, Wright’s future career will most likely involve law, politics, and public policy. “I’m applying to graduate programs, but I do know I want my career to be nonprofit or public-service oriented,” Wright said. “I really want to spend my career helping people.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock 2019 fall commencement set for Dec. 14

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 21:51:50 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate its fall 2019 commencement ceremony Saturday, Dec. 14, in the Jack Stephens Center, located at South University Avenue and 28th Street. A total of 1,048 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students are eligible to participate in commencement. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. to honor graduating students from the College of Education and Health Professions, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, College of Business, College of Social Sciences and Communication, College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, and the William H. Bowen School of Law. Dr. Jin Wook Lee, assistant professor of systems engineering and the 2019 winner of the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, and Dr. Dean Kumpuris, chair of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Board of Visitors, will provide greetings during the ceremony. Additionally, the law school will hold a hooding ceremony and reception at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at Bowen’s Friday Courtroom for its 10 fall graduates. Professor Lynn Foster and Bowen alumnus Hunter Mullins, an attorney with PPGMR law firm in Little Rock, will serve as the keynote speakers for the ceremony, which will be shared live on Facebook. The Jack Stephens Center will be open for guests at 8 a.m. Saturday. Guests are encouraged to arrive early to avoid parking congestion. 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.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor student who died of cancer with posthumous degree

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 16:06:37 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will honor a Benton student who passed away from cancer last year with a posthumous business degree during the university’s fall commencement ceremony on Dec. 14.�� Tandie Kenser, 51, of Benton passed away Aug. 24, 2018. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock senior was only 23 credits shy of completing her dream of graduating from college. Kenser’s mother, Gennie Adair, will travel from her home in Vancouver, Canada, to receive her daughter’s degree. “I feel very honored to get her degree, and Tandie would be too,” Adair said. “It’s wonderful that the university is doing this for her. She had one more year to go, and I really thought she would live long enough. I used to pray that she would live long enough to walk down that stage, but she just didn’t make it.” When Kenser was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2011, her doctors told her she only had a few years left to live. Kenser considered how she wanted to spend her final years and decided to rectify her only regret: never earning a college degree. “There’s so many people who think they are too old or it’s too late, but it’s not,” Kenser said in a 2018 interview. “I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I love walking on campus. I like every professor I’ve had. It’s brought me joy.” In 2015, Kenser joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with the goal of earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in business analytics. With no time to waste, she immediately signed up for 18 credit hours. Shannon Gwinn, director of Student and Career Services in the College of Business, advised her to start with nine credit hours, a well-intentioned suggestion that was immediately rebuked. “She pointed her finger at me, and said, ‘Not only am I going to take 18 hours, I’m going to make a 4.0,’” Gwinn recalled, adding that it was the start of a beautiful friendship.�� “Tandie would be thrilled and honored to receive her degree,” Gwinn said. “It was her ‘bucket list,’ and she knew she didn’t have much time to earn her degree. Life threw a lot to Tandie, and she overcame it all except for cancer. I can only imagine the party she would be throwing for her family and friends to celebrate this.” Kenser did get the opportunity to celebrate her educational achievements. She completed 90 of the 120 credit hours she needed to graduate and was taking two additional classes when she entered hospice care on June 14, 2018. “She called me every single day,” Adair said. “She had never complained until the last phone call when she was taking summer classes. She called me and said, ‘I don’t know what I’ve read.’ She was so sad that she couldn’t comprehend what she read. That was the beginning of the end.” Instead of a funeral, Kenser told her family she wanted a party to celebrate life. The celebration, which included a mock graduation, was held June 30, 2018, at the home of Kenser’s daughter, Jessie Wright, in Bismarck, Arkansas, with faculty, staff, and classmates from the College of Business in attendance. Dean Jane Wayland recalls how excited Kenser was to wear a graduation cap and gown that ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Bookstore gave her as a gift. “Tandie was an incredible woman,” Wayland said. “She embraced learning all she could even during the most difficult times during her illness. She participated fully in all the opportunities of the college and encouraged her fellow students. She made friends easily and instilled joy to all around her.” During her college career, Kenser strived to be the best. She maintained a 4.0 GPA, all while serving as ambassador for the College of Business who constantly hosted study sessions for her classmates.

Tandie Kenser (seated) and her mother, Gennie Adair (center) visit Cindy Wallace (left) and Shannon Gwinn (right) in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Business. Photo by Ben Krain.

“Tandie was simply amazing in so many ways,” Gwinn said. “She formed study groups with other students for almost every class she was in. She never gave a student an answer, but brought them along in the journey of learning how to achieve the answer. She was responsible for bringing the Reality Fair to our college.” Similar to the Game of Life board game, participants in a Reality Fair choose a career with a salary. They go to stations to make selections for housing, transportation, insurance, healthcare, and then must make a balanced budget. “We have continued to do the Reality Fair and have expanded it to high schools,” Gwinn said. “We went to Hall High School this semester, and it was well received from the students. That is because of Tandie and her passion for financial literacy.” Adair recalled a time when her daughter had undergone eight hours of chemotherapy and insisted that she be taken directly to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock afterward so that she could attend an extra-credit lecture about earthquakes. “She always wanted to keep that 4.0,” Adair said. “She felt she would let me down if she got less than 100 percent. I told her that was garbage. She could never let me down. The one thing I can say about going to the university is that she absolutely loved it. I really believe this is what kept her alive long past her expected survival. She only had a 25 percent chance of living two years, and she lived seven years and a month.” Last year, Adair started a scholarship in her daughter’s name to benefit non-traditional students attending the College of Business, and she is looking forward to meeting the first recipient of the scholarship during her trip to Arkansas. Adair and Kenser, who were both working single mothers during their lives, wanted to help single parents who are going to college. “I would say to younger students that it’s never too late to do what you want,” Adair said. “I didn’t go into policing until I was in my 30s. I was about the oldest one in the police academy at the time, and I was in the top of my class. Tandie and I are so alike in so many ways. When you want something when you are older, you do it because you want to, not because you have to. I think we are all capable of things far greater than we think we are. Hopefully, Tandie’s scholarship fund will help someone every year who really needs it. Tandie knew about the scholarship and was really thrilled that people would know how hard she tried to finish.” While Kenser will not get to walk across the stage to receive her own diploma this fall, her mother believes she found a sense of peace in the months before she died and no longer held any regrets about pursuing a college degree. “Life is not fair,” Kenser said in 2018. “Fair is just a four-letter word at our house. I’m not a sad person, though I leak a little now and then. I never thought I was getting out of this alive, so I’m redirecting. I’ve been able to give things away and see people enjoy them. I have a lot of love from my family and support from my school, and I know that I’ve been very blessed. I don’t have one thing that I wanted to do that I haven’t done.”

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

Graduating veteran plans to become social worker to continue helping recovering veterans

Relationships defined the ����Vlog��ý Little Rock experience for international student ambassador

Tell-Hall explores reasons for removal of West Rock

Grad believes ����Vlog��ý Little Rock has prepared him for future career of public service

����Vlog��ý Little Rock 2019 fall commencement set for Dec. 14

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor student who died of cancer with posthumous degree

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

Relationships defined the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock experience for international student ambassador

Grad believes ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has prepared him for future career of public service

��Vlog��ý Little Rock 2019 fall commencement set for Dec. 14

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor student who died of cancer with posthumous degree