- University News Archive - Vlogý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/graduate/ Vlogý Little Rock Mon, 07 May 2018 14:48:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 ‘I am good enough:’ Graduating student uses words of affirmation to overcome pressures of college life /news-archive/2018/05/07/good-enough-graduating-student-uses-words-affirmation-overcome-pressures-college-life/ Mon, 07 May 2018 14:48:59 +0000 /news/?p=70447 ... ‘I am good enough:’ Graduating student uses words of affirmation to overcome pressures of college life]]> As an African-American female raised by a single parent in a low-income home, Miracle Chase was always determined to tip the odds of life in her favor. Chase was the first person in her family to attend, and now graduate, from college. On May 12, the Earl, Arkansas, native will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at only 20 years old. In high school, Chase was one of the smartest students in her graduating class, earning the rank of salutatorian, while accumulating more than 30 hours of college credit. When it came time to make the transition to college, however, thoughts of being subpar or less than intelligent clouded her mind. “I came to Vlogý Little Rock knowing nothing about life outside of my little bubble,” Chase said. “Back home, everyone was rooting for me, but in actuality, I was lost and felt like I wasn’t good enough and did not deserve to be here.” Leading her high school class in grades gave Chase a boost of confidence that she was unsure she would experience in college. Rather than allow those thoughts to gain further traction, Chase decided to change her disposition and put just as much into succeeding in higher education as she had done in high school. “I had to tell myself, ‘I am good enough’ and ‘I am supposed to be here,’” she said. Starting out as a Vlogý Little Rock freshman, Chase had her mind set on becoming a social worker, but after applying for admittance into the program, she was denied. “Although I had more than enough credit hours, I wasn’t admitted due to a recent change in the admission requirements,” she explained. “I was completely devastated and didn’t know what to do next.” Chase was advised to give sociology a try since the major had many similarities to social work. Due to her love for people and interest in social issues, she decided to give it a try and hasn’t looked back since. Outside of the classroom, Chase keeps herself busy and is always looking for an opportunity to excel. She is a proud member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, McNair Scholars Program, Vlogý Little Rock Honors College, African American Female Initiative, Circle K International, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She also serves as an ambassador for the College of Social Sciences and Communication. With so much on her plate, it’s been easy for Chase to find areas of her life that could use improvement, but she often pulls from words of encouragement that serve as pick-me-ups for when she doesn’t feel at her best. “I remember breaking down crying during my first research project with the McNair Scholars Program,” Chase recalled. “Minutes later, I watched a speech from former first lady Michelle Obama explaining how she dreamed about going to college and hearing people say it was unreachable. Her words, ‘You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages,’ have stuck with me until this day. I reflected back on all the struggles I’d been through and I took it as a fuel to exceed my goals.” Chase also found support in the people who love her and continue to light her fire, including her family, close friends, and church members. “They have heard my excuses and made me work harder,” Chase said. In addition, Chase met professors and professionals who helped to make her educational journey one to remember, including Nicholas Steele, Drs. Ge Chen, Adriana Lopez, Simon McClain, David Briscoe, and Amin Akhnoukh. “If I could change anything about my experience at Vlogý Little Rock, I wouldn’t,” Chase said. “Everything happens for a reason, and every event or experience shapes us for the next.” After graduation, Chase plans to spend her summer attending Vlogý Little Rock’s counselor education program.  ]]> EIT students design tornado shelters for Vlogý Little Rock /news-archive/2017/05/08/eit-tornado-shelters/ Mon, 08 May 2017 14:20:18 +0000 /news/?p=67108 ... EIT students design tornado shelters for Vlogý Little Rock]]> Arkansas lies in a region susceptible to the country’s highest tornado wind speeds — up to 250 miles per hour,. Twelve students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering faced a unique problem for their senior design project. “We were presented with the challenge of designing a tornado shelter that would be between the Engineering and Information Technology building and the Business building,” Dan Blair, a Vlogý Little Rock senior, said. “The goal is to design a building that could resist tornado wind speeds and projectiles.” Senior class members include Abdulaziz Alanazi, Daniel Blair, Julian Castillo, Jeff Choate, Marie Kabera, Matt Mitchell, Drew Potter, Ross Phillips, Norbert Rungano, Dylan Singleton, David Stinnett, and Jessica Vinson. Professors Dr. Nick Jovanovic and Dr. Hank Bray teach the professional engineering seminar and engineering design project courses and serve as faculty advisers for the project. Industry sponsors from Cromwell Architects Engineers and CDI Contractors created the design challenge for the seniors. Participating Cromwell members include Joe Hilliard, director of engineering; Mike Callahan, lead structural engineer; Paul Timko, structural engineer; and Larry Newkirk, structural designer. Estimator Daniel Bowen and Senior Project Manager David Cooan joined the team from CDI Contractors. During the school year, the industry sponsors meet with the students every two weeks to meet project deadlines. They also serve as project supervisors and mentors to the students.   “We build on the skills they learn all year at Vlogý Little Rock,” said Mike Callahan, lead structural engineer at Cromwell Architects Engineers. “We give the design team a project, and then we guide them from the beginning to the end of the project. We love helping the students see how all the pieces of a puzzle come together in the end.” Cromwell and CDI have been industry sponsors for the senior design project for the past five years with the goal of serving the community. “It’s a good way to give back to the community,” Callahan said. “It also helps us to develop a strong workforce. We have a vested interest in making sure students come out of school well trained.” Split into three teams, the seniors took up the challenge of designing shelters to withstand wind speeds of 160, 200, and 250 miles per hour. Over the course of a year, the teams completed everything from comparing structural framing and foundation systems to developing a construction cost estimate and schedule. The final designs contained buildings that could accommodate up to 894 people during a tornado with bathrooms, a kitchen, a training room, and a computer server room. The cost of the buildings rose with wind speed protection. The building that protected against wind speeds up to 160 miles per hour would cost approximately $2.7 million and take 165 working days to build. The building that protects against 200 mile-per-hour wind speeds costs around $2.76 million and takes 261 days to build. Finally, the building that protects against 250 mile-per-hour wind speeds costs around $3.2 million and takes 267 days to complete. The project won first place in the engineering/technology division of the Vlogý Little Rock Student Research and Creative Works Expo and is being submitted for other contests.]]> Grad earns social work degree more than a decade after leaving Vlogý Little Rock /news-archive/2017/05/08/grad-social-work/ Mon, 08 May 2017 13:53:51 +0000 /news/?p=67105 ... Grad earns social work degree more than a decade after leaving Vlogý Little Rock]]> More than a decade later, Howard returned to Vlogý Little Rock to finish her dream of earning a college degree. “I decided to come back to school, because I know I want better for me and my children,” she said. “I knew I was going to get a degree to make myself more competitive within the job market.” Since spring 2014, Howard has been taking classes, working full time as a fiscal support specialist for the Arkansas Department of Rehab Services as well as taking care of her two daughters, 10-year-old Saraya and 5-year-old Rondalyn, and being a caregiver for her mother, Joyce. For the past year, she also spent her weekends completing an internship at Youth Home, Inc. in Little Rock. Howard has struggled at times to afford her tuition and fees while also supporting a young child with a medical condition. “My oldest child is extremely asthmatic,” Howard said. “Trying to pay for medicine and inhalers is a lot. Everything extra that I have I dedicate that to her, because her life is on the line. If it comes down to the tuition bill or paying her medical bills, she is the priority.” Through her struggles, Howard is set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in social work with a 3.5 grade point average. Resilience is the word Howard uses to describe how she handled the obstacles and challenges she faced while continuing her education. “I say this because I’ve been able to recover quickly from tough times and difficulties in a remarkable way,” she said. “What has been meant to be bad, God has turned around for my good.” After graduation, Howard plans to complete a master’s degree in gerontology. One day she hopes to give back by working with disabled and homeless veterans and in hospice care. She gives credit to God for helping her have the faith to earn her degree. “It is because of my faith in Him that I was given the strength and courage to complete my education,” she said. “I was determined to persevere no matter what.” ]]> University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate named wildlife disease biologist of the year /news-archive/2016/09/06/university-arkansas-at-little-rock-graduate-wildlife-disease-biologist-of-year/ Tue, 06 Sep 2016 22:10:56 +0000 /news/?p=65111 ... University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate named wildlife disease biologist of the year]]> . Clint Turnage, a 1999 VlogýLR graduate who majored in biology with an emphasis on fisheries and wildlife, received the award in June from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service . The organization honored Turnage for his knowledge, professionalism, initiative, dedication and overall enthusiasm for his wildlife work. “Working as a wildlife disease biologist for Wildlife Services has been a huge blessing in my life,” Turnage said. “My lifelong passions have always been wildlife and the great outdoors. I’m so grateful that my position with (Wildlife Services) has allowed me to enjoy these on a regular basis.” As a wildlife disease biologist, Turnage travels throughout Arkansas conducting disease surveillance. He collects samples from a variety of wildlife — from coyotes to waterfowl — in an effort to detect diseases that might affect animals or people. Some diseases, such as the highly pathogenic avian influenza, have the potential to be devastating at a local or national level.  Turnage spends much of his time sampling feral swine for diseases such as classical swine fever, pseudorabies, swine brucellosis, influenza A, leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, and trichinosis. Turnage is one of about 23 wildlife disease biologists from across the U.S. who work for the agency’s National Wildlife Disease Program.
Clint Turnage, a 1999 VlogýLR graduate, releases wood ducks. He was recently named wildlife disease biologist of the year.

Clint Turnage, a 1999 VlogýLR graduate, releases wood ducks. He was recently named wildlife disease biologist of the year. Photo courtesy of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Wildlife Services.

“It is a demanding job,” said Dr. Tom Deliberto, who is the assistant director of the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colo. Deliberto said that these biologists are not only disease experts, but they also serve as liaisons between Wildlife Services and other federal, state, and local agricultural and health agencies. Turnage is also a member of the , whose purpose it is to promote cohesion between agencies responsible for human, wildlife and domestic-animal health. Turnage is the primary wildlife expert on the committee, and he offers his insights as a biologist. He also assists private individuals with wildlife damage issues and stands at the ready to respond to wildlife emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 BP oil spill. Following his graduation from VlogýLR, Turnage began his career as a research associate with the University of Tennessee, working with black bears on White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. Turnage then spent three years working in a brucellosis laboratory as a technician for USDA Veterinary Services. Anxious to work outside again, Turnage accepted a position with the USDA Wildlife Service as a biologist. Turnage has been with the Wildlife Service for the past nine years and has truly found his passion. “When I was a little kid, 4 or 5 years old, I would walk around and pick up caterpillars and frogs,” he said. “It’s always been there, my fascination with living things.” Thurman Booth, Turnage’s supervisor said, “During my 50-year career in Wildlife Services, I have never encountered nor supervised an employee that had more positive enthusiasm about his work.”]]>