- University News Archive - ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock /news-archive/tag/single-parent/ ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock Mon, 18 Dec 2017 16:18:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Single mother works hard to provide better life for her son /news-archive/2017/12/18/emily-mcclenny-graduation-2017/ Mon, 18 Dec 2017 16:18:15 +0000 /news/?p=68881 ... Single mother works hard to provide better life for her son]]> When Emily “Addie” McClenny gave birth to her son, Phariss, seven years ago, that was the moment she decided to go back to college.  “He’s the reason I do any of this,” McClenny, of Little Rock, said. “The sole reason to come back to college was to give my son and I a chance at a better life.” McClenny has faced several hardships since starting at ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock in 2014. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication and a minor in information technology on Dec. 16 in the Jack Stephens Center. During her second semester, McClenny went blind in her left eye in spring 2015, which led to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. “My first treatment didn’t go so well, and I was in and out of the hospital three times,” she said. “The last time I left the hospital in a wheelchair and started the fall 2016 semester having to learn to walk again. I was in physical therapy for three months.” McClenny is very grateful to friends and family members who stepped in to help take care of her and her son. “I am grateful to all my friends and family who stepped up to help make this degree possible,” she said. “You really feel down when you can’t take care of your own child. I wouldn’t have stayed in school if it wasn’t for their support. Being a single parent, it truly takes more than just myself. That is why I work so hard.” Her hard work, academic excellence, and perseverance has led McClenny to receive the Making a Difference award from the Department of Applied Communication, the Outstanding Student award from the Department of Information Technology, and the Scholar of the Year award from the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County. McClenny cites the staff at the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County, which awards $900 a semester to single parents to be used for living expenses and child care, with being one of the reasons she was able to stay in college. “They helped me stay in contact with my professors and got me connected with disability resources and helped me go through all these things to keep me successful in my coursework,” she said. “They are the only scholarship I know that does that.” Despite the hardships she has faced, McClenny has worked hard and come out on top. She has worked for the Communication Skill Center, the Department of Applied Communication, and the Division of Student Affairs. Additionally, she has served as president of the National Lambda Pi Eta, honor society of the National Communications Association, and is a member of three more honor societies, Phi Kappa Phi, Delta Epsilon Iota, and National Society of Collegiate Scholars. McClenny isn’t finished with her education. She will begin a master’s degree in education program focusing on learning systems technology in January and will work as a graduate assistant in the Division of Student Affairs. After earning her master’s degree, McClenny wants to help faculty and students by creating online courses. “My goal is to make educators’ lives easier by creating online curriculum, and I want to help students with different learning styles be able to master those courses,” she said. “I want to transform the in-class experience to an online platform.” ]]> Williams completes degree 15 years after being accepted to ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock /news-archive/2017/12/15/williams-graduation/ Fri, 15 Dec 2017 14:15:18 +0000 /news/?p=68834 ... Williams completes degree 15 years after being accepted to ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock]]> In 2002, after taking a gap year, Alexis Parker Williams had been accepted to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and was ready to take the next step in her life.  “I chose ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock because it is in the metropolitan area, and it is a good school locally and regionally,” she said. “I felt like ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock would be the tried and true best route for me.” Life got in the way of Williams’ carefully laid-out college plans. “I applied for ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock, and my mom got sick after that, so I didn’t attend,” she said. “I took another year, and then I started at Pulaski Tech and did a year there. Then I got married and started a family.” After 15 years since first applying to ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock, Williams will graduate Dec. 16 at Jack Stephens Center with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication. “It is very rewarding to get to the finish line, but it has taken everything to get to this point,” Williams said. “I am graduating with honors. I try to show excellence in everything that I do.” During a decade of what Williams refers to as her “period of obscurity,” she had four beautiful children – James III, Joshua, Jonathan, and Naomi – and started a family home construction business with her husband, James, where she works as the business administrator. “I am extremely grateful for God’s grace and my husband’s patience,” she said. “I am humbled because so many mommies put themselves last for the betterment of their families. They often don’t get the recognition and praise they deserve for the contributions inside their homes.” In 2014, Williams completed another year of college at Pulaski Tech before transferring to ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock in fall 2015. While on campus, she completed an internship with the Communication Skill Center, which helps students with brainstorming, research, organization, outlining, and PowerPoint/Prezi presentations.
Alexis Williams helps a student in the Communication Skill Center. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock Communications.

Alexis Williams helps a student in the Communication Skill Center. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock Communications.

Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter, chair of the Department of Applied Communication, described Williams as one of the most compassionate and giving students she has ever met. “She has served as a dedicated intern in the Communication Skill Center and often goes above and beyond to help students,” Chatham-Carpenter said. “Alexis is beautiful inside and out, and I am proud to have gotten to know her. She has made me a better person by having gotten to know her.” This semester, Williams interned with, a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with local congregations to offer homeless families shelter, meals, transportation, and case management. Williams worked as the internal communication coordinator. “I would highly recommend most students do an internship,” said Williams, who plans to attend graduate school in fall 2018. “It would highly help in getting out of the classroom and putting your skills to use in the real world. Both internships really helped me develop my professional skills.” When she graduates, Williams will have her “cheering section,” including her husband, four children, a brother traveling from Mississippi, and a sister coming from Oklahoma. “I am humbled to have been able to pour my effort into my children and husband, but also to have this experience for myself. It makes me very proud,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of years watching my peers go on and do great things in life while I was changing a diaper or running to parent-teacher meetings. It is very humbling, and I am grateful.” In the upper right photo, Alexis Williams is ready for commencement. Photo by Randall Lee. ]]>