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

Love of Helping Students Leads to Inspiration for New Assistant Director of Multicultural Center

John Hill — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 17:09:00 +0000

As an undergraduate student, Lauren Wilson, a native of Crossett, Arkansas, said the time she spent at her university’s multicultural center made a huge impact on her life. “When I was an undergrad, our multicultural center played a huge role in my experience,” Wilson said. “I loved being able to go there and hang out with my friends and with faculty and staff members and form those bonds that have lasted over 10 years now.” As the new assistant director of the Multicultural Center, Wilson is using her inspiration as an undergrad and her love of helping students to recreate her experience for the students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “I want to provide them with a safe place and pair them with people who can provide resources and serve as mentors, not just while they are in college, but beyond that,” Wilson said. “My mentors were really helpful in facing all the ups and downs that brought me from an undergrad to this point.” In her role, Wilson is responsible for implementing cultural programming for Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. She also coordinates several programs designed to help students succeed. The Student Affairs Diversity Initiatives include the African American Male Initiative, African American Female Initiative, and the Hispanic/Latinx Initiative. The programs are designed to empower, support, and assist students in their college careers. The Summer Bridge Academy is a three-week residential program that prepares incoming freshmen for college by eliminating the need to take remedial math and English courses. The Trojan L.E.A.D. program is designed to prepare first and second year students of color for leadership in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community. Wilson has implemented a new monthly event, First Fridays at MC, where students meet the first Friday of every month to talk about what’s going on in their lives, plan new events for the Multicultural Center, and learn new skills. During February’s First Friday at the MC, students learned how to become a residential assistant. “They are virtual for now,” Wilson said. “In the future, students can come to the Multicultural Center to decompress and see if there is anything that we can do to help them.” After her graduation from the University of Arkansas, Wilson became a substitute teacher and had a daughter, Gabriela. She later went on to teach English at Warren High School for three years before joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock as a student support and training specialist at Ottenheimer Library, where she taught students about the technology and resources available in the library. While pursuing her master’s degree in higher education, Wilson worked as a graduate assistant in the Multicultural Center. After her graduation during the fall 2020 semester, Wilson was promoted to the assistant director of the Multicultural Center. “It took a lot to get here, but I’m pretty happy where I ended up,” Wilson said. As Wilson is currently implementing events to celebrate Black History Month, she thinks it’s important that diverse history is celebrated all year round. “Black history is American history,” Wilson said. “When I was in high school, there was Black History Month and Women’s History Month. Anything that wasn’t white male history wasn’t integrated into larger history classes. Why don’t we celebrate it more and make sure it is celebrated every day as a part of our normal goings on? I wish everyone could see it that way.”

Graduate Student Spotlight on Malik Williams

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 14:53:41 +0000

Meet Malik Williams, a native of Waldo, Arkansas (pop. 1,283), who will graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree in business information systems. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will celebrate the graduation of Williams along with hundreds of other students during a commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Jack Stephens Center. Tell us about a little bit about yourself. I’m an only child who is still a little country. I love hanging out with close family and friends, learning new things, and traveling to different places. I work part-time at the Genius Bar at the Apple store in Little Rock while going to school full-time. My mom taught me how to cook, clean, do laundry, and mind my Ps and Qs. My dad taught me the importance of hard work and said that I could do anything I set my mind to. Why did you choose ��Vlog��ý Little Rock? When I was in 10th grade, the TRIO Talent Search college prep program helped me learn about colleges and universities in the state. My career coach helped me fill out college and scholarship applications. It was a choice between Southern Arkansas University and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. I chose ��Vlog��ý Little Rock because it is in the capital city and had the top business school in Arkansas. My mom wanted me to stay at home, but I felt like I needed a challenge and wanted to get out of my comfort zone. TRIO and all of the wonderful mentors helped me do just that. I can definitely say that I would not have been so exposed to so many opportunities if I had stayed in my hometown. Another thing that helped my decision was the Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Summer Bridge Academy (SBA) for high school students. I came up here for three weeks before the beginning of my freshman year to attend this program. This program pairs students with mentors that help them with their weaknesses in different areas to get them ahead of the curve in the first year of college. Why did you major in business information systems? During my freshman year, I was undecided, but I knew I wanted to do something in the business field that would help me make a good living. I chose business information systems because it is a versatile degree that contains all aspects of business mixed with information technology. I’ve always been interested in technology. (I’m the IT person in our family.) What kind of careers can you do with a business information systems major? There are so many choices such as marketing, management, project management, database administration, business analysis, coding, and software development and others. What companies are you interested in? Apple, Blue Cross Blue Shield or Southwest Power Pool would be great companies to work for. I’d like to stay in Little Rock to build a foundation, but would consider relocating. How would your professors describe you? I think they would say I am laid back and easygoing. I’m versatile and soak in new information like a sponge. My job at Apple has helped me develop people skills. Who were your mentors? My mom and dad are my life coaches. My cousin Montrell Turner is a business information systems graduate from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and has always had good advice for me. My hometown friend Corrigan Revels helped me early in my college career. The Summer Bridge Academy program helped me stay on track and connected me to the right people. What was your biggest challenge in college? Procrastination, and the balance of social life, school, and family. You have to figure out what is important. Learning about “delayed gratification” helped me put things into perspective. I listen to podcasts that motivate me and help me self-reflect. What was the toughest decision you had to make? Working part-time while going to school full-time. My parents wanted me to focus solely on school. What advice would you give to incoming students? Stay focused and keep a good balance. Don’t overwhelm yourself, because stress is real. Take care of everything on the front end and network. You can’t get by without help. Most of all, never lose sight of the goal and reason why you made the decision to come to college. This story was compiled by Toni Boyer-Stewart.

Smith named Arkansas’s ACT College and Career Readiness Champion

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 12:54:21 +0000

Amber Smith, assistant vice chancellor of student experiences and director of the, has been named a 2019 ACT College and Career Readiness Champion for the postsecondary professional category. ACT is recognizing professionals for their work to advance college and career readiness for all. Champions are high school seniors, K-12 professionals, postsecondary professionals, and workforce professionals who are making a positive impact on their communities through their efforts to advance college and career readiness. The ACT College and Career Readiness Champions are individuals across the country who support ACT’s mission of education and workplace success. “I was honored and surprised. When you are doing work for students, you do it because it needs to be done,” Smith said. “My goal was to create an innovative experience for students to learn how to be successful on the ACT. What I found is that a lot of the preparation programs out there did not appeal to the students I focus on. I work with a lot of underserved and underrepresented populations. I was looking for a culturally relevant pedagogy to enhance student performance on standardized tests. When we couldn’t find it, we created our own, ACT Prep Express.” The Donaldson Scholars Academy helps students who are at risk due to socioeconomic disadvantages or other factors improve their academic achievement and prepare for college. The programs include ACT Prep Express, which helps high school students in Pulaski County Special School District, Little Rock School District, and the North Little Rock School District prepare for high school graduation, the ACT, and college. “We created an experience that goes to high schools driven by music and games,” Smith said. “We are dealing with high school students, and we want them to have fun. We start the morning with a parent breakfast, and we have recruiters from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, ��Vlog��ý Pulaski Tech, and Philander Smith College. The speakers explore the concepts of the ACT through different sessions. We wanted to help students decrease the anxiety associated with standardized tests and empower them with real test-taking strategies. Students don’t understand that they don’t have to know everything, that there are strategies that can help them score higher on tests. Then we end the day with an engaging activity, like an obstacle course, that allows them to review what they learned.” More than 400 high school students have participated in the ACT Prep Express program since its inception in 2017. Of those, more than 70 percent said they feel more confident in at least three of the four subject areas covered for exam preparation. The academy also participates in college fairs, hosts meetings with school counselors, facilitates college and ACT prep sessions, and offers fall retreats. Additionally, the Summer Bridge Academy is a two-week residential program that prepares incoming freshmen for college-level work by eliminating the need for them to take remedial math and English courses. “We are very proud of what Amber has been able to achieve with the Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Summer Bridge Academy initiative,” said Dr. Mark Allen Poisel, vice chancellor for student affairs. “She has continued to develop the program so we can reach many more high school students and increase their access to higher education. Her work, along with her team, is making a big difference in the Little Rock community.” Smith is a graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and a master’s degree in student affairs. She also earned a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Capella University. She started her career at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2011 as interim assistant coordinator of the African American Male Initiative and Teaching Enhancements Affecting Minority Students programs. Prior to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, she worked as a corporate trainer, educational presenter, and psychology instructor. ACT State Councils comprised of education and workforce professionals from all 50 states serve as the selection committee and select one champion per category for each participating state. “We all know inspiring individuals who work tirelessly for the advancement of college and career readiness for all students,” said ACT Senior Vice President of State and Federal Programs Scott Montgomery. “The ACT College and Career Readiness Champions initiative lifts up their stories so that more people can be inspired to find their own path to success through the motivation and determination of the seniors, K-12, postsecondary and workforce champions leading the way.”

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.

Bank of America donation supports ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Summer Bridge Academy

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 16:50:28 +0000

Bank of America has donated $20,000 to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to support the Donaldson Summer Bridge Academy, a three-week residential program aimed at preparing incoming freshmen for college-level work that eliminates the need for these students to take remedial math and English courses. The gift from is part of a collaborative effort with University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, which was awarded $24,000 to fund workforce education and skills training for minorities from across Arkansas to enter healthcare professions. “This donation will allow us to continue our efforts in developing students’ academic and socio-emotional needs,” said Amber Smith, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. “Engaging curriculum, motivated staff, as well as in-class and out-of-class experiential learning, can now be supported and offered to students.” Since the Summer Bridge Academy began in 2013, 135 students have passed 238 courses, which saved students and their families more than $179,000 in tuition, non-credit course fees, and book costs. Bank of America President Donnie Cook, who is celebrating his 45th year of a successful career in banking, said he loved being a part of a program that “gives the gift of higher education.” “I’m certainly proud of where I am, but I do have some regrets that I never went back and finished my college education,” Cook said during a Sept. 8 lunch with Summer Bridge Academy students in the Bailey Alumni and Friends Center on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. “The single greatest pleasure of what I do, outside of work, is giving money to great programs like this.” The Summer Bridge Academy is open to all high school seniors who have been accepted into ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and who show a need for remedial coursework based on their test scores. These courses are designed to teach students strategies for success, including critical thinking, study skills, time management, test-taking strategies, reading comprehension, mathematical skills, and financial wellness. Support from the Bank of America Foundation has provided proven results for students attending the Summer Bridge Program. Engaging in intense academic curriculum that consists of at least four hours of math and four hours of reading and writing per day has shown positive results. Last year, 96 percent of Summer Bridge Academy participants bypassed developmental math, 100 percent bypassed developmental writing, and 92 percent bypassed developmental reading. “This program is important because it allows students to strengthen their academics, potentially bypass remediation, which saves time and money toward graduation, in addition to building relationships within the higher education environment,” Smith said. “Students tend to leave much more confident and with a more open mindset. Entering college can be an intimidating process, and we have watched students not only take on the challenge, but persist and succeed to completion of a degree.” Xenia Cooley, a senior psychology major who plans to become a social worker, said participating in the Summer Bridge Academy in 2014 gave her the opportunity to see that she was ready to get a college education. “The program gave me a sense of what college is like, so it was easier to transition from high school to college,” she said. “I fell in love with the campus, and the staff was so helpful. When I started college, I already had a support system in place.” In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock celebrates a donation from Bank of America to help the Summer Bridge Academy. Pictured in the front row (L to R) are Chris Foy, Laura Montalvan, Eva Legg, Bank of America President Donnie Cook, Sharice Hollister, Xenia Cooley, and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Amber Smith. Back row (L to R) are Senior Director of Development Kristi Smith, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Mark Allen Poisel, Bank of America Senior Vice President John Dominick, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Christian O’Neal, and Jonathan Bobo, recruitment and enrollment manager. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.