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

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.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock honors Wagner, McAdoo, and Stanley as Staff Achievement Award winners

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 21:07:38 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock honored three of its staff members for excellence in the areas of service to the university, community service, and personal growth. Each winner will receive a $1,000 prize. William Wagner, operations manager for KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR, received the Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Award. He was joined by Tiffani McAdoo, grant implementation specialist for the School of Social Work and MidSOUTH, who won the Community Service Award, as well as Pamala Stanley, administrative specialist in the Department of Systems Engineering and recipient of the Personal Growth Award. “In 1989, the University initiated an awards and recognition program to honor staff members who have brought recognition to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock through personal growth, service to the university, and service to the community,” Staff Senate President Richard Harper said. “These awards give the campus community an opportunity to recognize the work, dedication, and passion of our staff.” Two ��Vlog��ý Little Rock staff members received a $250 Staff Senate Scholarship: McAdoo and Tierra Hutley, a buyer for Procurement Services. Hutley relocated to Little Rock in 2017 from Atlanta, Georgia, where she studied fashion and business at Southern Polytechnic State University. She is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in nonprofit management and plans to enroll in the Master of Public Administration program after finishing the graduate certificate program. The winners of the $75 Crittenden Book Scholarship are Sara Squires, project program specialist for TRIO, and Celeste Watson, administrative specialist in Testing Services. Squires is a mother of four who is working toward a master’s degree in counselor education. She plans to become an academic advisor focusing on college athletics. “As a previous student-athlete, I understand having to juggle academia with athletic performance,” Squires said. “It takes excellent time management as well as persistence in both key areas of academics and athletics. I am anxious to help young adults find success in their passions.” Watson plans to become a speech pathologist and is currently taking prerequisites to apply for the joint ��Vlog��ý Little Rock/��Vlog��ýMS Doctor of Audiology program. More info about the Staff Achievement Award winners:

William Wagner

Wagner was nominated by eight of his coworkers in recognition of his dedicated service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He is KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR’s second longest-serving employee with more than 30 years of employment at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “William is the kindest, most compassionate staff member, and is most willing to help,” said Nathan Vandiver, interim general manager of KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR. “Every day, William supports and encourages not only our public radio staff, but also our faculty and community leaders who produce content for the station. He has tirelessly worked with many faculty to produce short informational programming intended to provide ongoing educational radio content for the central Arkansas public radio audience. William consistently goes above and beyond to provide service to his co-workers, campus community, and our ��Vlog��ý Public Radio Family.” His helpful and caring nature was highlighted by his efforts to help Ann Nicholson, producer of “The Arts Scene,” who was hospitalized after an accident last year. Williams spent considerable hours working with Nicholson and taught her how to use an iPad so she could continue to record and produce her show and communicate with her daughter in England. “I have noticed that William always comes to work with a smile on his face and inquires how everyone is before starting his day,” Merrill “Beth” Wells, administrative specialist, wrote in her nomination letter. “He works with excellence and is tirelessly pushing himself to learn new things to help benefit the radio station. Whenever someone needs help, he stops what he is doing and goes to help.” Mary Ellen Kubit, partner manager of Arkansas Public Media, notes that Wagner’s dedication to keeping the radio stations running smoothly is unbeatable. Wagner frequently visits the station after hours to make sure that programming is up and running and has given Kubit and her husband training sessions on audio and recording equipment and programs. “William is not only hard working, but he is one of the kindest, most thoughtful people to work with. Many good people work daily to insure the quality and function of K��Vlog��ýR/KLRE, but William is the heart of the station,” Kubit said. “His genuine kindness, love for public radio, and work ethic are apparent in everything he does,” said Jennifer Goss, finance director. “His service to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and specifically to KLRE/K��Vlog��ýR is undeniable.”

Tiffani McAdoo

McAdoo is the recipient of the Community Service Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership and tireless efforts in addressing and raising awareness about hunger, homelessness, and drug prevention in the community. In 2016, McAdoo launched her nonprofit organization, Hands that H.O.P.E, and partnered with community leaders and local businesses to help community members who are homeless or low income. In 2018, nearly half of the Pulaski County residents who received food from her nonprofit were children while 15 percent were elderly. “For many recipients, every month can bring with it challenging decisions about whether to pay the rent or seek needed medical care, to put gas in the car or healthy food on the table, to purchase warm gloves or school supplies for a child,” Derrick Newby, a trainer at MidSOUTH and volunteer at Hands that H.O.P.E., wrote in his nomination letter. “But what is also staggering is how the efforts of one person can truly make a difference in addressing this problem. Tiffani McAdoo has volunteered her time and her efforts in 33 various communities and has completed over 800 hours of volunteer service,” Newby said. “In her efforts to help the homeless, Tiffani has provided support in multiple ways, from sorting and repacking donations and preparing hot meals to making deliveries, distributing prevention literature, and even recruiting other volunteers to assist.”

Pamala Stanley

Pamala Stanley is congratulated after winning the Staff Achievement Award for Personal Growth. Photo by Ben Krain.

Stanley began her career as an administrative assistant in the Department of Psychology in 2004 and has also worked as a research assistant, student services coordinator, and administrative assistant to Dean Ann Bain in the College of Education and Health Professions. She joined the Department of Systems Engineering in 2017, where her coworkers describe her as “excellent in doing her job,” an “effective contributor to our department’s success,” a “great person to work with,” “We would be lost without her,” and “one of the best admins this department has employed.” “In a very short period of time, she earned the respect and appreciation of our faculty members and students through her relentless dedication and hard work,” Dr. Ibrahim Nisanci, chair of the Department of Systems Engineering, wrote in Stanley’s nomination. “I am truly amazed by her responsiveness, efficiency, and her conduct. She truly cares about our students. She takes pride in her work. She takes all initiatives by herself to make our department, college, and university look better and attract more students.” In the upper right photo, from left to right, Pamala Stanley, winner of Personal Growth Award, Celeste Watson, Crittenden Book Scholarship recipient, Tierra Hutley, Staff Senate Scholarship winner, and William Wagner, winner of Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Award. Photo by Ben Krain.

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

Rwandan student fulfills dream of earning college degree

����Vlog��ý Little Rock honors Wagner, McAdoo, and Stanley as Staff Achievement Award winners

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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock honors Wagner, McAdoo, and Stanley as Staff Achievement Award winners