McGehee has known she wanted to be a journalist since middle school, where she was editor of the Bryant Junior High yearbook. When she transitioned into high school, she remained on the yearbook staff and became editor of the award-winning Bryant High School yearbook staff her senior year.

When it came time for her to choose a college, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was an easy decision. Her mother and maternal grandparents graduated from the university, making her a legacy student. She was also accepted into the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, which was another incentive hinting that 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was where she needed to be. As such, she attributes a lot of her success to Dr. Simon Hawkins and Dr. Jessica Scott, director and assistant director of the honors program.

鈥淚 knew I would need scholarships to attend college, and they made it possible for me to go to school debt-free, which was something I never thought would happen,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淚 was able to give my all to school, and if not for Donaghey, I probably wouldn鈥檛 have been able to be so involved on campus.鈥�

She was on the Donaghey Committee her senior year, which involves planning events for the program and interviewing potential new scholars.

鈥淚 just wanted to make an impact on the program the same way it did for me,鈥� McGehee said.

The program requires its scholars to study abroad, so she had the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam from August to December as well.

鈥淚t was life changing,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淓verything that I wanted it to be, it was. It altered my view on politics and life, it made me more independent, and completely changed my outlook on life.鈥�

She has done a lot in her time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, but the accolade she鈥檚 most proud of is being executive editor of The Forum. She became editor her sophomore year, making her the youngest in the newspaper鈥檚 history, and was also named Newspaper Editor of the Year at the 2023 Arkansas College Media Association award competition.

鈥淚鈥檝e never known anybody as energetic as Chloe,鈥� Sonny Rhodes, advisor of The Forum, said. 鈥淚鈥檝e known some great editors in my 23 years of advising The Forum. I wouldn鈥檛 want to embarrass anybody by saying she鈥檚 the best, but she鈥檚 certainly one of the best. I鈥檝e never known someone who can do so many things quite so well.鈥�

McGehee met Rhodes when she joined the newspaper staff as a freshman, and thinks just as highly of him as he does of her.

鈥淗e鈥檚 been such a positive influence on my life and he鈥檚 probably my biggest supporter,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淚 feel like I can go to him with anything and he鈥檒l help me with it. He鈥檚 written countless letters of recommendation for me, and he鈥檚 really become a friend. I鈥檓 really thankful for him.鈥�

McGehee serves as communications director for the Student Government Association, in which she has grown the and made it a 鈥渙ne-stop shop鈥� for things going on around campus.

McGeehee has also done Model Arab League since 2021, which is a multi-regional competition where high school and college students come together to cover topics and write resolutions to issues important to the Arab League. During that time, she and the rest of the team have traveled to Texas, Washington, D.C., and South Carolina. She has won awards at each of the five conferences she has attended.

鈥淚 say, if you like to argue diplomatically, the Model Arab League is where you should go,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淵ou really have to know how to argue in a polite way. I鈥檝e won three national awards and awards at Houston and South Carolina. It really opened my eyes. It鈥檚 a different part of the world with an entirely different culture and lifestyle that I wouldn鈥檛 know anything about if not for the class.鈥�

She has tutored students at the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock writing center and completed several internships at Little Rock publications such as the Arkansas Business Publishing Group, the Venture Center, and the Daily Record, all of which have helped prepare her for a career in journalism.

鈥淟ittle Rock is my city,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淚n five years, I hope to have made a positive impact on Little Rock and have a really robust writing and photography portfolio. I just want to grow in my career, my portfolio, and my personal life to be the best person I can be.鈥�

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鈥淲e had our most successful national conference ever, and I am so impressed with our team,鈥� said Dr. Rebecca Glazier, professor of public affairs and faculty advisor for Model Arab League. 鈥淚 am so impressed with the team that we have worked so hard to build over the past decade. Their hard work is really paying off, and it is evident in these national awards and leadership positions. I am excited to see what our team does next and look forward to recruiting more students who want to travel and learn about the Middle East!鈥�

Chloe McGehee and Owen Haynes, who served as justices on the Arab Court of Justice, won the Outstanding Advocates Award for their representation of Morocco in the Arab Court of Justice. Individually, McGehee won the Outstanding Justice Award and Haynes won the Distinguished Justice Award.

Additional students who won awards for their representation of the country of Qatar include:

• Yvonne Rodriquez and Jack Schlotter 鈥� Distinguished Delegation Award, Joint Defense Council
• Rebecca Little 鈥� Distinguished Delegate Award, Council of Arab Social Affairs
• Amelia Loken, Distinguished Delegate Award, Summit of Arab Heads of State

For the first time ever, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will also participate in the national leadership team for the 2024 National Model Arab League Conference. Caleb Mimms will serve as the assistant secretary general, the No. 2 leadership position, while Owen Haynes will chair the Arab Heads of State Committee.

The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program created by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. It is a simulation of an international organization, the League of Arab States, which represents 22 countries.

In addition to Model Arab League, the students also attended a briefing at the Embassy of Qatar, a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building, and a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Anyone who is interested in joining Model Arab League during the 2023-24 school year should contact Professor Glazier at raglazier@ualr.edu.

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Daniel Breen, a 2018 graduate of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and award-winning reporter and news anchor for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Public Radio, served as the keynote speaker.

鈥淢y journey from a student at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to newsroom leader has taken me a long way, and I am grateful to be where I am today,鈥� Breen said. 鈥淢y mentors here at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock gave me the space to breathe and learn and ensured that I had the strongest foundation possible for growth.鈥�

Dr. Tim Edwards, interim chair of the School of Mass Communication, and Professor Sonny Rhodes presented the Meritorious Service Award to Arkansas Press Association/Arkansas Newspaper Foundation and the Arkansas Broadcasters Association for their invaluable support to mass communication students at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

Six students were inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, a college honor society that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication. These students include undergraduate students Jesse Cain, Allison Risius, Olivia Hicks, and Ahmed Elkhattabi as well as graduate students Abigail Carlson and Daniela Dehaghani. Cain also received the Top Scholar Award.

Students who received the Academic Achievement Award for being on the Chancellor鈥檚 List and/or Dean鈥檚 List include Shalonda Nelson, Allison Risius, Jaelyn Tucker, Kayla Woods, Adrian Rogers, Emily Wells, Ahmed Elkhattabi, Jesse Cain, Kate Benne, Kristin Divino, Olivia Hicks, Braden Rainey, and Miles Miller.

Mass communication students who received additional awards include:

• Outstanding/Top Graduating Senior Award – Jesse Cain and Allison Risius
• Outstanding/Top Graduating Graduate Student Award – Franca Afolabi and Diana Denning
• Clifton O. Lawhorne Memorial Award – Chloe McGehee – Awarded to journalism student/major who exemplifies outstanding leadership.
• Director’s Award – Emily Wells – Presented to a student who demonstrates initiative, leadership, collaboration, and engagement both in and out of the classroom, and whose efforts contribute to the life of the School of Mass Communication.

The School of Mass Communication awarded nearly $100,000 in scholarships to students for the 2023-24 academic year. Mass communication students who received scholarships include:

• The Dan and Johnnie Winn Memorial Scholarship 鈥� Matt Anderson, George Arthur, Andrew Bacon, Kevin Beckwith, Kiara Bradford, Arielle Fresh, John Reed, Adrian Rogers, and Kelle Watts
• K.A. Engel Memorial Scholarship 鈥� Kate Benne, Kristin Divino, Ahmed Elkhattabi, Daniela Montero, John Reed, Kennedi Stephens, and Daneisha Whitaker
• Golden Mike Award/Steve Stephens & Belinda Shults Endowed Scholarship 鈥� Matt Anderson
• Arkansas Broadcasters Association Endowed Scholarship 鈥� Adrian Rogers
• TreDay.com Scholarship 鈥� Daneisha Whitaker
• Television Broadcasters of Arkansas Scholarship – Ahmed Elkhattabi
• RD Doubleday Endowed Scholarship 鈥� Andrew Bacon
• Roy Mitchell Scholarship – Ahmed Elkhattabi
• Governor Orval E. Faubus Scholarship 鈥� Frankquetta Mallett
• Jane and John Thompson Endowed Journalism Scholarship 鈥� Ebony Gurley
• Herbert and Gertrude Latkin Scholarship Fund 鈥� Kate Benne
• Jerol Garrison Endowed Journalism Scholarship 鈥� Kristin Divino
• William K. Rutherford Freedom of Information Act Endowed Memorial Scholarship 鈥� Kate Benne
• Jason Irby Scholarship 鈥� Kevin Beckwith
• Harry Ashmore Award 鈥� Kristin Divino
• Edith Woods Sweezy Memorial Scholarship in Journalism – Daniela Montero

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Among the top awards, Chloe McGehee, a senior mass communication major who will graduate in May and executive editor of The Forum, was named Newspaper Editor of the Year.

鈥淢ost of these staff members won these awards for their first year on staff, and it was an extremely competitive year,鈥� McGehee said. 鈥淚 am really proud of everything my staff was able to accomplish, and even if a member did not win an award, we all contributed to a third place overall. And of course it was pretty amazing to win Editor of the Year as kind of a final goodbye to The Forum.鈥�

Meanwhile, Jacobb Nichol received third place in the Photographer of the Year Award, and The Forum received third place for the Newspaper General Excellence category.

The awards were presented during an April 14 ceremony at Harding University in Searcy.

The Arkansas College Media Association is composed of private and public colleges and universities throughout the state, including Arkansas State University, Arkansas Tech University, Central Baptist College, Harding, Ouachita Baptist University, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and the University of Central Arkansas.

鈥淚鈥檓 elated for the staff,鈥� said Sonny Rhodes, Forum adviser. 鈥淭his is, by far, the most awards the staff has won in at least a decade, maybe ever. If you consider the variety of categories in which they won awards you get an idea of the enormous breadth of their talent. I鈥檓 very proud of them and grateful for all their hard work.鈥�

The Forum competed in the ACMA鈥檚 newspaper division. The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock winners, places of finish, and categories are:

• Chloe McGehee: Honorable Mention, Newspaper Personality Profiles; Third Place, Newspaper Feature Page Layout; and Third Place, Newspaper Sports Photo
• Bryan Hernandez: First Place, Newspaper Review Writing; First Place, Newspaper Sports Photo
• Chloe McGehee and Bryan Hernandez: Second Place, Newspaper Meeting/Speech Coverage
• Skylar Boone and Chloe McGehee: First Place, Newspaper Feature Page Layout
• Jacobb Nichol: Second Place, Newspaper News Photo
• Joe Santana: First Place, Newspaper Feature Photo
• Vivian Angeles: Third Place, Newspaper Review Writing
• Ahad Nadeem: Honorable Mention, Newspaper General Column
• Maddie Becker (Graduated): Honorable Mention, Newspaper Sports Feature Writing
• Azalea Andrade (Graduated): First Place, Newspaper Personality Profiles; Third Place, Newspaper Headlines
• Andi Benbrook and Chloe McGehee: Honorable Mention, Newspaper Front Page Layout
• Emily Reynolds: First Place, Newspaper Illustration

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糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was awarded the Overall Outstanding Delegation Award for their representation of the country of Qatar.

鈥淲hen we arrived, we were told we would not have the numbers to win a school award,鈥� said Owen Haynes, a sophomore political science major from White Hall. 鈥淒espite this, and because of the outstanding performance of each of our six students, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock won the highest award for a school at that conference. This means that we were all taking advantage of parliamentary procedure, writing resolution papers, creating diplomatic relationships, giving impromptu speeches, and for some of us holding leadership positions within our councils.鈥�

The Model Arab League is a student leadership development program created by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. It is a simulation of an international organization, the League of Arab States, which represents 22 countries.

Dr. Rebecca Glazier, faculty advisor for Model Arab League, said this was an amazing achievement for the students since only a small team of students competed, and they were two members short of a full delegation.

鈥淭hat is like winning a basketball game with only four people on the court,鈥� Glazier said. 鈥淚 am so proud of them!鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students who attended the competition and their committees and individual awards include:

• Owen Haynes, Summit of Arab Heads of State, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Chloe McGehee, Council of Arab Environmental Affairs Ministers, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Caleb Mimms, Council on Political Affairs, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Lamar Townsend, Council of Arab Economic Affairs Ministers, Outstanding Delegation Award
• Jack Schlotter, Joint Defense Council, Distinguished Delegation Award
• Yvonne Rodriguez, Council of Arab Social Affairs, Outstanding Delegation Award

Rodriquez, a junior from Hot Springs, said her council discussed important issues like mitigating water insecurity, especially regarding women and refugees, exploring minority populations鈥� access to education and social mobility, and the rising rates of internally displaced persons throughout the region.

鈥淢odel Arab League is a great place to hone skills like public speaking, collaborative team tasks, and writing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good place to refine those skills, and it鈥檚 an amazing place to meet other students around the country! I have truly enjoyed my time and have been honored to work with this team that has only strived for excellence.鈥�

Caleb Mimms, a junior political science and international studies major from Cabot, said that he loves Model Arab League because it gives him the opportunity to learn something new about a region that he previously did not know.

鈥淲e get to break down specific problems and how these problems affect current events within the region, and thus the world and our perception of it,鈥� Mimms said. 鈥淚 also get great practice for what I would like to do in the future, and that is diplomacy. I have a lot of passion for working with others to find solutions to some of the biggest problems our world faces. Finding solutions that help everyone is extremely important and something I get to practice in the Model Arab League.鈥�

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