The project was led by Dr. Tracey McElwee, associate professor and gerontology program coordinator at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. It was conducted as part of a graduate social work research course in collaboration with the city鈥檚 Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs.

鈥淭his was not a simulated classroom exercise,鈥� McElwee said. 鈥淪tudents were engaged in a real world research project that connected advanced research training with meaningful community impact.鈥�

McElwee said students worked in five research groups aligned with city-identified priorities, including emergency shelters and transitional housing, healthcare access, permanent housing options, municipal coordination, and data-driven planning and leadership. Online and face-to-face students collaborated to complete large-scale studies within a single 15-week semester.

鈥淲hat makes this project unique is its scope,鈥� McElwee said. 鈥淧roducing multiple publishable manuscripts in one semester using an advanced research method is highly uncommon in graduate education.鈥�

The project has already produced significant scholarly and community outcomes. One manuscript with 13 student co-authors has been published, and a second has been accepted, with additional papers under review or in final preparation. Students also submitted a technical report to the city鈥檚 Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs to support local decision-making related to homelessness services and policy.

Building on the project鈥檚 findings, a former student received one of the inaugural College of Business, Health and Human Services Graduate Student Research Grants to conduct original qualitative research on data reporting and service delivery among organizations serving people experiencing homelessness in Arkansas. 

McElwee said data collection will begin in spring 2026 in West Memphis, Ark., expanding the project鈥檚 impact and addressing gaps in Arkansas-based research.

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Students Partner With City on High-Impact Social Work Research appeared first on News.

That sense of determination has fueled Harris鈥檚 mission to become a social worker, where he can serve as a steady presence for children navigating the same system that once failed him.

鈥淭he story is only complete when I can change the trajectory of even one foster child鈥檚 life,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat makes everything I鈥檝e been through mean something. I want to be the person who can say, 鈥榊ou can make it, because I鈥檓 you.鈥� Sometimes, having a solid example is all a child needs to have hope.鈥�

Harris knows firsthand the struggles that can come with an unstable childhood. By age 16, he lived in 14 foster homes, two boys鈥� homes, and two juvenile detention centers because there was nowhere else to place him.

鈥淲hen I aged out of the system, I got a check for $250 and was told to figure it out,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was homeless for a little bit. With no blueprint or map, I had to create my own.鈥�

This May, Harris will earn his Master of Social Work from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, a milestone he sees not as a finish line, but as a new beginning. He鈥檚 already accepted a position as a medical social worker at 糖心Vlog传媒MS and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in social work in the future.

鈥淚鈥檓 not here to write your story,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淚鈥檓 here to help you along the way. You still have the pen. Everyone needs a little help now and then.鈥�

A first-generation college student and father, Harris moved to Arkansas in 2010 to reconnect with his biological father. 

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have the life I have now if that man hadn鈥檛 extended an olive branch for me to move to Arkansas,鈥� Harris said. 

Though that relationship didn鈥檛 last, becoming a father himself inspired him to stay and build a life in Conway. He completed his undergraduate degree in health and behavioral science at the University of Central Arkansas, then sought a graduate program that aligned with his experiences and values. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 social work program felt like the right fit.

While enrolled at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Harris balanced full-time work, parenting, and fieldwork in clinical settings. He completed internships at 糖心Vlog传媒MS鈥檚 Longevity Center, 12th Street Clinic, and Family Medicine Clinic.

鈥淚鈥檝e made it look easy, but I鈥檓 very disciplined and very structured,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 wait on due dates. I live my life in five-year increments. I don鈥檛 think about today. I think about what the next five years will look like. Sacrificing now opens doors for the next five years, and that鈥檚 okay. That might just be the resilient side of me.鈥�

His time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock was also shaped by the support of faculty and peers, particularly during a period of personal loss in his first year.

鈥淲hat stood out most was the community,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淧eople here truly care and want to see you succeed. That鈥檚 what I鈥檒l remember most.鈥�

Harris credits mentors like Dr. Tara DeJohn, Dr. Laura Danforth, Dr. Lance Grahn, Caitlyn Johnson, and Ruth Fissel with helping him grow into the social worker he is today, and he hopes to pay that forward.

鈥淔or anyone thinking about going into social work, I鈥檇 say this: You have to love people. You have to be willing to advocate, even when no one is looking,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his career is not about you. It鈥檚 about the people in front of you. If you can look back 20 years from now and know you鈥檝e changed lives, then you鈥檝e made the right choice.鈥�

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Graduate Turns Childhood Struggles Into Lifelong Mission to Help Others appeared first on News.

The equine/graduation photo shoot was quite an unusual sight for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Police Chief Regina Wade-Carter, who doesn鈥檛 recall this ever happening before in her nearly 25 years at the university but said she 鈥渨as super excited to grant the request.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how many people bring their horses to campus, but it is a tradition for equestrians to have photos taken with their horses when they graduate from college,鈥� Coldiron explained. 鈥淭hey are such a big part of our lives, and they are members of the family. I even bought my horses little graduation caps to wear.鈥�

Coldiron is the proud owner of Louis, a seven-year-old Palomino, and Monty, an eight-year-old Appaloosa. Coldiron, who has been riding horses since age 5, is an accomplished equestrian who regularly competes in ranch pleasure, ranch trail, and dressage events.

After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in communications from Tarleton State University, Coldiron worked as an editor of the Burleson Star Newspaper. She also put her equine knowledge to good use as editor of Cutting Horse Chatter Magazine.

After moving to Arkansas with her husband, who is a captain in the U.S. Air Force, Coldiron decided to pursue a new career in social work.

鈥淚nstead of writing about people who are helping others, I wanted to be the person who would help people,鈥� Coldiron said. 鈥淚 wanted a career where I was going to be able to help someone in need and give them the support that they need during a time of crisis.鈥�

While earning her Master of Social Work degree at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Coldiron gained invaluable experience working as an intern with The Van, a homeless outreach organization, as well as the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

With her husband serving in the military, Coldiron found that working at the VA is a natural fit for her. Now that she鈥檚 graduated, she will continue working at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in a post-graduate fellowship program for social workers, occupational therapists, and psychologists.

In the future, Coldiron hopes to put her social work and equine skills to use by starting a nonprofit organization dedicated to equine therapy.

The post From Hooves to Helping Hands: Equestrian Turned Social Worker Brings Equine Magic to Graduation Photos appeared first on News.