Students in the Trojan Teacher Residency Program celebrated Match Day with faculty, classmates, and school partners as they learned which schools and mentor teachers they will work with during a year-long residency in Central Arkansas.

The residency program pairs future educators with experienced mentor teachers, allowing students to co-teach lessons, strengthen classroom management skills, and build meaningful relationships with students before graduating and entering the profession full time.

The 2026 teacher residents include:

• Katelynn Burdiek, placed at Jacksonville Middle School in the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, where she will work with mentor teacher Shannon Tipton while pursuing licensure in English Language Arts for grades 4-8.
• Pedro Cortez Munoz, placed at Jacksonville Middle School in the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, where he will work with mentor teacher Deanna Malone while pursuing licensure in Social Studies for grades 7-12.
• Brandon Gonzalez, placed at Jacksonville Middle School in the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, where he will work with mentor teacher Meyosha Trammell while pursuing licensure in mathematics for grades 4-8.
• Terrika Smith, placed at J.A. Fair K-8 Preparatory School in the Little Rock School District, where she will work with mentor teacher Sarah McPherson while pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education.
• Anne Marie de Luca, will complete her special education residency at Forest Heights STEM Academy in the Little Rock School District under mentor teacher Amanda Gammill.
• Dawn Summons, placed at Forest Heights STEM Academy in the Little Rock School District, where she will also work with mentor teacher Amanda Gammill while pursuing special education licensure.

For Smith, Match Day marked the beginning of a long-term goal to become the kind of teacher who leaves a lasting impact on students.

鈥淢y hope is to learn and grow into an amazing elementary teacher who inspires students and fosters a love for learning in the classroom,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to building meaningful relationships with both students and staff while gaining valuable experience throughout the school year.鈥�

Smith said she is especially excited to begin her residency at J.A. Fair and hopes the experience could lead to a long-term future in the district.

鈥淎s of now, my plan is to love the school so much that it, or at least the Little Rock School District, becomes my home long-term,鈥� Smith said.

The Trojan Teacher Residency Program continues to strengthen partnerships between 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and Arkansas school districts while helping address the growing need for highly trained educators across the state. Through immersive classroom experiences, students graduate with practical teaching experience and professional mentorship that prepare them to lead their own classrooms with confidence.

The Match Day celebration also allowed residents to meet school leaders, connect with mentors, and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter as future Arkansas educators.

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(LRSD), (NLRSD), and (PCSSD) have signed Memorandums of Understandings to become direct admission district partners with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

“Recent student surveys indicate that nearly one-third of high school seniors have doubts about going to college due to financial reasons, are unsure how to get started, or are apprehensive about their ability to meet admission standards,” said Dr. Cody Decker, vice chancellor for student affairs and chief data officer at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. “The direct admission agreements specifically address these concerns by partnering with area school districts to streamline the college admission process and automatically awarding financial aid to eligible students.”

Undergraduate students from LRSD, NLRSD, and PCSSD who apply to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will receive a waived application fee as well as a streamlined admission application. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will receive student transcripts directly from the State of Arkansas electronic transcript system, which relieves the school districts of the need to provide student transcripts.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock through the direct admissions program,鈥� said Dr. Jermall Wright, superintendent of Little Rock School District. 鈥淭his ongoing collaboration will open incredible opportunities to our students, providing a seamless pathway to higher education and empowering them to achieve their academic and career goals. By working together, we are ensuring that every student in the Little Rock School District has the support and resources they need to succeed in college and beyond.”

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is also dedicated to helping Arkansans graduate from college with little to no debt. The students will automatically be considered for the Trojan Guarantee Scholarship, a last-dollar scholarship that covers the cost of tuition and mandatory fees after federal, state, and institutional aid is applied, resulting in a no-cost bachelor’s degree for eligible students, as well as 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Half-Off Scholarship, which covers half of the tuition and course fees for eligible freshman for up to two years.

This partnership with Little Rock School District, North Little Rock School District, and Pulaski County Special School District aims to ease the college acceptance process, providing students with a clearer and more accessible route to earning an affordable, high-quality college education.

“We are very excited to enter this partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to support our students in their postsecondary future,鈥� said Dr. Charles McNulty, superintendent of PCSSD. 鈥淲e have a strong commitment as a district to ensure our students are college and career ready with initiatives like AVID and the PCSSD Academies of Central Arkansas. This partnership with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock provides one more pathway for our students to achieve their dreams after graduation. We couldn’t be more excited to work with 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in this endeavor, which we hope sparks future opportunities to collaborate together for the benefit of our students!”

Dr. Gregory Pilewski, superintendent of NLSD, said he is excited about this partnership and the opportunities it will afford the students.

鈥淭his partnership will assist our counselors and administrators in guiding students to consider the wealth of possibilities at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, in addition to the financial break that can be realized by going to this institution,鈥� Pilewski said. 鈥淲e look forward to working with the university to expose our future-ready scholars to the academic and social experiences that are available to its students.”

You can learn more about joining 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock by visiting /admissions.

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