In 2006, Veronica Tess Myers, of Little Rock, made the difficult decision to leave college to ensure her son, Alexander, got the education he deserved. Myers promised herself that she would one day return to complete her college education. "I started my college journey at UA Little Rock in 2000, and then stopped out in 2006 due to the dynamics of being a single mother and to take care of my profoundly autistic son, Alexander," Myers said. Fifteen years later, Myers fulfilled her lifelong goal of completing college and graduated from UA Little Rock with a bachelor's degree in applied communication at the end of the fall 2021 semester.

Joseph Bianchi has been selected as the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, the first-ever weekly conference honor for the Little Rock wrestling program in just its third year competing. The Two Rivers, Wisconsin native earned a 5-0 decision as the Trojans battled #4 Oklahoma State at home this past weekend, bringing his record to 10-4 on the season.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

UA Little Rock student-athletes posted another superb semester in the classroom, posting a departmental 3.28 GPA during the fall 2021 semester. The cumulative department GPA for the Trojans is 3.39, setting another impressive record for Little Rock student-athletes. The performance extends the department's impressive streak of semesters above a 3.00 to 17-straight, continuing to showcase Little Rock's commitment to success in the classroom.

Jaelle Carlson has been selected as the Missouri Valley Conference's Swimmer of the Week, announced the conference on Dec. 21. The freshman standout collected first-place finishes in both individual events as well as two relays at last week's dual against North Texas, earning her first league recognition of her career.

UA Little Rock's William H. Bowen School of Law chapter of the Black Law Students Association will be sending two trial teams to the national Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition in early 2022. This is thanks to Rose Law Firm, who generously sponsored the entry fee for both teams.

Anitrea Graydon is a wife, mother of two, a student, a business owner, and community volunteer from Jacksonville, Arkansas. She will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree from UA Little Rock on Dec. 18. She is not only a dedicated community leader, but she worked consistently to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout her academic career.

Acadia Roher is graduating this month with a master's degree in public history from UA Little Rock. After completing her thesis, "Urban Renewal in Little Rock's Dunbar Historic Neighborhood: A Walking Tour," the new graduate from New Orleans will begin her career as a historical research associate in Maryland.

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC), based at UA Little Rock, has created a Startup Team that is helping new entrepreneurs bring their business ideas to life. The Startup Team, which began this fall, specializes in assisting clients who have never been in business or had to learn about business before, including entrepreneurs who are turning a hobby into a business or creating a new business from scratch.

A UA Little Rock Student is graduating this fall with a master's degree in public history. Christy Hendricks, a native of Ward, Arkansas, will graduate Dec. 18. For her thesis, Hendricks made a comprehensive interpretation analysis of the Quapaw Native Americans and created fact sheets for the Arkansas Post National Memorial Visitors Center that would further the knowledge of Native American history in the area of Arkansas Post.

Joseph Sepulveda, of Cabot, Arkansas, is fulfilling his dream of making the world a better place by designing solar arrays at an up and coming Little Rock startup company. Sepulveda will graduate Dec. 18 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from UA Little Rock. Since May, Sepulveda has worked as a solar coordinator at Entegrity Energy Partners, where he is responsible for designing, constructing, and selling solar arrays.

Robert Alvarez, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has just completed his goal of finishing his bachelor's degree 25 years after he first attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Alvarez will graduate Dec. 18 as the first graduate of UA Little Rock's new online degree program in political science with emphasis in international studies, as well as a minor in economics.

For more than a decade, Aresh Assadi has been helping the students and employees of UA Little Rock with career and personal counseling and mental health education. This month, Assadi, assistant director of counseling services at UA Little Rock, will graduate with a Doctor of Education in Higher Education with a concentration in student affairs.

Whitney Gass, a native of Emerson, Arkansas, was never your average Ph.D. student. Unlike most of the members of her cohort who were full-time students with graduate assistantships, Gass balanced her part-time doctoral classes while being a wife, mother of two, and criminal justice professor at Southern Arkansas University. "Getting the degree is for my future and my family, but I felt selfish at moments for having children and working on the Ph.D," Gass said. "They didn't choose for me to work on this degree, so I made sure I didn't miss dance classes or t-ball games. That wouldn't be fair for them. Working on your degree with a newborn isn't always easy."

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is researching how urban high school teachers view preparing African American students for college. Leah Hansberry, who lives in Springfield, Missouri, will graduate from UA Little Rock in December with a Doctor of Education in higher education. Her dissertation is entitled, "Classroom Practices of Urban High School Teacher's Pedagogy Strategies and Approaches for Preparing African American Students for College."

Josiah Johnson, a Donaghey Scholar and senior from Sherwood, is graduating this semester with a BBA in finance and a BBA in economics. During his time at UA Little Rock, Johnson has been an integral part of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center's Startup Team, which specializes in assisting clients who have never been in business or had to learn about business before.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student spent his Thanksgiving break having an exciting and unforgettable experience.

A UA Little Rock student has been recognized as an outstanding college student and future human resources professional.

UA Little Rock senior outside hitter Laura Jansen was recognized by the Sun Belt Conference Wednesday as she was named to the league's First Team All-Conference scrolls for the second consecutive year.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock student and others hosted Dance Harvest-Renaissance on Nov. 12-14.

After guiding UA Little Rock to an unblemished week, forward Sali Kourouma has repeated as the Sun Belt's Player of the Week.

UA Little Rock forward Sali Kourouma averaged 22.5 points per game, shooting nearly 43 percent from the field, in the opening week of the 2021-22 season and has been named the Sun Belt Women's Basketball Player of the Week.

For the second time this season, Magnus Lomholt has been tabbed the Sun Belt Conference Men's Golfer of the Week. The weekly accolade brings the Trojan total to three during the fall semester, adding to a record-breaking performance for the program.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been awarded a federal grant worth more than $581,000 from the U.S. Department of Education that will help pay child care expenses for low-income students thanks to four graduate students and a professor.

Little Rock sophomore Spencer Cardinal was honored by the Sun Belt Conference Friday as he was named to the league's all-conference third team following his performance at the Sun Belt Championships in Mobile.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock welcomed a new member to the William G. Cooper Jr. Honors Program in English.

Many students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law have been selected for the second class of the Public Service Academy.

Little Rock senior golfer Anton Albers has been named the Sun Belt Men's Golfer of the Week following a record-setting performance at the Little Rock Invitational. It is the first weekly honor of Albers' career and the second for the Trojans this season.

After recording her 1,000th career kill and leading Little Rock to a weekend sweep in Georgia, Little Rock's Laura Jansen has been named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.

Jaelle Carlson, freshman, continues to highlight Little Rock's sprint freestyle squad, including a pool record-breaking swim in the 100 free at Ouachita Baptist Tri-Meet.