University of Arkansas at Little Rock

First-generation college student and entrepreneur Steve Foster has worn many different hats in his life - everything from a merchant marine to an owner of a liquor distribution company to a marketing consultant.

Niki Buckman, a student from Quinlan, Texas, was elected as the District 1 director during the ANSA convention held in Hot Springs. She will represent and advocate for nursing students in Arkadelphia, Conway, Hot Springs, Little Rock, and Magnolia. She will also serve on the annual convention, fundraising, and awards committees.

Keeli Wallace, a student at the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, has been elected to the National Latino Law Student Association (NLLSA) Executive Board.

Virginia Vanegas and Keeli Wallace, two students at the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, have been elected to positions on the National Latino Law Student Association (NLLSA) Executive Board.

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.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world's largest human resources association, awarded a 2020-21 Superior Merit designation to UA Little Rock's student chapter for providing superior growth and development opportunities for its student members.

Adeola Adesoba, a graduate student at UA Little Rock, has been selected for a competitive summer internship with IBM.

When Morgan Smocovich arrived at UA Little Rock in 2017, she was an active student who liked to volunteer through the Chancellor's Leadership Corps and as a successful member of the soccer team, but she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life. "I really enjoy helping people, and I'm a very much a people person," she said. "It all goes together. Honestly, I remember one day sitting in my English class talking with my friends and deciding that I wanted to be a nurse." Smocovich, a senior nursing major from Frisco, Texas, is graduating this month with a bachelor's degree in nursing and a minor in business administration. She will be moving to Mississippi to work in a medical surgical unit at a hospital.

Alexandria Brown, a senior mass communication major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been honored for her work with the very first story she ever made for UA Little Rock Public Radio. Brown, who reports and hosts "All Things Considered" and "Weekend Edition" for KUAR, received third place honors in the Features, Broadcast category for her story, "As Judge Considers Challenge To Early Census Deadline, Arkansas Officials Consider Impact."

Kalen Coleman, a student in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's William H. Bowen School of Law, has published an article in the University of California Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal.

In the Feature-Radio category, former KUAR News intern Kelly Connelly, who graduated from UA Little Rock with a degree in mass communication in May, won first place for her report last fall "Livestock Showing Is Most Important Part of State Fair for Some Arkansas Teens."

Erin Clement, a senior interdisciplinary studies major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from Pine Bluff, delivered a TEDx talk during the TEDxUAMonticello event at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Three University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business students won first place awards at the Phi Beta Lambda 2020 Arkansas State Leadership Conference held in North Little Rock April 3-4.

Three graduate students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were selected for a prestigious workshop designed to prepare graduate students for careers in the computer science industry.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock criminal justice students presented their research on criminology topics at the American Society of Criminology conference Nov. 13-16, 2019, in San Francisco, California.

While growing up as a deaf child in an adopted family with hearing parents, Brandy Mimms felt conflicted about whether she belonged in the hearing world or the deaf world. Now a graduate of UA Little Rock's dance performance program, Mimms has opened a nonprofit modern dance troupe to bridge her two worlds. Mimms created the Listen With Your Eyes Dance Troupe to provide more opportunities for dance performers in Arkansas and to raise awareness about deaf and hard of hearing performers.

Robbin Cochran, a May 2019 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Master of Social Work program, is spending the next year helping veterans as part of the Psychology Postdoctoral and Interprofessional Fellowship at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock business student Shibani Lal has been selected for the Forbes Under 30 Scholar Summit. Lal, who will graduate in May 2020, is looking forward to the conference to gain advice and investors for her future startup business.

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are in awe over all the support shown for their dog rescue shelter simulation game, whose $16,000 fundraising campaign on Kickstarter was reached in just over 48 hours. "We have been totally blown away by the amount of support that we've received for this project," said Olivia Dunlap, one of the UA Little Rock graduate students who created "To The Rescue." "Locally and around the world, people have flocked to us because they believe in what we are trying to do, and it's an extraordinary feeling to see that reflected in our Kickstarter's success. We are so thankful to everyone that has supported us so far, and are really excited to see how far we can reach with To The Rescue!"

A recent graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been accepted into a prestigious international teaching program and will spend the next year gaining valuable professional experience teaching in France. Emily Fendley, a Monticello native, graduated from UA Little Rock in May with a double major in French and anthropology and a minor in nonprofit leadership studies.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student has been selected out of thousands of students from across the globe to participate in the Forbes Under 30 Scholar Summit in October. Jared Stovall, a senior biology major from Cedar Hill, Texas, was thrilled to learn that he had been accepted to the prestigious program to attend the elite young entrepreneur conference.

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are raising awareness of animal rescue shelters while creating a fun, interactive game that will melt your heart. "To The Rescue" is a dog shelter simulation game that allows players to understand the ins and out of running a dog rescue shelter.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior and Donaghey Scholar has found her passion working in animal rescue. Brittany Wood of Little Rock has loved working with animals since she was a little girl. Until last year, the anthropology and sociology double major planned for a career as a policy analyst, but life took her in an unexpected direction.

A former University of Arkansas at Little Rock Student Government Association president is putting his passion for politics to work as a political organizer trying to elect the next president of the United States. Brian Gregory, the 2017-18 SGA president and life member of the UA Little Rock Alumni Association, is now working in Iowa for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Though she was considering several post-graduation options, the clear winner for Resendiz is a full scholarship from the Global Markets, Local Creatives program from the European Union, which will allow her to earn two master's degrees while studying at three different universities in Europe. Resendiz was one of only 22 scholarship recipients from more than 975 applications. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, and healthcare and comes with a living and travel stipend. In the fall, Resendiz will move to Scotland to spend her first semester at the University of Glasgow. She will study at the University of Barcelona during the second semester and finish out her second year at the University of Gottingen in Germany. At the end of her program, Resendiz will have master's degrees in global markets and economic development. "This was the most interesting way for me to do a master's degree program and live abroad," Resendiz said. "I want to live and work abroad for a few years before coming back to the U.S. Eventually, I want to work for the United Nations in economic development and international relations or an organization that has a social cause behind it like Winrock International or Heifer International."

A group of 13 graduating students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering faced a unique problem for their senior design project. Split into three teams, each was given the same set of architectural plans for an identical, two-story building. Yet, each building will serve a different purpose in a different city across the U.S. Tasked with completing a structural systems design, construction cost estimate, and construction schedule for a one-year timeline, each group faced vastly different challenges in the design of their building.

A well-known associate dean at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock said he is looking forward to helping the "most important people on campus" after completing his college education. Richard Harper II, associate dean of students, graduated May 11 with a Doctor of Education in higher education administration. He wears many hats on campus, serving as the immediate past president of Staff Senate and the advisor to the Student Government Association. "Now that graduation is over, I plan to continually live by my professional motto," he said. "I'm here to positively impact the lives of students. The other motto I live by is that students are the most important people on campus. Without them, there would be no purpose for us to be here. I will continue to advocate for students and make sure our services are high quality and continue to be an asset for higher education."

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate will soon be sharing his knowledge of the criminal justice system with students on the west coast. Dr. Marc Glidden, visiting assistant professor of criminal justice, graduated May 11 with a Ph.D. in criminal justice and a tenure-track assistant professor position at California State University, Northridge. "Criminal justice is such a developing field," Glidden said. "Since it is such a new field of study, there will always be topics to be curious about."

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student has been selected for a competitive new entrepreneur accelerator program for early-stage, minority, and women-owned businesses in Arkansas. Nora Bouzihay, a doctoral student in education from Jonesboro, is one of 10 participants in the Arkansas Women's Business Center and Remix Ideas' unique program designed to support a segment of entrepreneurs that is often overlooked. A part of Winrock International, the Arkansas Women's Business Center helps women-owned small businesses start, grow, and compete in global markets by providing quality training, counseling, and access to capital. Momentum, the five-week accelerator program, is unique in that it targets early-stage startups with little to no revenue, some of which have not yet been organized or incorporated.

Nora Bouzihay, who is pursuing a Doctor of Education at UA Little Rock, was a recipient of the Rising Star Award at A Celebration of Startups, presented by Remix Ideas, in December. In March 2018, Bouzihay launched her own hijab/scarf company, Nowara Co. Nowara, which means "flower" in Arabic, was the nickname given to her by her Moroccan grandmother.