University of Arkansas at Little Rock

After a 20-year career with the U.S. Marine Corps, Kevin Barnes, a native of Bauxite who now lives in Jacksonville, returned to Arkansas to pursue a nursing career.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has announced the newly elected members of the Student Government Association for the coming 2021-22 academic year.

After traveling from Nigeria to earn a graduate degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Oluwaseun "Seun" Johnson is graduating this month with a master's degree in information science and a new career at Intuit, Inc.

After just three years at UA Little Rock, Landon DeKay, of Maumelle, has completed his studies one year ahead of schedule and will graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science this month.

Freshman Breya Clark cleared 5-5 (1.65m), finishing eighth with the fourth-best mark in school history at the Maroon and White Invitational hosted by Mississippi State April 30. Clark then broke the triple jump record as Little Rock saw two school records fall on the final day of the Maroon and White Invitational May 1.

Junior Ka'Neisha Jackson from Elk City, Oklahoma topped her own school record in the 400m hurdles by 0.03 seconds on the final day of the Maroon and White Invitational hosted by Mississippi State May 1. She placed third in the race.

Little Rock senior pitcher Aaron Funk has been named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, announced April 27 by the league office. The honor is the third of Funk's Trojan career as Little Rock has now tallied Pitcher of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks.

Junior Helensia Green added her name to the Little Rock record books on the final day of the Maroon and White Invitational May 1.

UA Little Rock golfer Logan Pate earned third team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, announced May 6 by the league office.

UA Little Rock junior golfer Anton Albers earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors, announced May 6 by the league office. Albers is a first team all-conference selection.

Freshman Alison Stephens from Chatham, Ontario, Canada, smashed her own school record in the discus by over seven feet as action opened up April 30 at the Maroon and White Invitational hosted by Mississippi State.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has selected the winners of the 2021 Student Research and Creative Works Expo. The annual event features the latest innovative research, service or professional work, and creative projects by the student researchers at UA Little Rock. The winners were announced at a virtual ceremony on May 3.

A rising star in student journalism at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from Arkansas Press Women's annual scholarship contest. Alexandria Brown, a junior mass communication major with a concentration in journalism from England, Arkansas, has aspirations to work as a broadcast reporter after her graduation from UA Little Rock in 2022.

One University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is diving deeper into the results from the 2020 Little Rock Congregations Study (LRCS) to investigate the influence of income, politics, and religion on how people prioritize important community issues. Landon DeKay, a senior political science major from Maumelle, received a Signature Research Grant from UA Little Rock to examine how LRCS study participants prioritize healthcare, race relations, and income equality.

Five members of the Little Rock swimming and diving team were placed on the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Scholar-Athlete Team in recognition of their efforts both in the pool and in the classroom, as announced by the league April 29. The Trojans honored by the league include senior Palmer Ristroph, junior Lea Zengerling, and sophomores Fernanda Gamez, Annya Grom, and Brianna Ridings.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced the winners of the 2021 Annual Student Competitive Friday, April 9. This year's competition featured 41 works of art by UA Little Rock students involving drawing, paintings, prints, graphic design, photography, illustrations, textiles, metals, sculptures, ceramics, and furniture. Melissa Wilkinson, associate professor of art and painting at Arkansas State University, served as the juror/curator for the 2021 Student Competitive exhibition.

UA Little Rock's chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) won first place in the BAP Southwest Regional Best Practices competition and will present at BAP's annual meeting for a chance to receive an additional monetary reward. Aleigha Smith, the president of the chapter, and Stephen Malec, vice president, represented the chapter by creating and submitting the winning presentation.

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.

Heather Reed, director of student retention initiatives at UA Little Rock, is one of four Phi Kappa Phi volunteers across the nation who was highlighted in celebration of National Volunteer Week.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Staff Senate has recognized two staff members who are pursuing degrees while working full-time at UA Little Rock by presenting them with the Jerry Crittenden Employee Book Scholarship. The winners include Constance Williams, positive parenting program practitioner at MidSouth, and Alyssa Hall, an admissions specialist in the Office of Admissions.

Caleb LeFevre, a junior studio art major from Little Rock, has been awarded the first scholarship from the Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Art Scholarship.

UA Little Rock students Phillip Anderson, Ricardo Banks, Colby Swecker and Jalen Black all received Third Team All-Sun Belt honors as the league announced its postseason awards Feb. 26. This accolade followed their performance as a 4x400m relay squad that won them a bronze metal.

UA Little Rock redshirt freshman Jonathan Jones received Second Team All-Sun Belt honors as the league announced its postseason awards Feb. 26.

UA Little Rock senior pitcher Hayden Arnold has been named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, announced April 21 by the league office. It is the first weekly honor of Arnold's Trojan career.

Krista Hinton, a UA Little Rock graduate student in gifted, creative, and talented education, has achieved her lifelong dream of becoming an author with the recent publication of a children's book inspired by her grandfather.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Staff Senate recognized two staff members who are pursuing degrees while working full-time at UA Little Rock by presenting them with $250 Staff Senate Scholarships. The winners include Claire Mitchell, an alumni affairs specialist in the Office of Alumni and Development, and Thomas Redd, IT systems administrator at the William H. Bowen School of Law.

Three graduate students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have been recognized for their excellence in gifted and talented education in Arkansas with scholarships from Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE). "One of my favorite aspects about AGATE is the organization's ability to give back to the students and teachers in the form of awards and scholarships each year," said Dustin Seaton, president of AGATE. "I am a recipient of the AGATE scholarship previously, and it helped my family tremendously in paying for my G/T certification and endorsement." Countess Cyrus, a kindergarten teacher with Little Rock School District, Krista Hinton, K-12 gifted and talented coordinator for Lavaca School District, and Sarah Willis, gifted and talented K-4 facilitator at Lakeside School District in Hot Springs, received $1,000 scholarships from AGATE.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student, Kate Richars, wrote a successful $3,000 grant for her mother's school district in Illinois that will help raise mental health awareness for the community.

Annya Grom has earned Missouri Valley Conference Swimmer of the Week honors for the second time this season, announced by the conference office March 31. The sophomore shattered two more records, upping her total to four this season. All four new records were set within three weeks.

Emma Chambers, a junior Bachelor of Fine Arts major with a concentration in painting, has won the first student mural competition at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.