UALR’s Alumni Association presented 19 students over $40,000 in scholarships this year, focusing the grants on deserving students needing financial help to get to graduation.
The association’s scholarship goals support Gov. Mike Beebe’s call to increase the number of students graduating from higher education institutions in Arkansas.
“UALR has been a pivotal experience in my life. Without the Alumni Association’s belief in me, I could not have been able to succeed in such grand fashion,” said June Hardin, a 53-year-old who graduated in December 2011. “I am the 12th of 17 children and the only one to earn a bachelors degree. I am now founder and CEO of my own company. Wordwellspoken.org.”
Christian O’Neal, executive director of the Alumni Association, said the association’s merit scholarship fund increased by over $100,000 this year, “with generous alumni support and wonderful fund raising events such as “Taste of” every spring.”
This spring, the association raised over $90,000 at “Taste of Argentina.”
“All of our alumni merit scholars recipients from 2011 graduated this year with one still on track to graduate in the spring of 2013 as expected,” he said.
