It’s the perfect fit for the Marine Corps veteran who decided to use his military benefits to help fund his MBA degree at UALR.

“I was a business management major during my undergrad so the MBA program at UALR was a perfect fit for me,” he said. “I was torn between focusing on finance or focusing on business startup classes.”

Business professors Andy Terry, Joe Bell, and Steve Edison proved very influential for Tkaczuk.

“Even after my class time with them was over, they took a special interest in me and my career,” Tkaczuk said. One of Tkaczuk’s favorite courses was Applied Equity with Terry.

“I learned so much from him that has really helped me in my current role,” Tkaczuk said. “Learning how to research equities and manage a portfolio gave me practical experience that directly applies to my daily work.”

But Tkaczuk’s favorite memory of his time at UALR was being a part of the university’s first ever Reynold’s Cup Team. The Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup is one of the premier business-plan competitions in America.

The team of four students worked with Terry, their advisor, and traveled to Memphis to compete against other teams from the region. Their research on the company AutoZone included an in-depth analysis of financial statements and a presentation of their recommendations to a board of experienced financial analysts.

“After the presentation scores were tallied, we were told that there was a tie for first place,” said Tkaczuk.

Unfortunately, the other team won the tie-breaker and the UALR team took second place. Still, Tkaczuk says he is very proud of their finish, especially since it represented UALR’s first time to compete.

Tkaczuk found that the relationships he established in college have only gotten better with time.

“My UALR network has really worked hard to help my career. My relationships have continued after graduation and I still appreciate how the faculty has continued to support me after graduation,” he said.

 Q&A with Tom

How do you show your Trojan spirit? I try to attend Cafe MBA events whenever I can in order to help soon to be graduates network within the business professionals community. I also try to get to UALR athletic events as often as I can.

If you could talk to anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why? I would talk to Warren Buffett, the oracle of Omaha, because he has been investing in the market for decades and he has so much experience and knowledge to pass along.

What is your hands-down favorite meal? It’s been years since I was stationed in Quantico, Va., but I still remember the lasagne at Vinny’s Italian Restaurant. It was the best Italian food I’ve ever had.

When I was a child, I was always … thinking about my next move and how I could prepare myself to get there.

What one word sums you up? Determined

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As a former client once facing a similar situation herself, she said she knows what it feels like to entrust another person with that very important and personal part of life.

Robertson said she uses the knowledge gained from her education at UALR to advocate for the many clients she has served since establishing her own law office over 12 years ago.

A former Donaghey Scholar, she graduated magna cum laude from UALR in 1997 and was admitted to the Arkansas Bar following graduation from the UALR Bowen School of Law.

“The Donaghey Scholars program specifically, and the university in general, opened so many doors for me,” she said.

“The many student organizations offered on campus, in addition to the curriculum and professors, provided the perfect balance of real-world preparation with academic enhancement.”

Today, Robertson Law Firm offers four locations and four attorneys that serve most of Arkansas in the areas of family and criminal law. Robertson said her firm’s success could be partially attributed to the professors at UALR who always encouraged her to follow her dreams.

“The law can be unpredictable or even unfair,” she said. “But what is predictable is the dedication, preparation, and level of competency I am able to bring to each of my clients’ cases.”

Q&A with Bonnie

If you could spend one day anywhere, where would it be and why? Life is short, so if I want to go somewhere, I do it.  But to answer where I will go next time I want to go and have the opportunity: Villalobos Dog Rescue.  I’ve become very interested in animal welfare/law and especially the plight of pitbulls.

If you could talk to anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why? Prince.  I’ve loved him since I was 12 years old.  I want to ask him how he’s so awesome.

What is your hands-down favorite meal? Pizza.

When I was a child, I was always … Poor but happy, thanks to my mom.

What one word sums you up? Passionate.

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According to Breaux, earning an MBA demonstrated her deeper understanding of business principles, but it was her UALR experiences–including research projects, study abroad opportunities, and networking events–that supplied practical applications in the business world and prepared her for the tasks her position requires.

In addition to the program’s curriculum, Breaux said the real value of UALR’s MBA program was the ability to develop relationships with faculty and administrators.

“The majority of professors are field experts who are sincerely interested in advancing and developing students,” she said.

Breaux worked as a graduate assistant on an independent study project that honed the research skills she still uses today. Another professor in the business department was instrumental in providing a job recommendation and with whom she still meets regularly to catch up over lunch or coffee.

“I would tell any student that no matter what you are interested in pursuing, opportunities exist and all you have to do is decide to take advantage of them,” Breaux said.

“I can confidently say that getting my MBA at UALR and taking advantage of opportunities the UALR community provides has made all the difference in my career.”

The post Marilyn Breaux – Analyst appeared first on Success.

But while it might be expected that her choice of major contributed to her career development, Hamlin says it was her decision to minor in information technology that specifically prepared her for new roles in large multi-national corporations.

In the world of globalization, information technology (IT) has had a major impact on most business sectors and plays an important role in the effective management and running of a company.

Hamlin says because of the information technology minor at UALR, she has been able to fill the gap between the business and technology worlds by speaking “both languages.”

“Being able to work in both worlds, including certain mission-critical business areas as well as the IT solutions that support them, is a valuable skill set that few have in today’s workforce,” acknowledged Hamlin.

Hamlin has been a business analyst for almost five years, first at Curves’ worldwide franchise headquarters in Texas and now at Acxiom, headquartered in Little Rock.

“The foundation I received at UALR allowed me to enter the master’s program at Baylor University in Texas – and in 2012 I graduated from Baylor with my MBA,” she said.

Hamlin is also an entrepreneur launching a software-as-a-service company named eZdiscovery Solutions, which provides support for attorneys searching large amounts of electronically stored information necessary for litigation.

“I never imagined at the beginning of my educational career that I would eventually earn a master’s degree!”

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“I was in my second year of teaching when I started my program,” he said. “I looked into other programs, but the staff at UALR helped me in every aspect of getting started and finishing my degree.”

One professor in particular, Dr. Jennifer Hune, was instrumental in helping Hatfield gain the experience he needed.

“She was always available to answer our questions or take extra time to make sure we were grasping the lesson,” Hatfield said. “I was able to relate my classroom experience to real-world situations while teaching in my own classroom.”

Observing other teachers in a classroom setting served as inspirations for Hatfield, leading him incorporate new ideas in his own classroom.

Those experiences, he says, even prepared him to reach his students beyond the classroom and on the football field, where he coaches the Freshman Academy football team at Jacksonville.

There, Hatfield is a special education teacher in the Freshman Academy, instructing students in inclusion English, inclusion algebra, and resource algebra.

And his education hasn’t stopped since graduation.

“I still communicate with Dr. Hune if I need input on special situations,” he said.

Q&A with Ken

What was your favorite class? Managing the Learning Environment was my favorite class. This was not my favorite class when I took the class, but now that I am teaching it has been very beneficial in the classroom.

What is your favorite memory of your time here? My favorite memories are the friendships that I made.

How do you show your Trojan spirit? I sport my UALR Trojan shirt.

If you could spend one day anywhere, where would it be and why? I would spend the day with my wife Connie at a golf course in Hawaii and then hit the beach. We have always wanted to visit the islands and we love to play golf. What a day!

If you could talk to anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why? I would talk with my dad who passed away in 2007. It would be nice to visit and tell him how much I miss him and how much he still helps me by the things he taught me. I would introduce him to his great granddaughter Reagan.

What is your hands-down favorite meal? It is very hard to pick just one, but if I have to it would be home-made pizza.

When I was a child, I was always … outside playing.

What one word sums you up? Easygoing!!!!!

The post Max Hatfield – Teacher appeared first on Success.

Brockway credits his time at UALR for developing his fluency in ASL and even learning conversational skills in German and Spanish. He says this “marriage” between his two interests in the fields of interpreting and linguistics was enabled by the support of UALR faculty who encouraged him to complete two independent study projects.

One was a project on sociolinguistics in ASL that resulted in first-place honors at UALR’s annual undergraduate research expo and his first peer-reviewed publication.

The second project was a research-based internship with UALR’s Exchange Partner, Karl Franzens Universität, that took Brockway on a 15,000-plus-mile journey from Little Rock to Graz, Austria, across Europe, and back. There he studied comparative ethics and student preparedness for interpreters in the United States and Austria.

Brockway said friendships were forged and professional connections made that he is still enjoying today as a student in UALR’s Master of Interdisciplinary Studies Program.

He earned an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree, both in Interpretation: American Sign Language/English, in 2010 and 2011, respectively. While an undergraduate, he worked for for UALR’s Student Support Services as a tutor to other students on campus in American Sign Language, composition, Spanish, and visual art.

“Thanks to the opportunities available at UALR and my drive to take on as many of them as possible, I earned two degrees, worked three jobs, traveled to seven countries, made lifelong friends, and found my way into a number of really great organizations,” said Brockway.

“Studying at UALR has given me a global perspective, international friends, employment, and has fostered all of my passions.”

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She spent her childhood days immersing herself in all things to do with the mammal, from the different species to its various habitats. While she wasn’t big into books, Churchill was a voracious reader when it came to stories about marine life.

A champion swimmer growing up in North Little Rock, she pursued her passion by cultivating her talent on the Dolphin Swim Team.

For college, Churchill stayed close to home, choosing the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She joined the swim team, following in the footsteps of her mother, Jeannie.

Churchill chose to major in psychology and minor in marketing. Psychology gave Churchill the necessary knowledge to go into animal training – she learned about behavior and how to modify it.

When it came time to find an internship in the summer of 2008, she did her research and received recommendation letters from her professors. She was one of 20 students from around the world to land a coveted spot at a Hawaii marine animal park. She spent the summer between her junior and senior years working alongside dolphins and sea lions.

Upon graduation in 2009, Churchill knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life: Work as a trainer at a marine park.

She got another opportunity in Hawaii to do just that. She lived there for a year and a half before receiving a call to audition at SeaWorld in Orlando. Churchill leapt at the chance.

Since July 2011, Churchill has worked at SeaWorld as a marine mammal trainer. She works with dolphins and even birds, learning and modifying their behavior, thanks to the skills she learned when studying psychology. Without her degree from UALR, Churchill says she wouldn’t have been able to excel in her profession.

Her ability to train the dolphins comes in handy when she performs in one of the park’s most popular shows where she swims, dives, and even rides on the mammals.

“This is my dream job,” she said. “I love what I do and I get to interact with marine animals every day.”

From reading about dolphins as a child to actually training and swimming alongside them as an adult, Churchill says achieving her career goal would not have been possible without her education at UALR.

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At 16, with nothing more than a plane ticket, a small stipend, and tenacity, Mjartan left his home in Communist Czechoslovakia for America.

“I always had a sense that there was something more to this world outside of my home country,” Mjartan said of his childhood. “So when the opportunity came up, I took a chance to explore something new.”

New was Camden, Ark.

There, Mjartan lived with a host family while attending high school, taking on odd jobs at $5 an hour. The small community and its generous residents welcomed him with open arms.

“I came with no money, no home, no real direction. But I was willing to work,” Mjartan said. “Someone always came along and got me to the next step.” “The most life-changing example of this extreme generosity was the Eckert family in Camden who basically adopted me.” Eddie devoted hundreds of hours to teaching him English while Elaine became his “Jewish Mother.”

That next step was a community college, where he found he had a knack for teaching math.

“I was standing at the whiteboard writing out a formula, and I turned around to a classroom full of 30 people from what had just been a handful,” he said. Because English wasn’t his first language, he had the patience to not only teach himself but others.

Several professors at Southern Arkansas University Tech, saw potential in Mjartan helped him in the next phase of his journey, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“You never know who you will meet who will change your life,” Mjartan said, rattling off a number of people who helped him along the way. “At each decision point in my life, one of these wonderful kind folks always came through with just the right support and advice.”

A professor at SAU urged Mjartan to apply for the Donaghey Scholars Program, which was able to offer out-of-state tuition.

“It was a key turning point,” Mjartan said. “No other college could offer me that.”

In 1998, he became a Trojan, choosing to major in business because of the various career paths it offered.

It had it all, Mjartan said, including “human resource management, finance, banking, organizational behavior, computers, information systems.”

The Donaghey scholar experience, he said, was transformational. The rigors of the honors program propelled him to new heights while still giving him a solid foundation of knowledge he uses even to this day.

Several professors left a lasting impression on Mjartan, including Dr. Janet Lanza in the biology department and many others in the business college.

Mjartan graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in management. Two weeks after commencement, he married his college sweetheart, Georgia. They moved to Ireland, where she was a Mitchell scholar and he was accepted to the prestigious executive MBA program at the University of Ulster. He graduated at the top of his class.

Returning home to Little Rock, the couple jumped right into their respective careers, he at a high-tech company and she at a consulting job.

An awakening of sorts led both of them to change course. Georgia was asked to step in as executive director at Our House, a nonprofit that sets out to improve the lives of thousands of disadvantaged residents in Little Rock. She connected Mjartan to Southern Bancorp Inc., one of the largest and oldest development banks in the United States.

The Mjartans, it seems, found their calling.

“It was an interesting experience,” Mjartan said of helping Georgia when she started at the financially strapped nonprofit. “I realized growing up in a Communist country that those kids had a substantially better chance at achieving the American dream than the kids I saw in the impoverished Delta.”

Mjartan describes seeing a child getting on the school bus he rode for almost two hours a day. He stepped into the bus without a backpack, leaving a house with a roof that was crumbling above him.

“That’s when I connected the dots,” Mjartan said. “Every child should have a decent shot at the American dream.”

So Mjartan joined Southern Bancorp, where he is now senior vice president in charge of the bank’s national communications, marketing, capital development, and investor relations. The same determination that led him to Camden and eventually UALR is what keeps him going now to help distressed rural communities improve education and economic opportunities for their residents.

“This work sort of found me,” Mjartan said.

The post Dominik Mjartan – Mission-Oriented Banker appeared first on Success.

As an analyst in the Bureau of Legislative Research, he has worked alongside lawmakers to draft resolutions, track how funds flow through the state’s budget system, study the impact of bills, and review agency rules.

He didn’t start out wanting to work in government, but the master of public administration program at UALR inspired him to change his career path from museum administration to public service.

Upon receiving his undergraduate degree, Ralston worked at museums for five years, first on the curatorial staff of the Arkansas Museum of Science and History, then as Registrar (Collections Curator) for the Anniston Museum of Natural History in Alabama. He had his sights set on one day becoming a museum director, and was encouraged by a political science professor in Alabama to consider pursuing graduate studies at the UALR Institute of Government.

“I came back to Arkansas and enrolled in UALR’s Masters of Public Administration program with the idea that it would help me land a museum directorship, but the program also introduced me to many other public service opportunities. I was familiar with UALR’s reputation as a diverse metropolitan university here in the state’s government and commercial capital,” Ralston said.

The master of public administration program turned Ralston on to policymaking. He was hooked, thanks in large part to his professors.

“I credit Drs. Roby Robertson and David Sink, both of the UALR Institute of Government, for cultivating my interest in public policy as a career,” he said. “Dr. Robertson, through his work with the General Assembly, introduced me to the intricacies of Arkansas legislative tradition. Dr. Sink, my capstone advisor, fostered a service ethic in his students, no matter where their careers led them.”

In his last semester of study, Ralston was recruited by the Bureau of Legislative Research. He began in 1995 as a fiscal analyst for the Joint Budget Committee, tracing the flow of money through the state’s budget system and drafting legislation to control that flow.

For the past six years, he has staffed committees on agriculture, economic development, judiciary, lottery oversight, and higher education policy. In his current position, Ralston serves as staff analyst for the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the Higher Education Subcommittee, and the Lottery Oversight Committee.

He works closely with the leadership to determine legislative priorities, deciding what matters receive a hearing. He also advises committees on parliamentary procedure.

While it wasn’t his first choice of a career, it is clear Ralston found what he was born to do.

“My time as a graduate student at UALR’s Institute of Government instilled in me a broad appreciation of both the academic and applied sides of state and local government policy making, and prepared me for what has become a rich and fulfilling career in the study and formulation of public policy,” he said.

Q&A with Patrick

What was your favorite class? Dr. Roby Robertson’s Politics and Bureaucracy course. That’s where i got interested in the use of political power and process to shape broad public policy.

What is your favorite memory of your time at UALR?  My MPA classes included people from all career fields, not just bureaucrats. Lobbyists, bankers, political scientists, and career public servants all had to work together and share ideas as they studied public policy fundamentals.

If you could spend one day anywhere, where would it be and why?  I spent a week in training in Astoria, Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River. I’d love to take my family there.

If you could talk to anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why?  I’d love to have known my grandfather, a decorated WWII bomber pilot in the Pacific who later served as Little Rock Air Force Base’s first Vice Commander.

What is your hands-down favorite meal?  It doesn’t get any better than Craig’s Barbecue in DeVall’s Bluff. The local county judge and I once ate there during an ice storm, with an inch of water on the floor, and diners were still lined up waiting for tables.

Complete this sentence: When I was a child, I was always … daydreaming.

What one word sums you up? Well-versed.

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At Acxiom Corp., where she has worked for more than a year as recruiting specialist, Welch identifies prospective candidates for the company to hire and coordinates interviews. Her job includes serving as the contact for UALR.

“As a graduate, I am honored to work so closely with faculty and students,” said Welch, who received a bachelor’s in business administration degree in management with an emphasis in human resource management in 2009. “This gives me the opportunity to stay connected and give back to my alma mater.”

The 2006 Homecoming Queen, Welch was a Chancellor’s Leadership Corps scholar and was involved in a number of residence hall and student programming committees, including the Student Government Association.

“My experience at UALR gave me the tools necessary to lead in any academic, professional, or social setting. Both the coursework through the College of Business and my involvement on campus were key in preparing me for the workforce,” she said.

Originally from Mounds, Ill., Welch attended Meridian High School, so she visited colleges in Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. During her senior year, she moved to Pine Bluff and graduated from Watson Chapel High School. “During my first visit to UALR in 2005, I was very impressed and excited about the campus and the future of UALR.

“I found out about the CLC scholarship during my tour at UALR. I had a week to apply before the deadline and called the Office of Recruitment every day with questions until I submitted. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. Being awarded the CLC scholarship added icing on the cake,” added Welch.

She previously worked in sales at Hewlett-Packard Co. in Conway and as a community advis0r/leasing manager at Place Properties in Little Rock. She also interned at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC in St. Louis.

Welch is a member of Central Arkansas Human Resources Association, Arkansas Association of Colleges and Employers, and Society for Human Resource Management.

What was your favorite class? Gender Studies – This class opened my eyes to the differences between males and females in various cultures and how leadership styles are perceived between the two in the workplace.

How do you show your Trojan spirit? By continuously wearing the first Trojan T-Shirt I owned. I bought it during the 2005-2006 season, and we had an AWESOME basketball season. I decided to call it the “lucky shirt.” Now I wear it to every basketball game I attend and refuse to throw it away.

What is your favorite UALR memory? Fall Welcome Weeks – As a freshman, it was my first impression, and every year after that I made sure to be a volunteer. It was very exciting to attend the activities and a great opportunity to meet students and faculty.

Complete this sentence: When I was a child, I always … Wanted to be a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. In grade school, I attended a community event hosted by members of the organization. It was awesome, and I remember thinking, “I can’t wait until I’m old enough to join.” Also, my favorite teacher and community leader was a member, and she left an outstanding impression on me. Joining the Mu Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. in 2007 was a dream come true.

What one word would you use to describe yourself? Ambitious.

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