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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

The 2006 Donaghey Scholar and veteran of the William Cooper Honors Program graduated with double majors in English and Spanish, and today is living in Beverly Hills, Calif., working as a screenwriter, script consultant, and actor.

“I am fully enjoying the passion that I’ve had all my life in shaping and telling stories that change people’s lives,” she said.

She credits the education she acquired at UALR.

“Through the Donaghey Scholars Program and the William Cooper Honors Program, I gained education, insight, and skills that catapulted me into a whole new lifestyle,” she said. “My education at UALR was the key that opened the door to the future that I have always dreamed about. I couldn’t have done it without UALR, the Donaghey Scholars Program, or the William Cooper’s Honors Program. I am so proud to be a part of this great college. Thank you, and thanks to all the professors that encouraged me and gave me the tools to make my dreams come true.”

Judge Joyce Williams Warren is a pioneer: The first black woman graduate from what is now the William H. Bowen School of Law in 1976, the first black law clerk for the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1977, and the first black woman judge in the Pulaski County court system in 1983.

Warren serves as Tenth Division circuit judge in the Sixth Judicial District, handling juvenile justice cases. Her legal expertise and dedication to the youth of Arkansas has led to numerous appointments and awards.

“There is nothing more important than helping children and families,” Warren said.

Her son, Jonathan, is following in his mother’s footsteps. He is a University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate working as an assistant attorney general.

She graduated in 2009 with a bachelor of science degree in health science, with an emphasis in education.

She works at the Arkansas Health Department as a center support analyst while pursing her master’s degree in public health. She spends her free time volunteering with the Junior League of Little Rock, the Arkansas Lung Association, the Young Democrats of Arkansas.

Recently, she was voted as delegate for the Democratic National Convention. She was vote as the first African American National Committee Woman for the Young Democrats of Arkansas in May 2011.

While she was a tomboy as a kid, in college Thomas was encouraged by her friends to enter the Miss Black and Gold pageant, which she won in 2006. She was crowned Miss Maumelle International in 2011.

While Thomas has danced as long as she could remember, her life took a dramatic twist after graduation when she found herself unable to walk on her own. Her degree in health science took on new meaning when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.

Ever the activist, Thomas wasn’t sidelined for long. After learning how to walk again, she joined the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as an advocate. Her knowledge of health issues combined with her personal story make her a natural spokesman for the society.

And she still has a hard time sitting still. Thomas enjoys playing tennis at the Otter Creek Racquet Club and yoga at Barefoot Studios.

Q&A with Sarah

What was your favorite class? Political Science with Dr.English

How do you show your Trojan spirit? Wearing my UALR gear, coming to alumni events, & attending games

What is your favorite UALR memory? Being crowned Miss Black and Gold 2006, President Pro Temp for SGA

Complete this sentence: When I was a child, I always …Wanted to travel the world and meet new people and learn about their cultures.

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

“Since I was little, I wanted to put together a major project,” he said. “My dad is a coach, my mom stays at home. I had no family connection in construction. I don’t have any single reason why; it just interested me – how do they put all this together?”

It is a question that could be asked of him. The 6-foot-3-inch Garcia-Mendoza grew up playing soccer in El Fuerte, Mexico, a small town about an hour away from the Pacific Ocean. But he ended up falling in love with basketball.

He was recruited to play ball in Brazil. Another scout recruited him to play for a Colorado junior college. That was where UALR coaches found him, but they had competition recruiting him.

“I was going to go to Utah State, but the reason I chose UALR was because they had a construction management degree,” Garcia-Mendoza said.

UALR basketball fans were glad they did.

On Feb. 5, 2010, in Sun Belt Conference game against in-state rival Arkansas State, the Trojans were down 77-76 with 3.9 seconds remaining. Garcia-Mendoza took an inbound pass and raced up the court, putting up a buzzer shot at mid-court. The ball hit the rim and bounced into the backboard before dropping through to give UALR a 79-77 victory.

“Yeah. That was cool,” Garcia-Mendoza recently recalled.

ESPN thought so too. Garcia-Medoza’s shot made the network’s “Play of the Game” that weekend and was a big YouTube hit.

The play also caught the attention of Sam Alley, chief executive officer of VCC, which didn’t hurt Garcia-Mendoza’s chances to landing an internship that turned into a permanent position as project engineer at the construction company.

Mendoza credits UALR faculty in the construction management program for his success, particularly department chair Mike Tramel.

“All the faculty really know what they are talking about,” said Garcia-Mendoza. Tramel, for example, started his career as a union iron worker building large dams and bridges in the West.

Someone else is happy that Mendoza chose UALR – his fiancee, Carissa Noriega. She got her undergraduate degree in marketing and public relations and is currently working on a master’s degree in business. They plan to get married in December.

Cantrell is probably best known as the host of “Arkansas Cooks” radio program, signing off with her famous phrase. But there’s a lot more to her – she’s been a single mom, working actress, UALR graduate twice over, and overseer of two patient-centered programs that combine her many talents.

Cantrell was the youngest of four children to a single mom. The Parkview graduate had her heart set on attending the North Carolina School for the Arts, but her mother insisted on a different path – the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“At the time it seemed like I lost but now I know that it is the best thing that happened to me,” Cantrell said. “I had a great theatre experience and I was able to go to school on grants and graduated with no debt.”

With an undergraduate degree in theatre under her belt, Cantrell worked as an actress for nearly 13 years. But then she decided to return to school to support her young daughter.

“I began a program at UAMS called the Standardized Patient Program and I found a perfect graduate school program at UALR called Interpersonal and Organizational Communications,” Cantrell said. “It was a perfect fit for the teaching that I was doing at UAMS. I was training laypeople to be patients and then the healthcare students at UAMS were working on these standardized patients.”

Cantrell credits her theatre background and masters degree for her career success. She serves as executive director of the UAMS Center for Clinical Skills and Simulation Education, which trains health-care professionals on how to communicate with patients and provide compassionate care. She also is director of the PULSE Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, doing the same type of work. A third center, the Walker Student Education Center at UAMS in northwest Arkansas, also will be under her direction.

In addition to her real jobs, Cantrell also the voice KUAR listeners hear every Saturday on “Arkansas Cooks.”

Q&A with Mary

What was your favorite class? I failed Speech 1300 because it had a lab and I never went. I ended up taking it in the summer in a concentrated two week course that met 8-4 with Steve Runnenbaum. He was sensational, and I took his Interpersonal Communications class the next semester. That was my favorite. It is the reason I got a masters degree in Speech Communications.

What is your favorite UALR memory? We had a late rehearsal one night for Cabaret. We had a lot of tension during rehearsal because of a threat someone had sent us. So we were constantly being guarded and had to be very careful coming and going from the theatre. Blazing Saddles had just been released and was playing in the University Shopping Centers old theaters. We had another threat and all had to leave the theatre and we went next door and all watched the movie together and laughed all night. Cabaret continues to be one of my favorite musicals and Blazing Saddles one of my favorite movies.

If you could spend one day anywhere in the world, where would it be? I would have to say Central Oregon where the Cascade Mountains are beautiful and the air is crisp and clean.

If you could talk to anyone, alive or dead, who would it be? Why? This may sound corny but it would be Mary the mother of Jesus. I just think as a mother, I would love to talk to her about what it was like to have gone throughout what she went through for 33 years and how she watched her son, obviously a great kid, grow up and die the way he did. There is a beautiful Byzantine hymn in the Pascha service that talks about her disbelief of what is happening to her son in the final days. As a mother it is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

What is your hands-down favorite meal? Summertime in Arkansas: BLTs with Petit Jean Pepper Bacon, Fresh Bradley Country Tomatoes cut thick, and fresh garden lettuce and light mayo, homemade mayo if I can.

Complete this sentence: When I was a child, I always … thought I would use my imagination and get paid for it. I wanted to be acting or creating something.

What one word would you use to describe yourself? Yes! It’s my favorite word, and I want to be a big Yes for people around me so that things can happen.