What are UALR’s Donaghey Scholars up to this summer? Plenty. Here is a sample of what some of UALR’s top honors program scholars are doing during the next three months:

Chelsye Garrett of Little Rock, an undeclared sophomore, is in Ireland for a four-week class on vandalism and the landscape at Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, County Clare.

Ryne Ramaker, senior biology major from Bentonville, is completing a Spanish immersion program in Ecuador where he will volunteer at local hospitals, free health clinics, and other parts of the evidential health care system.

Hamza Arshad, a senior from Little Rock, will intern in the Summer Program in Neuroscience at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, a program funded by the National Science Foundation.

Bukola Odeniyi, a sophomore chemistry major from Little Rock, is working at the UAMS Biomedical Research Center I in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department.

Dolapo Odeniyi, a sophomore Health Sciences major and the twin sister of Bukola, is working in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the BioMed Research Center at UAMS.

Cyrene Quiamco, senior studio art major from Little Rock, is participating in the AsiaLearn program at Polytechnic University in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Maroof Zafar, senior biology major from Little Rock, is participating in a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) in the Biochemistry Department at UAMS. In his free-time, he is also playing in the Arkansas-Tennessee Cricket League.

Justin Woo, junior physics major from Maumelle, is part of a nanotechnology research team which has been accepted to the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

Nicole Jovanovic, senior Spanish major from Little Rock, is volunteering for the Junior Arts Academy at the Arkansas Arts Center, then attending the center’s  Summer Theatre Academy.

Porntip Israsena, junior international studies major from North Little Rock, will travel to Quito, Ecuador, later this summer to study Spanish and volunteer at Compassion International, Compassion Connection, Heifer International, Palabra de Vida, and EcoVolunteerUP, an orphanage in the city.

Alexandro Leme, senior art history major and a native of Brazil, is studying French in Paris while completing research for his major. He has also been selected to participate in the prestigious Galerie Huit Photography Open Salon 2011 in Arles, France. His work will go on to be exhibited in Pengang, Malaysia.

Mackie O’Hara, an undeclared sophomore from Little Rock, is interning at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

Memory Apata of Maumelle, a senior music major, will play Eliza Doolittle at the Weekend Theater in July and August, sing at the Hot Springs Music Festival this week, announce and intern at KLRE Classical 90.5, and begin researching and organizing for two student recitals for the next school year, one of which will be in October for the German Embassy.

Zachary Robert, an undeclared junior from Little Rock, is taking animal handling classes at the Little Rock Animal Village.  Each of the three classes requires an additional 20 hours of service at an animal shelter.

“This sampling of student activity during the summer break is a testament to the diverse talents and interests of Donaghey Scholars,” said Eileen Turan, Donaghey Scholars Program administrator.  “Several Donaghey Scholars are also participating in culture and language immersion courses in France, Spain, and Germany to complete their required study abroad.”

UALR’s top honors program is open to all majors and promotes diversity and interdisciplinary study among students.  Students are required study abroad, conduct research, and complete service-learning in addition to rigorous coursework. For more information about the Donaghey Scholars Program, visit the website, email dsp@ualr.edu or call Turan at 501-683-7752.