The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has named nine students to its 2013-14 College of Business Ambassadors Program, an honors and mentoring program within the college.

The highly selective program pairs high achievers with area business leaders while providing networking opportunities.

UALR College of Business faculty nominate potential for the program. The business college dean and associate dean for undergraduate studies make the final selections.

COB Ambassadors take additional coursework, tour central Arkansas plants and businesses, and represent the college at special events. Student Ambassadors also receive resume assistance and interview coaching in preparation for entering the job market.

This year’s group comes from diverse backgrounds:

• Dianna Curry, an accounting major from Little Rock, who describes her focus as “business operations” and says she “always wanted to know why some businesses operate more efficiently and effectively than others.” She volunteers with the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County and looks forward to a career in the financial services industry.

• Felicia DeBlock, a human resources major originally from Cabot, says that her dual interests in the decision-making processes of business and working with people brought her to the College of Business. A recent internship with DoubleTree Hilton in Little Rock led to a position as an accounting and human resource clerk.

• Joe (Trey) Gibeault, a financial services and risk management major from Benton, moved from biology into business as a sophomore. His interests lie in insurance, banking, and wealth management. A recent internship with Aon Risk Solutions provided hands-on experience with client and market interactions, risk control and safety analysis, and brokering strategies. Gibeault is active in UALR student government, the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, the Ambassador program and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

• Ryan Guinee, a marketing major from Little Rock, was a member of the Catch-22 team in the 2013 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup competition, which took first place in the state and also a special award for agricultural innovation for its business plan to eliminate the Asian Carp. Other recent projects include developing banners and branding for new student body officers and 3D printing prototypes for cellular accessories. An internship for the Arkansas Health Department’s Chronic Disease branch involved designing and editing reports and auditing website content.

• Amy Jo Hall, a management information systems major originally from Louisville, Ky., has been the Microsoft Student Partner at UALR since March 2013. Currently an intern at Hewlett Packard in Conway, she also managed a Windows 8 development team that earned grant funds for the new Department of Business Information Systems in the UALR College of Business.

• Adam Harris, a management information systems major from Sherwood, works part time with Panera Bread. A transfer student to UALR, he selected the College of Business because it offered “the necessary knowledge, technical skills, and project environment experiences suited for today’s technology businesses.” A student of Western Civilization, Harris is “interested in how systems have changed in history with the advent of technology.”

• Richard (Gus) Leeper, originally from Austin, Texas, is working toward a double major in international business and business management. He is looking forward to an international career focusing on sales, project management and international relations. He recently studied abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico, to improve his Spanish. An internship in the regulatory department at Windstream provided experience with communications administration and policy issues. Leeper holds a basketball scholarship and plays forward/center on the Trojan team.

• Diamond Lewis, a marketing major from Little Rock, chose her career path because she enjoys work across many areas with creative professionals. A member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and the Student Marketing Association, she is looking forward to her first internship this coming spring, hoping it will include event planning experience.

• James (Toby) Triplett, an economics major from Little Rock, started out to become an accountant, but reports falling in love after taking his first economics course, Intro to Microeconomics. Triplett participates in the Free Market Reading Group mentored by Dr. Richard Ford. Following graduation, he plans to work in retail while pursuing an MBA.

To learn more about majoring in business at UALR, go to the College of Business.