For sophomore Tanner Haire, a city the size of Little Rock was the perfect place to attend college. He has family in Arkadelphia, but prefers the vibe of a larger city since he grew up in San Antonio.

Haire enrolled at UA Little Rock in August 2017 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is on track to graduate in 2021.

He comes from a family of college-educated professionals. His father, Darrell Morrison, is an associate vice chancellor for finance at UA Little Rock, and his mother, Kelli Morrison, works at the University of Texas San Antonio. His older siblings both work in healthcare. His sister is a nurse, and his brother is a physician’s assistant in the U.S. Army.

“Seeing what they do interested me,” Haire said. “I’ve always wanted to be a travel nurse and go around the country. If I don’t end up doing that, I’d like to work in an emergency room.”

As a freshman, Haire took mainly core classes. He took chemistry this summer, so that he can start taking nursing classes this fall.

One of his favorite classes was Anatomy and Physiology with Dr. Jeremy Chamberlain.

“He made it interesting, and he’s super energetic,” Haire said.

While college can be a huge adjustment, Haire found campus life relaxing and the academic workload manageable.

“The biggest part was coming from high school and having someone remind you every day to not having someone telling you what to do,” he said.

Although he lives off-campus, he stays connected with with campus organizations. He’s a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, works in Student Affairs at the help desk, and serves on the Student Alumni Board, which assists the Alumni Association with fundraisers such as Burgers at Bailey and Taste of Little Rock.

“I’ve been able to meet people from all over the campus,” he said.