Many seniors labor over research papers and final projects in the final weeks leading up to commencement.

But as a visually impaired person, Mark Titus of Benton has had to take things a step further.

When he graduates this May, Titus plans to pursue a master’s degree in rhetoric and writing at UALR and eventually a doctorate in political rhetoric.

To make it through his studies, Titus used a Kindle to read textbooks to him. For computer research, Titus downloaded articles and sent them to the UALR’s Disability Resource Center for translation.

Though this is a taxing procedure that takes extra time, it has not stopped Titus from his goals of writing political non-fiction.

Titus first arrived at UALR in the fall of 1993. Five years later, he left with a B.A. in Radio, TV, and Film. After graduating, he worked in the industry for a while, until developing kidney disease.

He received a kidney transplant in 2005, but it took Titus five years to stabilize.

A short time later, Titus came back to UALR to pursue another degree, this time in political science with a double minor in mass communication and non-fiction.

When asked if he had any mentors, Titus was quick to point to the help of Dr. Michael Kleine.

“He helped me a great deal. He really helped me with crafting my writing. He has really been a blessing in doing that,” Titus said.

David Weekly in mass communication and Dr. Andrew Drummond, who taught Titus for two years in political science were two other sources of help.

“Dr. Drummond was a real good source for kind of bouncing off ideas and the proper direction to go, as far as political science was concerned,” said Titus.

“I didn’t always like his advice, but I always took it, and he never steered me wrong,” he added.