UA Little Rock Graduate Student Honored with National Love of Learning Award
A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate student has been recognized nationally for her academic excellence and commitment to lifelong learning.
Michelle Keithley, a graduate student in the Professional and Technical Writing program, has been awarded a 2025 Love of Learning Award from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Keithley, a native of Springfield, Missouri, is one of only 155 recipients nationwide to receive the $1,000 award this year.
The Love of Learning Award supports post-baccalaureate professional development for active Phi Kappa Phi members, funding opportunities such as graduate studies, research travel, career advancement, and more. Keithley plans to use the award to help purchase a new computer, which she will use for both her graduate coursework and future writing and design projects after graduation.
“I was surprised and excited to learn I had been awarded the Love of Learning Award,” Keithley said. “It’s nice to be recognized for the effort I’ve put into pursuing my education. Receiving this award is truly an honor, and I’m proud to have been selected.”
Keithley, who also earned her bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing from UA Little Rock in 2024, is on track to graduate in May 2026 and plans to pursue a career as a technical writer in the healthcare field.
Initiated into Phi Kappa Phi earlier this year, Keithley joins a long tradition of scholars recognized by the honor society for their academic achievements. Since 1932, Phi Kappa Phi’s award programs have recognized members and students for excellence, distributing more than $1 million annually through fellowships, study abroad grants, and literacy initiatives.
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, inducting about 20,000 students, faculty, staff, and alumni each year. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and the top 7.5 percent of juniors.