First Day, New Beginnings: UA Little Rock Starts Its Centennial Year
The first day of class means something different to everyone.
For some University of Arkansas at Little Rock students, Monday marked the beginning of their college experience; for others, it meant returning to a familiar campus in a new role, taking on fresh responsibilities, or beginning their final year as a student.
There is an unmistakable rhythm to the first day of classes: students double and triple check their schedules, coffee cups make their way across campus, friends stop to catch up between classes, and student organizations welcome new and returning Trojans.
The rain may have moved the celebration indoors, but it didn’t dampen the first-day excitement as students gathered for the First Day of Class Photos/Centennial Celebration — the first day of classes in a yearlong celebration of the university’s 100th anniversary.
Students filled the Donaghey Student Center Foyer Monday to take first-day photos, wave Trojan flags, listen to music from a DJ, and celebrate the university’s centennial with themed cupcakes from Community Bakery while signing the centennial banner. This event was just the beginning, with additional centennial celebrations planned throughout the academic year, while Welcome Week events continuing throughout this week.
For freshman Nancy Giron, the first day was already bringing some of the experiences she was hoping for when she arrived on campus.
“It’s been a really good first day,” she said. “I almost got lost on my way to my classes, but I managed to find my class, and I even made a new friend.”
Giron plans to major in psychology and is looking forward to learning more about campus and meeting new people.
For sophomore civil engineering major Christion Livingston, the first day was also a new beginning, as Livingston transferred to UA Little Rock from Arkansas State University.
“I’ve been exploring,” he said. “It’s actually my first day on campus, so I’ve just been soaking it all in.”
Livingston said he is looking forward to success in his classes, including chemistry lab, while making new friends and taking advantage of new opportunities.
For Rana Olwan, the start of this semester marks another new chapter at the university she already knows well.
Olwan completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UA Little Rock, graduating with the latter last semester. Now, she is beginning her first semester as a Ph.D student in computer science.
“I’m most excited for being involved in Student Government Association, Graduate Student Association, and many other activities I wasn’t able to do during my master’s and bachelor’s,” said Olwan, who is serving as a graduate senator in the Student Government Association and as the DCSTEM (Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) senator in the Graduate Student Association.
While some students are just beginning their UA Little Rock journeys, senior management major Ainsley Kendall is entering her final term as SGA president.
“This is my second and final term as SGA President, and I’m super super excited about what SGA is going to be able to do for our students because we’ve really grown,” Kendall said.
Kendall is already looking ahead to a busy semester of student activities, including a pickleball event hosted by SGA later during Welcome Week, as well as Winterfest on Nov. 17. She served on the Winterfest committee last year and is excited to help bring back the event for another year.
Monday’s mix of first-time students, transfer students, graduate students, and campus leaders reflected the many different beginnings represented on the first day of the university’s centennial year.
As students posed for photos and signed their names to the centennial banner, they were not only celebrating UA Little Rock’s history, but beginning another chapter of it themselves.