[{"id":94248,"date":"2026-06-05T08:57:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T13:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/?p=94248"},"modified":"2026-06-05T08:57:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T13:57:19","slug":"engineering-graduate-advances-cybersecurity-and-public-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/05\/engineering-graduate-advances-cybersecurity-and-public-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Engineering Graduate Advances Cybersecurity and Public Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether he’s designing virtual reality simulations to help protect critical energy infrastructure or introducing K-12 students to emerging technologies, Colin McNerny has spent his time at UA Little Rock turning technical knowledge into real-world impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Little Rock native graduated this spring with a Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering<\/a> after years of involvement in research projects, student leadership, and outreach initiatives across campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McNerny said he chose UA Little Rock because of its strong academic environment and mentorship opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe graduate school at UA Little Rock is world class in terms of research, mentorship, and furthering education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his time at UA Little Rock, McNerny balanced advanced research with service that extended beyond the university to the broader community. At the Cyberspace Operations, Research and Education (CORE) Center<\/a>, he designed virtual reality simulations of industrial control systems for the Consortium for Cyber Innovation. The work is supported by a grant from the Department of Energy focused on protecting critical energy infrastructure from cyberattacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also used his interest in technology to improve public safety on campus. Drawing on his professional experience as a traffic safety specialist, he developed a technology designed to make crosswalks safer for pedestrians and wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His research explored how signals from vehicles and mobile devices could be detected near intersections, allowing the system to warn pedestrians and drivers of one another’s presence before they come into view. McNerny says these technologies could help reduce traffic accidents involving pedestrians and wildlife regardless of visibility, weather conditions, or existing safety infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to his research, McNerny has mentored fellow students and held leadership positions as chair and secretary of the Association for Computing Machinery student chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His passion for technology education also led him to teach virtual reality and cybersecurity summer camps for K-12 students. Through programs hosted by the Emerging Analytics Center and GenCyber, McNerny introduced students to emerging technologies while encouraging thoughtful discussions about their ethical use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am inspired by seeing how excited students are when they try VR for the first time,\u201d McNerny said. \u201cEmpowering them with the tools to make their own worlds and seeing their creativity blossom is a reward in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of McNerny’s favorite college memories, he said, came during a trip to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he and fellow students showcased an augmented reality game they developed called \u201cSpook Splat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he has enjoyed opportunities to present projects and lead student organizations, some of his most meaningful experiences happened behind the scenes in the lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose quiet hours in the lab, not knowing if the project I had been working on for months would actually work,\u201d he said. \u201cThen resting on it and finding out how to fix the problem immediately the next day. Those moments are rare and meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduation, McNerny plans to pursue a career in engineering while continuing his research at the CORE Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf my work helps people feel safer and improves their quality of life in any way, I have made an impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether he’s designing virtual reality simulations to help protect critical energy infrastructure or introducing K-12 students to emerging technologies, Colin McNerny has spent his time at UA Little Rock turning … Engineering Graduate Advances Cybersecurity and Public Safety<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2764,"featured_media":94249,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926,1922],"tags":[35704,25799,122,35323,2218],"class_list":["post-94248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","category-research","tag-cyberspace-operations-research-and-education-center","tag-donaghey-college-of-stem","tag-graduate-school","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"\nEngineering Graduate Advances Cybersecurity and Public Safety - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/05\/engineering-graduate-advances-cybersecurity-and-public-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Engineering Graduate Advances Cybersecurity and Public Safety\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Whether he’s designing virtual reality simulations to help protect critical energy infrastructure or introducing K-12 students to emerging technologies, Colin McNerny has spent his time at UA Little Rock turning ... 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Ann Robinson and Monica Meadows of the <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/education\/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14750085739&gbraid=0AAAAADucxUaeRz-TA87pdfSd9v0zwdu-x&gclid=Cj0KCQjwof_QBhCgARIsADaMzOdiAYibz1ZeQoMz2nQdc08pNCU9qUMT3-iluhKUv6Hrg6HBLXSEMLoaAqMREALw_wcB\">UA Little Rock School of Education<\/a> recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to present at an invitational colloquium organized by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nagc.org\">National Association for Gifted <\/a>Children (NAGC) conference and hosted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org\/\">American Federation of Teachers<\/a> (AFT). As a national leader in research, professional learning, and advocacy for gifted and talented students, the NAGC partnered with the AFT \u2014 the nation\u2019s second-largest teachers\u2019 union, representing more than 1.7 million members \u2014 to bring together experts and educators dedicated to advancing opportunities for all students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nagc.org\/news\/nagc-hosts-national-colloquium-on-universal-educator-preparation-in-gifted-education\">Invitational Colloquium, Filling the Gap: <em>Universal Educator Preparation in Gifted Education<\/em><\/a>, brought together educators, researchers, and policy leaders from across the country to address the increasing need for teacher preparation programs that enable educators to recognize and support gifted, creative, and talented students in today\u2019s classrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvery child deserves to learn something new every day \u2014 including advanced and precocious children and youth,\u201d Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the colloquium, UA Little Rock was recognized as a national leader in gifted education and was invited to present its work to attendees. The university is one of only two undergraduate teacher preparation programs in the U.S. \u2014 alongside Purdue University \u2014 that requires a course in gifted education as part of the middle childhood education curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the combination of our faculty\u2019s commitment and collaboration in both middle childhood and gifted education, along with innovative elements like a rigorous, year-long online residency and a required undergraduate course in gifted education, that sets our program apart. This is innovative thinking at its best,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The course that started the undergraduate gifted education initiative is GATE 40003, \u201cGifted, Creative, and Talented Education for Classroom Teachers,\u201d developed about five years ago through a collaborative effort led by Dr. Lundon Pinneo, coordinator of the middle childhood education program. The course was created after Arkansas changed its middle school teaching licensure requirements, creating space in the curriculum for additional specialized training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wanted to use that opportunity to better meet both state requirements and, more importantly, the needs of our students,\u201d Pinneo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using feedback from mentor teachers and faculty, Pinneo identified key areas where future educators needed additional support. She reached out to Robinson to adapt graduate-level gifted-education concepts for undergraduate teacher candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWithout collaboration among faculty, the undergraduate course in gifted education at UA Little Rock would never have taken place,\u201d Meadows said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since its introduction, the course has become a defining feature of the middle childhood education program, with faculty collaboration playing a critical role in its success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been given an exciting opportunity for our School of Education to take the lead in demonstrating to the rest of the country how important pre-service preparation programs are in filling the gap that can exist between general education and specialized gifted education,\u201d Robinson said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the colloquium, organizers focused on the persistent \u201cgap\u201d in educator preparation nationwide: while most teachers receive training to support students with disabilities, far fewer are prepared to recognize and meet the needs of advanced learners. Through their presentations, Robinson and Meadows offered UA Little Rock’s approach as a model for addressing that challenge, demonstrating how gifted education can be integrated into undergraduate teacher preparation programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was a lot of excitement around the course and the work we shared at the colloquium,\u201d Meadows said. \u201cPeople wanted to know how we made it happen, how students are responding to it, and how they might implement similar approaches at their own institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As universities across the country examine how to prepare educators for classrooms with an ever-growing range of needs, the discussion shows the role gifted education can play in helping teachers recognize talent, tailor instruction, and best support students with advanced learning needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPre-service teachers come to us with a wide range of experiences and abilities, and all students deserve to be both challenged and supported,\u201d Pinneo said. \u201cOur graduates are leaving the program with more tools to support the different learning needs of their future students.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When national leaders in education gathered to discuss how teachers could better support advanced learners, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock stood out as a national model. Drs. Ann <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/04\/ua-little-rock-recognized-nationally-for-innovative-gifted-education-program\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock Recognized Nationally for Innovative Gifted Education Program<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2906,"featured_media":94246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926],"tags":[2651,28389,35564,335,35323,5907,28217,3510,2218],"class_list":["post-94244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","tag-ann-robinson","tag-college-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education-chasse","tag-gifted-and-talented-education","tag-jodie-mahony-center-for-gifted-education","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-monica-meadows","tag-national-association-for-gifted-children","tag-school-of-education","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock Recognized Nationally for Innovative Gifted Education Program - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/04\/ua-little-rock-recognized-nationally-for-innovative-gifted-education-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock Recognized Nationally for Innovative Gifted Education Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When national leaders in education gathered to discuss how teachers could better support advanced learners, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock stood out as a national model. 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Koros"},"url":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/author\/skoros1\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2906"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94244"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94245,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94244\/revisions\/94245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":94241,"date":"2026-06-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/?p=94241"},"modified":"2026-06-02T16:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:13:11","slug":"ua-little-rocks-dr-noureen-siraj-awarded-emerging-research-leaders-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/03\/ua-little-rocks-dr-noureen-siraj-awarded-emerging-research-leaders-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"UA Little Rock\u2019s Dr. Noureen Siraj Awarded Emerging Research Leaders Grant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Noureen Siraj, associate professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/chemistry\/\">chemistry<\/a> at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been selected as one of 12 recipients of the 2026 Emerging Research Leaders (ERL) Program grant, a new statewide initiative designed to strengthen research in Arkansas and support scientists pursuing federal funding opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The program, created by the Arkansas Research Alliance and AR-NETWORK, provides funding, mentorship, and professional development support to faculty researchers across Arkansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ERL Program provides $30,000 annually for up to two years along with professional development opportunities such as mentorship and proposal development training. The grant is designed to strengthen Arkansas researchers’ competitiveness for external funding and help grow sustainable research programs within the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Siraj said the award will play an important role in advancing her research program at UA Little Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cReceiving the ERL award is deeply meaningful to me and to the research program I am building at UA Little Rock,\u201d Siraj said. \u201cI believe this opportunity will significantly strengthen my leadership capacity, proposal development skills, and ability to build and manage high-performing research teams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Siraj\u2019s research spans areas such as nanomedicine, lithium energy storage, and flexible electronic technologies. She plans to use the funding to support student researchers, expand research collaborations, and enhance the university\u2019s research capabilities through new equipment and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Siraj said she hopes the program will help her build stronger partnerships across Arkansas while advancing workforce development and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThrough the ERL Program, I hope to build strong partnerships with state agencies and industry stakeholders to ensure that our research contributes meaningfully to Arkansas\u2019s economy,\u201d Siraj said. \u201cI believe the program will provide an important platform for developing competitive research proposals and translational research strategies through interdisciplinary collaboration across Arkansas and other states.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, Siraj hopes her research will contribute to the development of sustainable energy technologies and support economic growth in Arkansas and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThrough ERL mentorship and training, I aim to further mature this technology, strengthen federal grant proposals, and secure sustained external funding that will support continued research development, workforce training, and future commercialization efforts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Noureen Siraj, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been selected as one of 12 recipients of the 2026 Emerging Research Leaders (ERL) Program <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/03\/ua-little-rocks-dr-noureen-siraj-awarded-emerging-research-leaders-grant\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock\u2019s Dr. Noureen Siraj Awarded Emerging Research Leaders Grant<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2764,"featured_media":94242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926,1922],"tags":[35931,88,25799,35323,6882,2218],"class_list":["post-94241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","category-research","tag-chemistry-2","tag-chemistry","tag-donaghey-college-of-stem","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-noureen-siraj","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock\u2019s Dr. Noureen Siraj Awarded Emerging Research Leaders Grant - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/03\/ua-little-rocks-dr-noureen-siraj-awarded-emerging-research-leaders-grant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock\u2019s Dr. Noureen Siraj Awarded Emerging Research Leaders Grant\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Noureen Siraj, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been selected as one of 12 recipients of the 2026 Emerging Research Leaders (ERL) Program ... 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Coleman"},"url":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/author\/mcoleman4\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2764"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94241"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94243,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94241\/revisions\/94243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":94235,"date":"2026-06-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/?p=94235"},"modified":"2026-06-04T16:50:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T21:50:35","slug":"ai-hackathon-brings-arkansas-top-student-innovators-together-to-tackle-healthcare-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/02\/ai-hackathon-brings-arkansas-top-student-innovators-together-to-tackle-healthcare-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Hackathon Brings Arkansas’ Top Student Innovators Together to Tackle Healthcare Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Fifty-four of Arkansas’ highest-performing high school and college students will gather at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock June 8-12 for an immersive <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/techlaunch\/event\/ai-hackathon-healthtech-startup\/\">AI Hackathon<\/a> and HealthTech Startup Week focused on solving real healthcare challenges facing Arkansans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The public is invited to <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSd6MmJGkBRkOfQq281U78I6gBgYBD3DjLAYd5eujYborY1Bkw\/viewform\">register to attend<\/a> the event’s culminating Demo-and-Pitch Showcase from 2-5 p.m. June 12 in the Engineering and Information Technology Auditorium on the UA Little Rock campus. Attendees will have the opportunity to see student teams present innovative healthcare solutions powered by artificial intelligence and vote for their favorite projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosted in partnership with BioVentures, Arkansas Children’s, and Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, the weeklong program brings together students, healthcare professionals, technology experts, entrepreneurs, and mentors to develop solutions that could improve health outcomes across Arkansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“This is much more than a coding competition,” said Marla Johnson, tech entrepreneur-in-residence at UA Little Rock. “Students are working like startup founders. They’re identifying customer needs, collaborating with healthcare professionals, building solutions with AI, and learning how to transform ideas into products that can improve lives.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the week, participants will work in teams structured like startup companies while gaining experience in artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, product development, customer discovery, business strategy, and public speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teams will tackle a variety of healthcare challenges, including next-generation drug testing, early mental health intervention, maternal and infant health in rural Arkansas, empowering cancer survivors, advancing Black men’s health, helping Arkansans navigate healthcare coverage options, and exploring music therapy for older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The experience extends beyond technology and entrepreneurship. Students will participate in activities designed to foster creativity, wellness, and community engagement, including a drumming circle with support from the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, a community-focused experience connected to the Black Men’s Health challenge, and a branding and art project in partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson said the event was created to help students see how innovation can be used to address meaningful challenges in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“We hope students leave with new skills, new relationships, and perhaps even the foundation for future startups,” Johnson said. “At UA Little Rock, we genuinely care about the health and well-being of Arkansans. That’s why this experience exists. We want students to see how technology, entrepreneurship, and collaboration can create meaningful change.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organizers hope the event will spark new ideas, new partnerships, and potentially new ventures while helping students connect with like-minded peers from across the state who share a passion for innovation and service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Demo-and-Pitch Showcase on June 12 will feature presentations from all seven student teams as they compete for top honors and audience votes. Community members, educators, healthcare professionals, and technology leaders are encouraged to attend and support the next generation of Arkansas innovators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through initiatives like the AI Hackathon and HealthTech Startup Week, UA Little Rock continues to create experiential learning opportunities that prepare students for future careers while advancing innovation and community impact throughout Arkansas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fifty-four of Arkansas’ highest-performing high school and college students will gather at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock June 8-12 for an immersive AI Hackathon and HealthTech Startup Week <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/02\/ai-hackathon-brings-arkansas-top-student-innovators-together-to-tackle-healthcare-challenges\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> AI Hackathon Brings Arkansas’ Top Student Innovators Together to Tackle Healthcare Challenges<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2036,"featured_media":94236,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926],"tags":[35714,35774],"class_list":["post-94235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-marla-johnson"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AI Hackathon Brings Arkansas' Top Student Innovators Together to Tackle Healthcare Challenges - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/02\/ai-hackathon-brings-arkansas-top-student-innovators-together-to-tackle-healthcare-challenges\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AI Hackathon Brings Arkansas' Top Student Innovators Together to Tackle Healthcare Challenges\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fifty-four of Arkansas’ highest-performing high school and college students will gather at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock June 8-12 for an immersive AI Hackathon and HealthTech Startup Week ... 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When she decided to pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree herself, it was her son, Jeffrey Andrews, who helped show her the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This spring, the pair celebrated a milestone together, as graduates of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Andrews, a first-generation college student, sharing the experience with his mother made the moment even more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt means a lot to me to graduate with my mother,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cI admire her strength and commitment to self-improvement. She has instilled in me a passion to achieve big dreams without limitations. Graduating together encompasses the hard work we surpassed to achieve those dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrews graduated with a <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/publicaffairs\/mpa\/\">Master of Public Administration<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/publicaffairs\/mpa\/nonprofitmanagement\/\">Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management<\/a>, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/appliedcomm\/graduate-certificate-in-conflict-management\/\">Graduate Certificate in Conflict Management<\/a>. Johnson completed her <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/philosophy\/interdisc\/\">Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies<\/a> after decades working in healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their paths to graduation were different, but both were shaped by determination, a commitment to education, and personal growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrews arrived at UA Little Rock in 2017 unsure what to expect about college life and a populated, busy campus after he graduated from Maumelle Charter High School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy graduating class had 25 students,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was daunting to go to such a large institution in my eyes at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.ualr.edu\/portal\/campusvisit\">campus tour<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/newstudents\/orientation\/\">New Student Orientation<\/a> helped ease the transition, but he said the biggest surprise came when classes began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe small classroom sizes made the university feel like a second home,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cI built connections with my professors and found new friends quicker than I would have at a larger university.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He credits supportive faculty, the <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/library\/\">Ottenheimer Library<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/counseling\/\">Counseling Services<\/a>, and friendships formed through campus involvement, including Kappa Sigma fraternity, with helping him succeed while working full time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those experiences eventually led him to join the <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/admissions\/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14750085736&gbraid=0AAAAADucxUbT9vGmFFG7CLGhYoCcppe1A&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2_TQBhCnARIsAF3-Xhxtv3Md7KGxB0yrgOTDlQX1IVDsXEOOpT5oeWXu-Mus05-6uw6Q3WAaAk0aEALw_wcB\">Undergraduate Admissions<\/a> team as a recruiter, where he began helping prospective students navigate the college process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That knowledge became especially valuable when Johnson called him with an idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe said, \u2018<em>I am thinking about going back to school<\/em>,\u2019\u201d Andrews recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson planned to pay out-of-pocket for tuition. Instead, Andrews helped her navigate scholarships and financial aid opportunities available through UA Little Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their first success came when she received the <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/scholarships\/transfer\/\">Trojan Transfer Scholarship<\/a>. Later, she also benefited from the <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/admissions\/corporate\/\">Corporate Partnership Program<\/a> between Baptist Health and UA Little Rock, helping make it possible to complete her degree with little financial burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a first-generation student, I did not understand what the FAFSA was or where to find scholarships,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cWhen I began working for the university as a recruiter, that knowledge came with the job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For his mother, returning to school was both a professional and personal decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cProfessionally, I felt it was important to enhance and modernize my skills in technology and leadership,\u201d she said. \u201cPersonally, I always encourage new therapists to continue their education, so I have to practice what I preach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She said UA Little Rock’s flexible online courses allowed her to balance work and family responsibilities while pursuing her degree. Faculty support also helped ease concerns about returning to the classroom after many years away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTheir critiques, reviews, and responses encouraged, validated, and inspired me to continue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She graduated with a 4.0 GPA and has already begun work in the university’s early-entry <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/appliedcomm\/ma\/\">Master of Arts in Applied Communication<\/a> program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching his mother embrace higher education has been one of the most rewarding parts of Andrews’ own academic journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe went from being timid about returning to school to being excited about contributing to academia,\u201d he said. \u201cNow we have long discussions about AI in the classroom and communication in healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But their shared graduation day almost did not happen. Undergraduate and graduate ceremonies were originally scheduled separately before a late adjustment placed them in the same commencement ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI could see my mom three rows ahead of me,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cIt was a great experience to not only graduate but walk across the same stage together. I could not have asked for a better coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Johnson, the moment carried just as much meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGraduating with my son meant the world to me,\u201d she said. \u201cOur journey was not easy, but it was worth the experience of completing such a big chapter in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, they hope their story encourages others to pursue educational goals, regardless of age or circumstance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI hope our experience and our story inspire others to start their own exciting journey,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Andrews looks toward a future that may include law school, he continues to carry a lesson that has guided both his and his mother’s path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow big would you dream if you knew you could never fail?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For years, Karen Grace Johnson was the one offering guidance. As a respiratory therapist and later a pulmonary disease navigator, she encouraged others to continue their education and pursue new <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/01\/a-family-milestone-mother-and-son-graduate-together-from-ua-little-rock\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> A Family Milestone: Mother and Son Graduate Together from UA Little Rock<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2036,"featured_media":94233,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1923,1925,1926],"tags":[4310,2624,28370,36044,35827,2068,35323,2243,62,2218,19143],"class_list":["post-94230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-community","category-featured","tag-admissions","tag-applied-communication","tag-college-of-business-health-and-human-services","tag-commencement-2026","tag-corporate-partnerships-program","tag-counseling-services","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-master-of-public-administration","tag-ottenheimer-library","tag-student-success","tag-transfer-students"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Family Milestone: Mother and Son Graduate Together from UA Little Rock - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/01\/a-family-milestone-mother-and-son-graduate-together-from-ua-little-rock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Family Milestone: Mother and Son Graduate Together from UA Little Rock\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For years, Karen Grace Johnson was the one offering guidance. As a respiratory therapist and later a pulmonary disease navigator, she encouraged others to continue their education and pursue new ... 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It represents perseverance through loss, personal growth, and honoring loved ones who helped shape his journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baker graduated with a Juris Doctor from the <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/law\/\">William H. Bowen School of Law<\/a> at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. It follows a journey that took him from his home in Belgrade, Montana, to Benton, Arkansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAfter moving to Arkansas, I quickly grew to appreciate the state\u2019s culture and Southern hospitality, making the decision to stay after graduation an easy one,\u201d Baker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before attending Bowen, he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in finance with a minor in English from the University of Minnesota Crookston. His interest in law developed through intellectual curiosity and a desire to help others. During his undergraduate studies, he became increasingly interested in criminal justice reform through coursework focused on mass incarceration, resocialization, and over-deterrence in nonviolent offenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wanted to challenge myself intellectually and pursue a career where I could make a meaningful difference in people\u2019s lives,\u201d he said, explaining that law school was a good fit. As a first-generation law student, Baker said attending law school felt both unfamiliar and exciting. \u201cI wanted to build something new for myself and my family while pursuing a career centered on service, advocacy, and personal growth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choosing to attend law school in Arkansas came after a period of profound loss. Baker wanted a fresh start after losing his grandmother, aunt, and mother within three months in 2021. While his 101-year-old grandmother had lived a long life, the deaths of his aunt and mother were unexpected. All three knew he planned to attend law school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy mother was especially proud that I was pursuing law school and potentially becoming the first lawyer in our family,\u201d he said. \u201cShe always joked that I enjoyed arguing with people and was meant to become an attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baker said family loss changed his outlook and strengthened his resolve to study law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCompleting law school became important not only for me, but also for my mother, who had always been one of my biggest supporters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baker attended Bowen full-time while focusing on clerkships, externships, and activities on and off campus. One of his most meaningful experiences was serving on Bowen\u2019s National Mock Trial Team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cParticipating in Mock Trial pushed me outside of my comfort zone and helped me develop practical litigation skills,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baker served as the legal commentary editor for the Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service. In that role, he worked with student writers while editing and publishing legal commentary pieces on a wide range of legal issues and perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, Baker worked as a Rule XV clerk for the Pulaski County Public Defender\u2019s Office, an experience that reinforced his commitment to public service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWorking closely with indigent clients gave me a valuable perspective on client-centered advocacy, while my courtroom experience exposed me to the broader responsibilities attorneys and judges carry within the justice system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With law school complete, Baker is now preparing for the bar exam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a nontraditional law student who returned to college after time away from school, graduating from law school is something I am deeply proud of,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baker believes the experiences and hardships he has faced will continue to shape the way he approaches the legal profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI believe those experiences will help me become a more empathetic attorney and better relate to clients who are facing hardships in their own lives,\u201d he said, adding that he carried a picture of his mother during graduation as a reminder of her support and encouragement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baker said having his father and brother attend graduation meant a great deal to him. He also credited Professor Pat Harris, Professor Terrance Cain, attorney Lloyd Warford, and the attorneys and staff at the Pulaski County Public Defender\u2019s Office for helping shape his law school experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEach of them challenged me in different ways, encouraged my professional growth, and provided practical guidance that extended beyond the classroom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, Baker encourages future law students to remain open to unexpected opportunities and challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSometimes the areas that push you outside of your comfort zone end up being the most rewarding,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I started law school, I thought I wanted to practice transactional and business law. Over time, I realized that I was much more drawn to courtroom advocacy and litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For Cory Baker, graduating this spring represents more than earning a law degree. It represents perseverance through loss, personal growth, and honoring loved ones who helped shape his journey. Baker <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/28\/from-loss-to-purpose-cory-bakers-law-school-journey-defined-by-growth\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> From Loss to Purpose: Cory Baker’s Law School Journey Defined by Growth<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":94220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1925,1926],"tags":[36044,35323,2218,535],"class_list":["post-94219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-featured","tag-commencement-2026","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-student-success","tag-william-h-bowen-school-of-law"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Loss to Purpose: Cory Baker's Law School Journey Defined by Growth - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/28\/from-loss-to-purpose-cory-bakers-law-school-journey-defined-by-growth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Loss to Purpose: Cory Baker's Law School Journey Defined by Growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For Cory Baker, graduating this spring represents more than earning a law degree. It represents perseverance through loss, personal growth, and honoring loved ones who helped shape his journey. Baker ... 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This spring, she received her bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing. Instead of a minor, she completed two additional concentrations: nonfiction writing and viola studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although she always knew she wanted to attend college, Eanes didn\u2019t settle on her major until later in high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“After listening to a particularly encouraging and supportive English teacher, I decided I wanted to major in English and specifically focus on creative writing,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed my English classes, and I used to write \u2018books\u2019 when I was a kid, as well as being an avid reader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a member of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, Eanes attended college full-time while working throughout her four years. Balancing coursework, work, and extracurricular opportunities required persistence, but the effort paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I think it can be particularly challenging to take Donaghey classes alongside my degree, while making room for a semester of study abroad, extracurriculars, and working,” she said. “Although there were times when I had my doubts, coming away with a degree and a 4.0 makes all of the late nights, early mornings, and tears feel worth it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most transformative experiences of her college career came during a semester abroad at the University of Nottingham in England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I had never been away from home more than a week, never been out of the country, and never even been on a plane,” she said. “But after I made a few friends and began to get used to my life there, it became the most valuable experience I\u2019ve ever had. I learned how to be truly independent and to create a social circle from scratch.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back on campus, Eanes continued developing her voice as a writer. Her work appeared in Equinox, where she served as managing editor, and The Oakland Arts Review. She also presented at the Arkansas and Mississippi Philological Association conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I think with every piece a young writer creates, there comes improvement,” she said. ” I certainly feel this way; every new piece I write turns out light years better than the last.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond academics, Eanes spent summers working at the Museum of Discovery, where she helped lead the Girls in STEM program and mentored pre-teen girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mentors also played an important role in her success throughout college, including Dr. Simon Hawkins and Dr. Jessica R. Scott, director and associate director of the Donaghey Scholars program, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Besides being engaging professors, they have helped me network, form my degree plan, and get the most out of study abroad and my scholarship in general,\u201d Eanes said. \u201cI also really appreciate Dr. (Earnest) Cox, Dr. (Kris) McAbee, and Professor (Jeffrey) Condran for their mentorship on my senior thesis. I\u2019ve had a lot of really amazing professors who don\u2019t get enough credit for all they do.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Condran, a UA Little Rock creative writing instructor, praised Eanes\u2019 continued development as a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Her fiction is focused on the Urban South and deeply character-driven,” he said. “All of Josie’s fictional people have such distinct and engaging voices that the reader can’t help but fall in love with them. . . I’m excited to watch her literary career develop \u2013 it’s going to be special.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eanes is now a third-generation UA Little Rock alum, continuing a family legacy that includes her parents, grandmother, and grandfather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She plans to take a gap year before pursuing graduate school. Reflecting on her college experience, Eanes said the journey shaped her both academically and personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I hardly recognize the person who entered UA Little Rock, and I\u2019m so happy with how I\u2019ve grown as a person and student,\u201d she said. \u201cI am particularly grateful for my Donaghey scholarship, which has allowed me to graduate from college debt-free.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As she looks ahead, Eanes offers simple advice to future students: “Be open to change because you never know how wonderful and exciting it can be.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Continuing a family tradition as a third-generation University of Arkansas Little Rock graduate, Josie Eanes has turned a lifelong love of storytelling into a journey of growth and creative achievement. <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/27\/writing-her-next-chapter-josie-eanes-builds-on-family-tradition-at-ua-little-rock\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Writing Her Next Chapter: Josie Eanes Builds on Family Tradition at UA Little Rock<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":94229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1923,1925,1926],"tags":[28389,36044,35494,35323,2218],"class_list":["post-94212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-community","category-featured","tag-college-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education-chasse","tag-commencement-2026","tag-english","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Writing Her Next Chapter: Josie Eanes Builds on Family Tradition at UA Little Rock - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/27\/writing-her-next-chapter-josie-eanes-builds-on-family-tradition-at-ua-little-rock\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Writing Her Next Chapter: Josie Eanes Builds on Family Tradition at UA Little Rock\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Continuing a family tradition as a third-generation University of Arkansas Little Rock graduate, Josie Eanes has turned a lifelong love of storytelling into a journey of growth and creative achievement. ... 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Now, after graduating with a degree in music and a minor in theatre arts, he\u2019s preparing to pursue a new ambition: acting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Dallas native graduated this month as a member of the Donaghey Scholars, an honors program that supports students through research, study abroad, and service opportunities while covering tuition, fees, and a stipend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bear opted to pursue music because \u201cit\u2019s the only thing I really knew.\u201d But his college experience expanded far beyond the classroom. One of the defining moments of his time at UA Little Rock came when he studied abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGot to study abroad for a semester in Sweden \u2014 that was life-changing,\u201d he said. “Puts a lot into perspective when a big fish finally leaves the small pond and realizes they’re not as big relative to the sea.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bear said the best thing about Sweden was the people, and he still keeps in contact with some of them. He also enjoyed having the freedom to \u201cgrow with myself on my own terms. Unregimented. Unobserved. Free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I took a solo trip to Leipzig, and I got to sit in on a service at St. Thomas where the boys’ chorus that J.S. Bach once directed sang,\u201d he said, adding that he also traveled with friends to Gothenburg, Stockholm, and Malm\u00f6. Their travels took them to a small ski town in Lapland, Finland, and even to the Norwegian Sea for a swim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“Copenhagen was really accessible, so we went down there often, saw what there was to see (architecture, the sea, the people) and ate good food,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Bear valued his musical training, theater ultimately became his greater passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI’ve been in a few plays, and that’s really fulfilling,\u201d he said. \u201cHIR and Fairview are the stand-outs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bear said the best part of acting is the creative process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou’re creating a person, and that’s a very delicate process,\u201d he said. \u201cStage partners need to trust one another unconditionally, so it’s such a wonderfully vulnerable moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Lawrence D. Smith taught Bear in Creative Arts II, Acting I, Script Analysis, and Theatre History II, and directed him in two plays. He described him as \u201csmart, driven, talented, and an accomplished singer and excellent actor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Lorissa Mason, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at UA Little Rock, praised Bear\u2019s curiosity and determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bear has \u201ca deep appreciation for literature and the written word,\u201d she said. \u201cHis natural curiosity spans many subjects, fueled by a genuine eagerness to engage with the world around him. Driven and focused, he has the determination to excel in whatever career path he pursues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bear plans to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“I’m going to do the starving actor thing for a while, see if there isn’t any work for me up in the big city,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While part of him wishes he had spent the last four years building a career, he said taking the college detour shaped his perspective and proved useful to him.  \u201dStudying abroad, for example, was invaluable in that it taught me how to exist as a cog in a foreign machine, how to live in an ecosystem I don’t understand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a member of the Donaghey Scholars Program, Bear said he also developed stronger critical thinking skills, which he calls invaluable. He added that he expects the lessons he learns after college will far exceed those he gained in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow the real learning begins, as I start to build connections in a city that is foreign to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawson Bear came to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock four years ago to study music. Now, after graduating with a degree in music and a minor in theatre <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":94216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1923,1925,1926],"tags":[28389,36044,28727,35323,2218],"class_list":["post-94215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-community","category-featured","tag-college-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education-chasse","tag-commencement-2026","tag-donaghey-scholars-honors-program","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lawson Bear came to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock four years ago to study music. Now, after graduating with a degree in music and a minor in theatre ... 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UA Little Rock Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater","og_url":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/","og_site_name":"News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UALittleRock\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-26T14:09:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-26T14:09:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/05\/Lawson-Bear.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Bobbie Handcock","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bobbie Handcock","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/"},"author":{"name":"Bobbie Handcock","@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/831336a34675e2c2adc2b06b0f1ec763"},"headline":"UA Little Rock Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater","datePublished":"2026-05-26T14:09:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-26T14:09:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/"},"wordCount":635,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/05\/Lawson-Bear.png","keywords":["College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASSE)","Commencement 2026","Donaghey Scholars Honors Program","Leaders in the Classroom and Communities","Student Success"],"articleSection":["Arts & Culture","Community","Featured"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/","url":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/","name":"UA Little Rock Graduate Lawson Bear Finds a New Calling in Theater - News - UA Little Rock","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/05\/Lawson-Bear.png","datePublished":"2026-05-26T14:09:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-26T14:09:24+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/26\/ua-little-rock-graduate-lawson-bear-finds-a-new-calling-in-theater\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/05\/Lawson-Bear.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2026\/05\/Lawson-Bear.png","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Lawson Bear graduated in May from UA Little Rock with a degree in music and a minor in theatre arts and plans to pursue an acting career. 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His graduation marked the fulfillment of a promise \u2014 one made to his father before his passing and built on more than three decades of service in law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hockaday earned a <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/criminaljustice\/ba\/\">Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice<\/a> and an <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/criminaljustice\/aas\/\">Associate of Science in Law Enforcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGetting these degrees represents years of commitment, resilience, and personal and professional growth,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me, this is about more than higher education \u2014 it represents perseverance, purpose, and my commitment to my family, my peers, and becoming more knowledgeable in how I serve others through my work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Hockaday\u2019s early life took him across the country and overseas to Germany where he completed the majority of his high school years before finishing his studies back in the U.S. Inspired by his father \u2014 a retired Air Force veteran and police officer \u2014 he made the life-changing decision to serve his country and join the United States Navy, setting the stage for a career defined by his commitment to his community and country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After completing his service, Hockaday sought out another way to serve and began his law enforcement career in Arkansas. He worked for the Jacksonville Police Department for 13 years before joining the Sherwood Police Department, where he continues to serve today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the course of his 31-year law enforcement career, Hockaday has held a variety of roles, including detective, school resource officer, arson investigator, crime scene technician, field training officer, and state-certified law enforcement instructor. He currently serves as a school resource officer at Sylvan Hills High School, a role he said has had the greatest impact on him personally and professionally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBeing a school resource officer has had the biggest impact on me because I am able to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public,\u201d Hockaday said. \u201cI hope I\u2019m able to inspire the students at my school because they inspire me. They have inspired me to be a better person, husband, father, and law enforcement officer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Family has been a steady source of strength throughout Hockaday\u2019s journey. He and his wife have been married for 30 years and are the parents of a 16-year-old son. He said their support carried him through the demands of his career, education, and personal challenges. His commitment to service was shaped by his father, whose example influenced both his military and law enforcement careers. In his final year of study, Hockaday also faced the loss of his father following a battle with Parkinson\u2019s disease linked to Agent Orange exposure during service in South Vietnam. Before his passing, his father encouraged him to complete his degree\u2014a promise Hockaday kept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was hard, I almost quit school. My mother and wife both told me to press on, and that is what my dad would want,\u201d he said. \u201cI also wanted to set an example for my son and to show him that when life is tough, you don\u2019t quit, you persevere through it, and fight. That\u2019s exactly what I did, and now I\u2019m graduating with honors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That drive carried into the classroom, where Hockaday\u2019s decades of experience gave deeper meaning to his studies. He found value in classmates’ diverse viewpoints, new to criminal justice, and in meaningful discussions that broadened his perspective as both a student and an officer. Those same lessons have shaped the way he approaches his work as a school resource officer, where building trust and relationships with students has become one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFour years ago, a female student was complaining about police officers and saying that she didn\u2019t like cops. I told her that I\u2019m a cop, and she looked me dead in the eye and said, <em>\u2018Hockaday, you are one of us!\u2019<\/em> Right then, I knew I was making a difference in these students’ lives. They did not see me as a police officer but as family and a person that they could depend on,\u201d said Hockaday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, he hopes to use both his education and professional experience to help train future law enforcement officers, emphasizing empathy, integrity, and public trust. He wants recruits to understand the importance of protecting citizens\u2019 rights, leading with compassion, and recognizing that every person\u2019s story and circumstances are different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a Black man, I saw an opportunity to be a solution and not the problem, just as my father was. Law enforcement became my way to continue his legacy,\u201d said Hockaday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With two degrees in hand, Hockaday plans to continue his father\u2019s legacy of service, continuing serving his community and now the next generation of law enforcement. Excited about this new stage of life, his goal remains the same: to lead with integrity and compassion, always comitted to making a positive impact on his community and country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know my dad is looking down on me from heaven,\u201d he said, \u201csaying <em>\u2018Well done son, I\u2019m proud of you\u2019<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Jamal Hockaday crossed the commencement stage at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he celebrated more than earning two degrees. His graduation marked the fulfillment of a promise <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/25\/serving-beyond-the-badge-hockaday-graduates-with-honors\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Serving Beyond the Badge: Hockaday Graduates with Honors<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2906,"featured_media":94210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1923,1925,1926],"tags":[28389,36044,35323,2218],"class_list":["post-94209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-community","category-featured","tag-college-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education-chasse","tag-commencement-2026","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-student-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Serving Beyond the Badge: Hockaday Graduates with Honors - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/25\/serving-beyond-the-badge-hockaday-graduates-with-honors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Serving Beyond the Badge: Hockaday Graduates with Honors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Jamal Hockaday crossed the commencement stage at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he celebrated more than earning two degrees. His graduation marked the fulfillment of a promise ... 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His graduation marked the fulfillment of a promise ... 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Little Rock Alum Uses Closet of 300 Costumes to Inspire Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A 2015 University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumnus was awarded the Educator Recognition Award by the <a href=\"https:\/\/giftedarkansas.org\">Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE)<\/a> in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>April Blackburn, longtime K-12 GT teacher for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastendpanthers.com\">East End School District<\/a> in Bigelow, Ark., was recognized for her significant contributions to GT education.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blackburn graduated in 2011 with a degree in education from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Freshly 22 and eager to put her diploma to use, she was offered a position as a GT teacher with East End School District, the only position open at the time, under the condition that she become certified as soon as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While she didn\u2019t quite realize all that being the district\u2019s <em>only<\/em> GT teacher would entail, she was up for the task. Blackburn enrolled at UA Little Rock and began the <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.ualr.edu\/preview_program.php?catoid=21&poid=5525\">Gifted and Talented Education Graduation Certificate<\/a> process. By 2013, she only lacked three credits for her master\u2019s; by 2015, she had completed her M.A. in Gifted and Talented Education, a degree she never imagined she\u2019d one day have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She credits <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/gifted\/dr-ann-robinson\/\">Dr. Ann Robinson<\/a>, a distinguished professor for the UA Little Rock <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/education\/\">School of Education<\/a>, for much of her success from that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere were times when I looked at her and admitted I didn\u2019t know if I had what it takes to finish [the program],\u201d Blackburn said. \u201cAnd she said, \u2018No, you can, and I need you to stay with it.\u2019 She was such a mentor to me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All these years later, UA Little Rock is still part of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUA Little Rock never left me after I graduated,\u201d she said. \u201cDr. Robinson checked in on me when I lost my grandparents, and I still talk to my old professors. The great thing about being an alumnus is that you’re never gone from UA Little Rock. They’re always proud to call you a Trojan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She and her husband were able to go to the university\u2019s annual <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/giving\/event\/taste-of-little-rock-2026\/\">Taste of Little Rock<\/a> April 7, which celebrates diverse culinary experiences from across the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[The invitation] reminded me I\u2019m still part of the family,\u201d she said. \u201cIt means a lot to me how much the university cares about their alumni and invests in their success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now 15 years into her tenure at East End School District, Blackburn went into her career hoping to create a safe environment that gives students the space to realize their potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I don’t teach, who will?\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re struggling to get educators. We\u2019re struggling to find the right people. And we’re losing teachers left and right for really valid reasons. I push forward through it because [my students] need me, and they’re going through much worse things than I am. I mean, I have kids who don’t even know what love is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was the idea of putting a smile on even one of their faces that gave her the idea to start wearing costumes to school more than a decade ago. In 2015, Blackburn walked into her classroom on Halloween wearing a homemade replica of Ms. Frizzle\u2019s iconic space outfit: a navy blue dress patterned with stars and planets, space shuttle shoes and Saturn drop earrings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It became more than just a tradition. On National Popcorn Day, students know when they walk into school that she\u2019ll be dressed up as a giant bag of popcorn. When National Bubble Gum Day comes around a month later, she\u2019ll be dressed up as a bubble gum machine. Each \u201cnational day\u201d brings its own costume and theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI probably have more than 300 at this point,\u201d she admitted. \u201cStudents who graduated years ago will come up to me in public and ask if I still wear them. I\u2019ve had people beg me to count them, and everyone laughs when I tell them how small of a closet I actually have. Most of the costumes are all vacuum sealed, and some of them are in my attic. The inflatable ones are in the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that\u2019s not enough, she\u2019s also earned the nickname \u201cGrant Queen\u201d at her school. During the 2025\u201326 school year alone, she secured 10 grants, including funding that allowed her middle school students to participate in several regional VEX Robotics competitions across Arkansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want state funding to ever limit opportunities for my students,\u201d she said. \u201cI have four 3D printers in my classroom. I have class pets. I just hatched eggs in an incubator. There\u2019s always something going on, and it makes the kids run to my door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when she\u2019s not waiting by the door to welcome her students in, she\u2019s helping out with quiz bowl, or chess club, or National Honor Society, or the spelling bee, or Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE), where she sits on the board and as elections chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wear a lot of hats, literally and figuratively,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the support of Callie Quiroz, principal and former librarian at Anne Watson Elementary School, Blackburn also created a makerspace lab\u2014a space where students can go specifically to build and create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blackburn was raised in Conway by her grandmother, Clara, who was a third grade teacher at Ellen Smith Elementary School for 23 years before retiring to care for Blackburn and her siblings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHearing the impact she had on students my whole life made me want to have a career where I could impact others,\u201d Blackburn said. \u201cSome of my kids get off the bus every morning and have come from awful situations. If wearing a crazy costume is going to make them feel like they can breathe, then that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her grandmother passed away from pneumonia in 2024, 7 days after the birth of Blackburn\u2019s son William. Clara watched Blackburn win several education awards throughout her career, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nagc.org\">National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)<\/a> Master\u2019s and Specialist Award in November 2015 and the Act 56 Award from AGATE in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know my grandma is watching, and I want to show her that giving up her career for us wasn\u2019t a mistake,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m going to make her proud until I retire, if I ever do. They might have to carry me out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of all her career milestones, one stood out as the moment she realized she made it as an educator. Every April, Blackburn takes dozens of students on multi-day trips as part of her curriculum. She is always blown away by the impact these trips seem to have on her students, many of whom have never been out of state. But one conversation on a charter bus to the San Antonio SeaWorld Camp in 2015 changed her perspective entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was the middle of the night, and I was walking up and down the bus to make sure everyone was okay, and one of the girls was looking out of the window. I stopped to ask her if she was okay, and she said, \u2018We just crossed the Texas state line. Did you know that? I\u2019ve never been out of the state before, Ms. Blackburn.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That little girl\u2019s face in that moment, where it clicked that she could go places she\u2019d never been before, is something Blackburn says she\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe had a lot of hardship in her life: a mom in prison and a difficult upbringing being bounced from house to house. It reminded me that as horrible as the world can sometimes be, there are people who don\u2019t have the opportunities we do, and bringing that kind of inspiration that comes with life experience is something that I don\u2019t take for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s advice that Blackburn will pass on to her children: four-year-old Clara and now two-year-old William, named after each of her grandparents, whose spirits live on through the joy she brings to her classroom each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Written by Olivia Hicks<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 2015 University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumnus was awarded the Educator Recognition Award by the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE) in February. April Blackburn, longtime K-12 <a href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/22\/ua-little-rock-alum-uses-closet-of-300-costumes-to-inspire-students\/\" class=\"more-link\">…<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> UA Little Rock Alum Uses Closet of 300 Costumes to Inspire Students<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1923,1925,1926],"tags":[112,28389,35564,335,35323,2169],"class_list":["post-94177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-community","category-featured","tag-alumni-association","tag-college-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education-chasse","tag-gifted-and-talented-education","tag-jodie-mahony-center-for-gifted-education","tag-leaders-in-the-classroom-and-communities","tag-taste-of-little-rock"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UA Little Rock Alum Uses Closet of 300 Costumes to Inspire Students - News - UA Little Rock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ualr.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/22\/ua-little-rock-alum-uses-closet-of-300-costumes-to-inspire-students\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UA Little Rock Alum Uses Closet of 300 Costumes to Inspire Students\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A 2015 University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumnus was awarded the Educator Recognition Award by the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE) in February. April Blackburn, longtime K-12 ... 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