Marie Wilson Howell Graduating Senior Award

The Marie Wilson Howell Outstanding Graduating Senior Award is given to a graduating senior Psychology major each spring. The recipient is determined by the full-time Psychology faculty members.

Criteria considered during the decision-making process are:

  • high overall GPA
  • high Psychology GPA
  • exemplary professional conduct
  • involvement in research activities
  • involvement with departmental organizations

2021 Recipients

Claire Brazile:


I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a UA Little Rock student. I transferred from another city after receiving my associate’s degree, and I remember how excited and nervous I was. During my time at UA Little Rock, I met some of my closest friends and professors that I aspire to be like one day. I have so many fond memories, both educationally and personally, that I will never forget. I thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the Psychology Club and getting to interact with fellow psychology majors.

While my senior year introduced unexpected challenges, with COVID-19 causing classes to be strictly online and campus life to be nonexistent, it was one of my best years in terms of academic achievements. Not only was I inducted into Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, but I also unexpectedly received this award. Throughout my educational career, I have worked hard to prove myself as a dedicated student and it means so much to me to be recognized by professors that I admire. I am grateful to the Psychology Department faculty for the knowledge and support they have given me. While my time here is ending, I am excited about the future and what it brings. I will always remember my time at UA Little Rock!

Lindsey Carl:

I am so grateful for my time here at UA Little Rock. I re-entered school after quitting two different programs, and psychology felt like a discipline I could really grow with and love. Every class I took deepened my curiosity and expanded how I thought about different problems in human psychology and behavior. Particularly, I discovered a passion for research I had not realized I had, and am forever appreciative to have had the opportunity to pursue goals in that area under the guidance of my very kind and wonderful professors. Any time I spoke with a faculty member about my plans for the future and what I enjoyed studying, I was given clear and positive feedback and direction. I always felt encouraged and soon developed a clearer sense of my own career goals.

To be honest, in the beginning, I am not sure I even had career goals—I just knew I was curious. Now I have a way to take my curiosity and do something with it, which is a very satisfying feeling! I’m confident that now I can go on to continue my work in graduate school and I’m excited to start the next leg of my academic journey. I am very thankful for my time here and honored to be recognized with this award.

2020 Recipients

Taylor Allen:

My time as a UA Little Rock student was rewarding. Not only did I learn a lot from my classes, but I also learned so much about myself throughout this journey. One of my favorite memories would have to be my freshman year when I lived in West Hall. I probably spent more hours in the study room than I did sleeping, but I met some of my closest friends that year. I also loved every minute of being a CLC scholar and learning what it takes to be a good leader. Another memorable time was being inducted into the International Honor Society in Psychology. Being a psychology major has led me to the greatest professors and education that I could have received. I was very scared going into college as a first-generation student but I learned that my professors wanted me to succeed just as much as I did. I cannot explain in words the gratitude that I have for the Department of Psychology and its faculty. With the knowledge that I have gained and their endless support, I am now prepared for what the future brings. Even though my time here is ending, I will always be a proud UA Little Rock Trojan.

Julieta Dalmazzo:

I am honored to be graduating from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and to have received this award. This is especially an honor for me because I have never had much confidence in my abilities, as far as academics are concerned until I started school here. I worked hard, had encouragement from those around me, and was motivated to push forward. There were hard times during the semesters in which I was not confident in my own abilities, but I have had wonderful people around me that kept me motivated and believed in me. The teachers here also helped me in trying to better my work and provided the tools that I would need in the future. A phrase that I remember being said, during an internship that I had for one of my classes, was that one’s stumbles in life are opportunities to learn not only for one’s life but in order to help those in the future. It took me a very long road to get to this point in my life and sometimes you need to stumble and fall, but as a future psychologist, I can take all of those lessons and apply them in helping those that may be in similar situations. Life is always teaching you something, one just needs to be able to learn from it. This school has taught me a lot, not just about my major and minor, but about myself, and gave me the confidence I needed.