University of Arkansas

"Around one in four students at the University of Arkansas are first-generation students," says Miceala Morano, a senior from West Fork. "I'm proud to be a part of that one in four, especially since my path to Senior Walk began with literal pennies.

Fulbright College senior Jenna Klewsaat knows that persistence pays off in the end. Klewsaat, who is originally from Colorado, came to the University of Arkansas in 2020 and has overcome numerous obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet Klewsaat persisted, never giving up on her dream of graduating and seeing her name on Senior Walk.

As an active transportation coordinator in the Office for Sustainability on campus, Emma Armendariz spends every day working to make the U of A and Fayetteville more sustainable. Yet she found the university's Environmental Resiliency program still pushed her to deepen her understanding of sustainability and rethink how she approaches the work.

Several graduating Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design students at the University of Arkansas reflected on the experiences that have shaped their time in school and prepared them for what is next as they begin their careers. These spotlights feature six design students with diverse paths, perspectives and passions who share the growth, creativity and unique insights they have gained throughout their journey at the Fay Jones School and the U of A. Their reflections offer a closer look at their dedication as students and the positive impact they hope to make after graduation.

This May, Holli Jenkins will walk across the stage at the University of Arkansas with a biological engineering degree and her dream job already secured. The path there was built on community, shaped by a supportive department, a student club meeting and the confidence to follow up with an email. Jenkins didn't arrive at the U of A planning to study biological engineering. She initially set her sights on mechanical engineering, but an info session for the First-Year Engineering Biological Engineering program changed everything.

From the smallest towns in the Louisiana Delta to cross-country van treks, a passion for design can begin in vastly different places. That was the case for two Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design students at the U of A who were recognized by Metropolis magazine, affirming them among the top emerging designers in North America. Emmalyn Burns and Dakota Kalkstein, both interior architecture and design majors, were named to this year's Future100 list due to their exceptional academic records and compelling portfolios, proving their creativity and commitment.

The University of Arkansas School of Law Board of Advocates has announced its executive board and membership for the 2026-27 academic year. Students become eligible for the board during their third year of law school by participating in a minimum number of intraschool and interschool Board of Advocates competitions during their first and second years. The outgoing BOA Executive Board interviews applicants, who rank the leadership positions they are interested in obtaining on their applications. Once interviews conclude, the board selects students to fill each role for the next year. The Board of Advocates sponsors three internal competitions that select students for moot court, trial and advocacy teams that compete at regional and national levels. These programs provide valuable opportunities for students to develop and refine their lawyering skills.

The School of Art in the University of Arkansas Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is proud to announce that four of its members have been awarded Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships. Represented at all levels - faculty, staff and students - the awardees include assistant professor of Foundations Jean Schmitt, equipment technician Andrew Blackwell, assistant director of communications Elizabeth Muscari and MFA candidate Serena Caffrey.

Sam Vinson is graduating this May from the U of A with two majors - biological engineering and Spanish - three minors, a Walmart internship and something most engineers don't accomplish before they receive their diploma: a first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

At the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, students are continually encouraged to consider how design can address broader social challenges. For fifth-year architecture students Sydney Winkler and Macy Watson, the recent changes to the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits made those conversations feel especially urgent. Instead of thinking of this problem as too big to tackle, they saw an opportunity to act.

Coming from Marked Tree, Arkansas - with a graduating class of just 37 - to the University of Arkansas felt intimidating to Devonte Daniel. But, as he says, "It pushed me out of my comfort zone and opened the door for countless opportunities of learning, growth and connections!" Devonte chose the Sam M. Walton College of Business because of its nationally ranked programs in Marketing and Supply Chain Management, along with the opportunities to connect with Fortune 500 companies right here in Northwest Arkansas.

Four students in the Statistics and Analytics (StAn) interdisciplinary graduate program at the University of Arkansas recently presented posters at the 155th annual American Fisheries Society International Meeting in San Antonio.

With more than 30,000 students on the University of Arkansas campus and over 200,000 graduates, everyone has a story to tell, and everyone has a different path to earning their name into Senior Walk. Markell Cox of Wynne, a senior majoring in music education, chose the U of A for the Inspirational Chorale, a performance ensemble within Fulbright College's Department of Music dedicated to preserving the tradition of Black sacred music.

Senior Grant Viscardis has been selected as the Student Leader of the Month for October 2023. Originally from Hot Springs, Viscardis came to the U of A to study biology. He is the president for EMPOWER RSO, leads the Global Brigades to Panama as the medical chairman, volunteers at the Full Circle Food Pantry, a Patient Care Technician at CHI St. Vincent Hospital in Hot Springs and is a research assistant in assistant professor Joisah Leong's FullStackNeuro Lab addressing the causation of substance use and early life stress on the mesolimbic pathway in the brain. Viscardis is also a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity. Viscardis said he got involved in these organizations mainly to learn how to network and communicate with others while expressing his deepest passions.

The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas recently named their 2023-24 Fulbright College Student Ambassadors, which is part of the college's Inclusive Excellence initiatives. The Fulbright College Student Ambassador Program, which began in 2021, selects high-achieving undergraduate students to aid the college in its recruitment efforts, student outreach programs, community engagement and professional development opportunities. The program has grown to include 15 qualified undergraduate student ambassadors for the 2023-24 academic year.

Senior Joanna Resendez has been selected as the Student Leader of the Month for August 2023. Originally from Richardson, Texas, Resendez came to the University of Arkansas to study political science with minors in English and legal studies. She is currently the Senior Resident Assistant of Maple Hill West and a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service organization that builds leadership and community through service and fellowship to all. Additionally, she is an advisoe for Lead More, which empowers upperclassmen in the development of their personal leadership styles through various initiatives throughout the year. She is also a member of the Pre-Law Society and works at the Young Law library.