Stephanie London '06

I graduated from UA Fort Smith in 2006 with a degree in English, but my heavy involvement in student organizations is what really helped me get to where I am today. I loved being so involved with Campus Activities Board, Cub Camp, and so much more. Toward the end of my senior year, during a trip to Walton Arts Center with our Emerging Leaders Program through Student Activities, we met with several staff. In doing so, I learned of an event assistant position that was open. Soon after I decided to apply and was awarded the position. I served as an event assistant in the Production Department of Walton Arts Center working backstage at large productions, booking events, and helping coordinate special events.

One year of working at Walton Arts Center was a great experience, but I really wanted to stay in Fort Smith so when I was offered the position of Student Activities Event Coordinator at UA Fort Smith, I quickly accepted.

I absolutely love working back at my alma mater! I get to plan events and work with students every day. The best part about my job is seeing how much students grow throughout their time at UA Fort Smith. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel with students to places like Orlando, Washington D.C., and more.

 

Taking students to the National Conference on Student Leadership in Washington D.C.


Student Affairs staff acting as targets (literally) for a water balloon fight at Island Party

One of my favorite memories as a staff member at UA Fort Smith was being a namesake for Cub Camp 2009. As a founding member of the organization when I was a student, it is exciting to see the changes and impact this activity still has on incoming freshman. Being asked back as a namesake was a great honor.

 

Getting pied in the face as Cub Camp 2009 Namesake for London’s Lava Loving Lobsters

I am also the Vice Chair of Young Emerging of Fort Smith (YEL). Having been a part of this networking organization for young professionals in the area for the past few years has been a great experience and I love serving in this voluntary role. We have leadership and professional development events, as well as social networking opportunities like taking a group to see the Arkansas Naturals play baseball.


During a YEL trip to see the Arkansas Naturals

In my personal life, I enjoy reading (English degree in me) and spending time with my family and boyfriend of three and half years, John. We live in Fort Smith with our little family - a 2 year old “chiwennie,” half Chihuahua, half dachshund, that we adopted named Macy.

 

The now very spoiled Macy

Kevin Bowen '04, '09

I graduated from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in 2004 with an Associate’s of Applied Science – Radiography degree, where I served as the president of the Lambda Nu Honors Society, and then obtained by my Bachelor’s of Science Imaging Sciences-Management degree in 2009. About six months before I graduated in 2004, I was offered a position as a radiologic technologist in the emergency department at Sparks Regional Medical Center. This job was the beginning of what has been a very successful career.

In 2005, I was approached with a job offer to work as a computed tomography technologist at the Medical Center of McKinney in McKinney, Texas. This was a great opportunity for me, but it would come at the expense of moving away from my entire family. After a lot of deliberation and prayer, my wife and I decided to accept the position, which turned out to be the best career decision of my life (so far). I began my career at MCM as a staff technologist, and I have since become the manager of our outpatient imaging services. I also serve as the chair of our outpatient product line committee, where I have headed up numerous projects including building and opening a new outpatient imaging center, and more recently, our ACR accreditation program.

UA Fort Smith completely prepared me for my career, and I cannot think Dr. Nancy Hawking enough for pushing me to better than what I thought I could be. She has been, and still is, a true inspiration to me!

Business Trip to LA

Me and the family

In May of 2004 my life was changed forever when my wife, Amanda, decided to take my hand in marriage. She has been there for me and supported me throughout my career, and I cannot thank her enough for that. Without her, I would not be anywhere close to where I am today. My wife and I now have two beautiful boys, Braxton and Ethan, to help keep our lives busy…as if we needed any help.

My oldest son Braxton

My youngest son Ethan

Our evenings are now filled with baseball practice, soccer practice, swim parties, and bedtime stories.

Me and Braxton at his baseball game

 I cannot wait to see what will unfold in the next chapters of our lives!

Lacy Hopper Allen '06

I always knew that I wanted to attend the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. When I received the Chancellor’s Leadership Council scholarship in 2002, I knew that I was destined to get my education there. My original plans were to get my degree in biology and go to medical school. Although my love for science did not change, I fell in love with the teaching profession.

I graduated in the fall of 2006 with my degree in middle childhood education. Graduating in the fall gave me a semester to pursue a dream that I had for years. I applied for a College Internship at Disney World and set off on a new journey. It was one of the best experiences that I have ever had and gave me an opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Working for Disney allowed me to learn more about myself and gain an interest in communication and diverse cultures.

Earning my Disney Ears!

When my internship was complete, I moved home and received a position in the Fort Smith School district teaching seventh grade math at Darby Junior High. I have been teaching there for three years now and am currently going to school through Arkansas Tech University to receive my Masters degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. Darby is a very diverse school, and I love the fact that I can apply everything that I am learning into my career everyday.

I also teach for an after school program called Ranger Recon at Darby Junior high. It is an awesome program where our students can learn math, literacy, cooking, karate, art, and much more. Building trust and getting to know my students is very important to me, and I enjoy getting to impact their lives even outside the classroom.

My sister and I

Last June I married my wonderful husband, Jack Allen. We just bought a home in Fort Smith in December and have been having fun remodeling it. In my spare time you can catch me gardening in my yard, visiting my family, or singing along to whatever is playing on the radio. My husband and I also enjoy traveling. We visited Cozumel and Belize last year after our wedding and will be going back to Disney World this June to celebrate our one year anniversary.

Jack and I

I believe that God has prepared me in several ways to live the life that I am now living. All of the training and experiences at UA Fort Smith have helped to mold me into the person I am today. UA Fort Smith’s education program definitely prepared me for this profession and I am thankful for that!

Breanne Gustin '08

The day after receiving my Bachelor of Arts in English from UA Fort Smith, I drove to Dallas to get on a plane for the very first time – to the Philippines! My husband had lived there for two years as a missionary so I really wanted to go. We got to do several awesome things, like hike Mt. Makiling, go behind Pagsanjan Falls, eat at a floating restaurant, and feed monkeys. Although it was an amazing experience, I returned very grateful for my apartment that had air conditioning, a comfortable bed, and a real shower.

My husband and I in the Philippines

After returning from the Philippines, I worked part-time until my husband finished prerequisites for pharmacy school. After being so busy with school and extracurricular activities, I now had the difficult task of keeping myself busy! I got addicted to reading and started running regularly, and I got a super adorable friend to play with. Our dog, Marley, added a lot of fun to our lives and is just so darn cute!

Me and Marley

A year after graduating I started job hunting in Weatherford, Oklahoma where my husband hoped to attend pharmacy school. I applied for a position at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and within a week I was hired as an Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Professional & Graduate Studies. Our office is very busy, and I do a lot of paperwork, reports, and projects for the Dean as well as manage the graduate school applications. I get to spend a lot of time corresponding with students and applicants. Now instead of being the student worker, I have a few of my own. I love working for a university!

Me at SWOSU

One week after moving to Weatherford, my husband was accepted into the pharmacy school. It was meant to be! Also meant to be was the addition of Patchy to our family. We love our dogs!

Marley and Patchy

These days I keep busy with work while my husband works on obtaining his PharmD, and we really like our friendly town. Exploring western Oklahoma has been fun, though I am still not used to the wind. I still enjoy reading and running, and I have also taken up sewing. My husband and I hope to add to our family soon, only this time with one without fur. My years at UA Fort Smith were some of the most fun and exciting, and my education and experiences with organizations and student activities definitely had a positive influence on my life. I am happy to support the SWOSU Bulldogs, but I will always be a Lion at heart!

Kristi Thomas '05

I graduated from UA Fort Smith in 2005 with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Since I graduated in the fall, I assumed I would have to substitute in schools until the new school year rolled around. Well, one of the school districts I was working in needed a long term substitute to finish out the year. So, I worked as a fourth grade teacher in Mountainburg from January 2005 until May 2005. After my time was finished there, I moved to Tate Elementary in Van Buren where I taught third grade for two years.

In the summer of 2008, I attended ESL (English as a Second Language) Academy through Henderson State University where I obtained my ESL endorsement. That following school year, I moved from teaching third grade to teaching a pre-kindergarten classroom of four year-olds. Talk about a change! I have been in that classroom for two years now and I absolutely love it! Trust me…there is never a dull moment!

Throughout my career I have been asked to go to several workshops all across the United States. Last year I went to Rochester, New York for a pre-kindergarten writing conference. That trip was short, but we had a blast! Also last year, I went to Dallas, Texas for a national conference for pre-kindergarten, which was very educational! The most fun I have had was when a group of us went to Baton Rouge for a math conference. Our conference was five days long, but we had a little free time. While we were there, we went on a swamp tour where we got to hold all kinds of critters!

I'm on the far right

Outside of my career, I enjoy reading and singing. I am also very active in my church. Here recently I became engaged to Michael Bray, who is a current UA Fort Smith student.

The proposal!

Michael and I are the youth leaders at Van Buren Freewill Baptist. We also enjoy singing and worshiping the Lord together.

Michael and I

UA Fort Smith prepared me for all these great opportunities that I’ve had in my life. Starting from when I was a University Ambassador my sophomore year, all the way until my senior year, when I was the Assistant Director of Staff and Training for the first ever Cub Camp. The sense of leadership was instilled within me during my years at the university. That has helped me more than anything I can imagine. If I had not had these opportunities, I might not be where I am today. Thank you to all the professors who have helped me have this great life!

Megan Raynor '05

It’s hard to believe I’ve been out of college for five years. I graduated in May 2005 with a Bachelor of Science-Business Administration. Since my time at UA Fort Smith, I’ve been able to travel, find the ideal job, and purchase my first home.

With my family after my graduation

Being out of school allows me more time to spend enjoying my favorite leisure activities-reading and spending time with my family and friends. Traveling is at the top of my list, as well. My graduation gift to myself was a trip to Mexico. I enjoy the peace and quiet the beach and ocean offers. Another big trip I was fortunate enough to take was to Rome and Venice. Being away from Fort Smith when I travel makes me realize how much I love living here. It’s not too big or too small, just right for me!

At the Coliseum in Rome-April 2006

While going to school, I worked for the Accounting department at Sparks Health System. A little over a year after I graduated, the perfect job opportunity fell in my lap. I was told Hanna Oil & Gas Company had an opening in their Accounting department and needless to say, I have called it my “work home” ever since. At Hanna, I make sure the billings are sent out each month, I analyze our financials, assist with accounts payable and accounts receivable, and the list goes on! I enjoy the constant challenge my job brings. It’s hard for me to believe that this August I’ll have been here for four years, and I plan to be here many more!

 Busy at work!

June 2008 I took a big step and purchased my first home. I continue to be grateful that I was able to do this at what I consider to be a young age, and I truly love being a homeowner.

Hanging out with some of my favorite people! I’m on the far left

Some other notably fun chapters in my life have included participating in the Citizens Police Academy (2005), the Citizens Academy (2007) and the Citizens Fire Academy (2008). These were all great experiences. I definitely gained a greater respect for the people and departments that work together to run our great city of Fort Smith.

I am currently involved in the 2009-2010 Leadership Fort Smith class. I have met a lot of wonderful people and am sad it is coming to an end soon. However, each end is a new beginning and I look forward to the next chapter in my life.

Lydia McDaniel '09

Many changes have taken place both professionally and personally since graduating in May 2009. Before graduation I was one of the lucky few who could say they already had a career path lined up. Which I realize now just how much of a blessing that truly was. In April I proudly accepted a position with Acosta Sales and Marketing in Bentonville, AR. They had selected myself and two others from a series of extensive interviews held on campus at UA Fayetteville and in the Bentonville office. I can’t help but laugh when I think back to the whole process….I was a nervous wreck and I’m sure they could tell. Both sets of interviews were panel interviews of which I felt relatively prepared for thanks to the many mock interviews Ron Orick had helped me arrange for practice. The second interview consisted of a presentation and I so graciously used an “Organic Dog Food” business plan project we had been working on in my Integrated Marketing Communications class in Professor Peerbolte’s class.

(At work at Acosta)

In July I started my journey with Acosta as a Retail Coverage Manager. This phase allowed me to study the consumer packaged goods industry first hand and see how the Wal-Mart system operated at store level. In January, I transitioned into my second phase of the Leadership Development Program as a category analyst in their Marketing department. I’m in the process of getting more comfortable with my clients and adjusting to being in the office. I am now using databases that I learned about in courses at UA Fort Smith, such as Neilson, IRI and Spectra. In September I will transition into my third and final phase in the LDP program as a Business Manager where I will be focusing on brand marketing and building business.

On a more personal note, I decided upon moving to NWA I needed a hobby and have taken up tennis. I am currently planning team tennis at the Fayetteville Athletic Club, it has definitely been challenging yet fun. I also got engaged in August and will be getting married to Josh Holloway on July 31st, in Fort Smith, so I have been busy planning a wedding as well. In reflection, I can honestly say that UA Fort Smith has done an excellent job in preparing me for the business world. I use skills acquired at UA Fort Smith daily.